This issue is about messes. Priya Parker explains why good groups fight, and Abby Covert shows how to untangle any mess made of information and people.
Business Book Review – Why Good Groups Fight & Other Messes Read Post »
Adam Aleksic’s Algospeak tracks how social media reshapes language—emojis, euphemisms, and internet slang—through a linguist’s eye. Dan and Chip Heath’s Made to Stick offers the SUCCES framework (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories) for building messages people actually remember, still holding up nearly two decades on.
Business Book Review – How Internet Slang Spreads and Why Some Ideas Stick Read Post »
Emily Bender and Alex Hanna’s AI Con dismantles AI hype, calling large language models “synthetic text extruding machines” that devalue labor more than they save it. Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Tiny Experiments offers a low-stakes alternative to five-year plans, treating uncertainty as a curiosity lab rather than a failure.
Business Book Review – Debunking AI Hype and Ditching the Five-Year Plan Read Post »
Robert Sutton’s The No A$$hole Rule puts a dollar figure on toxic behavior at work, showing how one bad actor can cost a company over $100,000 a year. Maria Konnikova’s Mastermind borrows Sherlock Holmes’ deductive habits to teach mindful attention and structured thinking.
Business Book Review – The Cost of Toxic Coworkers and How to Think Like Sherlock Read Post »
Marking the newsletter’s return after a two-year break, John Warner’s More Than Words argues writing is thinking—not something AI can replace—while Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre’s Balancing Acts draws on decades of creative leadership to show how businesses can make space for experimentation.
Business Book Review – Why Writing Still Matters in the Age of AI Read Post »
Kevin Mitnick’s The Art of Deception, published shortly before his death, catalogs social-engineering tactics—phishing, pretexting, dumpster diving—and argues people, not code, are security’s weakest link. Paired with Elif Shafak’s YouTube series “Say Your Word,” which unpacks loaded words like “shame” and “woke” for nuance-starved communicators.
Business Book Review – The Hacker’s Guide to Human Weakness Read Post »
