Brain Food
Welcome to the Brain Food section of the site. Here, I wanted to collect together some of the
books which give me, or have given me, pause for thought. You will probably find some overlapping themes. What fascinates me is the way in which different commentators are seeing or addressing different aspects of some very big changes.
I have always liked the concept of
The Sovereign Individual. The original book – by Sir William Rees-Mogg and James Dale Davidson – although now a bit dated (originally printed in 1997) sets the idea in a grand historical context and it is still worth tracking down. However, to me, the sheer weight of the term makes it a powerful tag to use for this whole evolution. This is not just about freedom but also about the consequent responsibilities which come with that freedom. If the individual is truly sovereign then he or she can look to no-one else to advance their career, to nurture their skills, to give them opportunity.
Charles Handy’s concept of the Portfolio Career, addressed in a number of his books like 2002’s
The Elephant and the Flea sets this in a more human context and in a framework which will be more familiar for most people; that of work and career. Handy also considers the impact of these changes upon organisation and his concept of the Shamrock Organisation will become increasingly important as increasing numbers of individuals opt for some form of flexible working / portfolio career / sovereign individuality.
At the same time, the strengths based approach espoused originally by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton in
Now, Discover Your Strengths presents a powerful way to manage your own – or your organisation’s development.
The World Is Flat is an interesting wake-up call for anyone in the West grown fat, lazy, complacent and arrogant. Friedman presents the opportunity and the challenges which technology brings as it flattens, or shrinks, the world.
Some of the other books on the book list also have overlapping ideas. Others are different.
Shakespeare’s Henry V, I blogged about before as a very different, but insightful treatise on management.
Of more recent books, I particualrly enjoyed Jaron Lanier's
You Are Not A Gadget and Nicholas Carr's
The Shallows. Both books are written by leading thinkers in the technology field (Lanier has been recognised as one of history's 300 greatest inventors) and both take a considered view of the unanticipated consequences of the world we are creating. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in technology and how it impacts the human animal.