Book Summaries Archives | Page 12 of 27

Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level by Leander Kahney.

February 18, 2022 In Biographies 10 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Technology writer Leander Kahney, author of numerous books about Apple subcuTechnology writer Leander Kahney, the author of numerous books about Apple subculture and products, chronicles the journey of Apple CEO Tim Cook as the leader of the most valuable company in the world. When the founder and former CEO of Apple Steve Jobs died in 2011, there was a lot of skepticism surrounding the selection of Tim Cook as the new Apple CEO.

It’s easy now to look at Cook’s ascent to the head of the world’s biggest tech company as the markings of a new era for Apple, but in 2011 it felt more like an ending than a new chapter.

Tim Cook has steadied the Apple ship, leading the company to become the world’s first trillion-dollar company. Drawing on access with several Apple insiders, Kahney reveals how Cook have been able to maintain the Apple culture of innovation by taking some tough decisions, humane leadership, reinventing Apple’s supply chain and committing to his core values. In January 2022, CNBC reported that Apple first U.S. company to reach $3 trillion market cap.

Book Summary – Radical Compassion by Tara Brach.

February 14, 2022 In Book Summaries 12 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two, my life flows. – SRI NISARGADATTA

In Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN, American psychologist and mindfulness teacher Tara Brach describes a four-step meditation practice for dealing with difficult emotions and limiting beliefs. Each step in the meditation practice are: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture.

Brach is the author of one of my favourite books on dealing with trying times: Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love that Heals Fear and Shame.

Favourite Takeaways – Radical Compassion by Tara Brach.

Book Summary – Idea Man by Paul Allen.

February 11, 2022 In Biographies 25 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

In Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, Paul Allen describes the early fun days of discovering the personal computer, his love for programming at an early age, meeting Bill Gates at Lakeside private school, the origin story of Microsoft, the partnership dynamic between him and Bill.

Idea Man is a great memoir about innovation, vision, partnerships, sacrifice, compromise, conviction, consistency, and the power of self-belief. A lot of lessons were learned from pioneering the computer revolution, seizing opportunity, making bold moves, and executing relentlessly. Allen was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2009, leading to a renewed sense of urgency for life and sharing his story. Allen was vulnerable about his successes, failures, dealing with cancer, his thorny roller-coaster relationship with Bill Gates. Idea Man is a must-read for co-founding a tech company.

Book Summary -Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success by Ken Segall

February 7, 2022 In Book Summaries 11 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

“Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end, because once you get there, you can move mountains.”—Steve Jobs

Ken Segall worked as an advertising agency creative director for 17 years, both at Apple and at Next. He worked closely with former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. During his time working with Apple, he began to notice a pattern which formed 10 core elements upon which the book is based. Segall also served as worldwide creative director at agencies for Dell, Intel and IBM.

Insanely Simple’s Theme

“The operative theory here is that, while Apple does many things well—hardware, software, manufacturing, strategy, product launches, PR, marketing, retail, and much more—Simplicity is the common thread that ties them all together.”

Book Summary – Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

February 4, 2022 In Biographies 26 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

The journey is the reward.

Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues- American Biographer Walter Isaacson takes the reader on a journey, the early days of the Apple, becoming the most valuable company in the world, Steves passionate drive of getting things done and creating insanely great product.

Steve revolutionized six industries through Apple, a company he started with his friend -Steve Wozniak. They started Apple in 1976 with $1,300 in working capital and today is the world’s most valuable company with a market capitalization of USD 2.9 trillion. Steve transformed the following industries : personal computers (iMac, MacBook) animated movies (Pixar) , music(iTunes), phones(iPhone), tablet computing (iPad), and digital publishing(iBook).

The Steve Jobs book is the inspiration for the movie of the same name starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels, directed by Danny Boyle with a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin.

Book Summary: Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson.

January 31, 2022 In Book Summaries 13 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Where do great ideas come? That is the question that author and media theorist Steven Johnson sought to answer in his book,Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. He identifies the seven key patterns behind genuine innovation, and traces them across time and disciplines.

Chance favours the connected mind.

“This is a book about the space of innovation. Some environments squelch new ideas; some environments seem to breed them effortlessly. The city and the Web have been such engines of innovation because, for complicated historical reasons, they are both environments that are powerfully suited for the creation, diffusion, and adoption of good ideas. Neither environment is perfect, by any means. (Think of crime rates in big cities, or the explosion of spam online.) But both the city and the Web possess an undeniable track record at generating innovation”

Our thought shapes the spaces we inhabit, and our spaces return the favor. The argument of this book is that a series of shared properties and patterns recur again and again in unusually fertile environments.

Book Summary – iwoz by Steve Wozniak

January 28, 2022 In Biographies 11 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

In iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It, Steve Wozniak writes about the origin story of Apple, meeting his co-founder Steve Jobs, his upbringing, love for programming, and the values that has guided his decisions. He wrote the book to dispel some misconceptions about his relationship with Steve Jobs and feeling towards Apple.

Book Summary -Daily Rituals by Mason Currey.

January 24, 2022 In Book Summaries 9 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Sooner or later, the great men turn out to be all alike. They never stop working. They never lose a minute. It is very depressing.

Success they say leaves clues and for creatives, one of the common themes is their daily routine. Author Mason Currey was fascinated by the routine and regimen of the most creative minds of our time. His curiosity led him to ask questions such as How do you do meaningful creative work while also earning a living? Is it better to devote yourself wholly to a project or to set aside a small portion of each day? And when there doesn’t seem to be enough time for all you hope to accomplish, must you give things up (sleep, income, a clean house), or can you learn to condense activities, to do more in less time, to “work smarter, not harder? Is finding a basic level of daily comfort a prerequisite for sustained creative work?

Book Summary -Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.

January 21, 2022 In Biographies 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Life is growth, Business is growth. You grow or you die.

In Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc., Phil Knight describe the early days of Nike as Blue Ribbon Sports reselling Japanese shoes, his partnership with his coach (Bill Bowerman), the early challenges of building the brand, and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.

Co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates listed Shoe Dog as one of his favorite books of 2016. Bill Gates on Shoe Dog ” An honest tale of what it takes to succeed in business. Phil Knight opens up in a way few CEOs do in his candid memoir about creating the Nike shoe empire.”. In his 2016 annual letter to shareholders, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet had high praises for the Shoe Dog book : “The best book I read last year was Shoe Dog, by Nike’s Phil Knight. Phil is a very wise, intelligent and competitive fellow who is also a gifted storyteller.”

Start with Why by Simon Sinek

January 19, 2022 In Book Summaries 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

In Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, British-American author Simon Sinek shows that the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way — and it’s the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek highlights purpose-driven leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy, Steve Jobs, The Wright Brothers and companies (Apple, Harley-Davidson, Disney, Southwest Airline) as models of how a purpose can be created to inspire a culture together, away from the manipulative society we live in today.

His TED Talk based on START WITH WHY is one of the most watched TED video of all time.

Book Summary -Grit by Angela Duckworth.

January 17, 2022 In Book Summaries 5 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

“To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to invest, day after week after year, in challenging practice. To be gritty is to fall down seven times, and rise eight.”

In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, psychologist, and author Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.

Angela’s TED talk is among the most-viewed of all time. She is the co-host, with Stephen J. Dubner (co-author of the Freakonomics books) of the podcast No Stupid Questions.

Book Summary – Will by Will Smith.

January 14, 2022 In Biographies 16 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Oprah Winfrey referred to Will Smith’s autobiography as the “best memoir she’s ever read” in her November 2021 “The Oprah Conversation” interview with actor Will Smith. In Will, American actor Will Smith takes the reader on a journey of his life, childhood, thorny relationship with his dad, his rap career, career-shaping chance encounters with Benny Medina and Quincy Jones, becoming the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, long-term business relationship with James Lassiter, his marriage, divorce, friendships, jealousy, parenthood, and his thought process.

In Will, he rapped, cried, was very vulnerable and he takes the reader on a journey of the renaissance man. I really enjoyed the book as it had everything you would want in a great book: Funny, Inspiring, thought-provoking, vulnerable, entertaining, and smooth.

This memoir is the product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind.

The audiobook was read by Will himself and it is by far one of the best audiobooks have ever listened to. Will is witty, funny, inspiring, entertaining, vulnerable, raw and down to earth. He shares lots of stories about his roller-coaster life such as his successes, failures, fears, heartbreaks, pain, and what makes him thick as an entertainer, actor, entrepreneur, and family man.

Book Summary – The Power of the Other by Dr. Henry Cloud.

January 10, 2022 In Book Summaries 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

In The Power of the Other: The startling effect other people have on you, from the boardroom to the bedroom and beyond-and what to do about it, Psychologist and author Dr. Henry Cloud write about the power of association – the power that someone else, not you, has in your life of performance, achievement, and well-being.

“human performance requires fuel from relationship. But, the booster engine is not the rocket. The support is not the performance.”

Invention: A Life by James Dyson

January 7, 2022 In Biographies 14 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

“It is a story told through a life of creating and developing things, as well as expressing a call to arms for young people to become engineers, creating solutions to our current and future problems.”

James Dyson is one of my favorite living Entrepreneur for his passion for creating elegant products with great design. In Invention: A Life, Dyson describes his many failures as an inventor, the importance of mentorship, education, and self-reliance. The book explores his love for great design, scientists, innovators, engineers and farming.

The Book explores his constant desire to learn, fearlessness to step into the unknown, and an unflagging spirit of entrepreneurialism. Ultimately, it is a celebration of the role that young minds play in solving the world’s biggest problems, regardless of experience.¹

“Remember that there is nothing wrong with being persistently dissatisfied or even afraid. We should follow our interests and instincts, mistrusting experts, knowing that life is one long journey of learning, often from mistakes. We must keep on running and we really can do better!”

The Smart Money Woman by Arese Ugwu.

January 5, 2022 In Book Summaries 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

I saw the Netflix miniseries first and I really loved it, I had to read the book. The Series is one of my favorite Nigerian Netflix series ever: Educative, Informative, Engaging, and Funny. Author Arese Ugwu describes the money issues most millennials can relate to – consumerism, retail therapy, fear and misconception about money, societal pressures, and the roles they play in success and failure.

The book presents the basic concepts of earning, budgeting, spending, borrowing, saving, investing as well as the behavioural and emotional aspects of money in a practical way that makes it easy to personalise.

Although Arese wrote the book with women as her primary audience, I found the lessons in the book to be very helpful for all gender. Each chapter in the book and episode in the Netflix series ends with a financial principle/nugget called Smart Money Lessons. The book shares the story of a typical Nigerian millennial that is very relatable, the roller coaster of being a Nigerian or African, black tax, lifestyle decisions that eventually affect our financial future.

The Smart Money Woman revolves around five young women and how they take control of their finances and assets, the series focuses on spending culture of women and how it ultimately affects their finances on the long run, the series also talks about how friendship, peer pressure and societal influence can affect how we spend money, It also features and teaches how women should learn to invest in their themselves amidst romantic and financial losses. ¹

Arese is the Founder of smartmoneyafrica.org a personal finance platform for the African millennial. As a contributor to the Guardian newspaper, the host on Guardian TV’s new personal finance show “Your Life Your Money”, and a co-host for “Analyse This” on Ndani TV, she has helped shape the new narrative on personal finance in the media.

Rating – 9/10 (Loved the Book)

Book Summaries