This book focuses on a single dimension that I believe has the highest impact on one’s career—insightfulness. The book addresses insightfulness at three levels, each with a specific objective or goal:
•Level 1. Sharing general observations and recommendations. Basically, a list of dos and don’ts, which are based on the insights I learned over my career. The objective here is to provide value-added knowledge and specific insightful rules that you can use to increase the probability of your own success.
•Level 2. Giving you tools that you can use to become more insightful yourself. The goal here is to teach you the art of how to become more insightful when analyzing situations and reaching business decisions.
•Level 3. Teaching you advanced techniques of how to become as insightful as your potential may allow.
In other words, and by analogy, let’s say you want to be a basketball player and I’m an experienced coach. The first level means that I will give you pointers that will make you a better shooter, rebounder, defender, passer, and so on. At the second level, I’ll teach you how to analyze rudimentary tactics, team plays, and the strengths and weaknesses of opponents so that you can apply tactics to win games. At the third level, I’ll teach you the advanced techniques used by professionals at the top of their game.
Clearly, everybody can benefit from the first level of insightfulness. However, just how much one benefits from the second and third levels depends on two things. First, the way one thinks and uses their “brains”—I refer to it as “brainpower.” Second, one’s innate skills that dictate the limit of a person’s potential, meaning I can teach you all the tactics and strategies of basketball, but how your brain works will determine just how good a tactician or strategist you’ll become. In the same vein, I can teach you everything that Michael Jordan was taught, but how close you’ll get to becoming a Michael Jordan will depend on your innate athletic skills.
As the basketball example demonstrates, in the case of sport competition, the success requirements are innate athletic ability and appropriate brainpower. In the context of this book, and from the perspective of business career advancements, there is only one variable—how you use your brainpower.
As you read the book, the sophistication of what it says, the degree of nuance presented, and the depth of discussion surrounding some theories and tools will vary, because they will reflect which level of teaching I’m addressing. If you have the inclination and the brainpower to enjoy the Level 3 readings, then you’ll enjoy the whole book. If not, you might find some places a bit too “philosophical” for your taste, so you might choose to skim through those sections.
Please keep in mind that the main goal of the book is not to make you the next Michael Jordan in your chosen profession. Rather, it is to make you a better player. Anybody and everybody who reads and puts to practice what the book teaches will most likely greatly increase their probability for success in business. Just how much so will depend on you as an individual. Consider this: Michael Jordan was renowned for his long hours of practice. He truly believed that continued practice allowed him to reach and maintain his best potential. The same thing is true with insightfulness. The tools and techniques discussed in this book need to be studied and restudied, practiced and re-practiced, not just read once, to allow you to reach your highest potential as well.
The discerning reader may also observe that I have a secondary objective for the book. I mentioned that I substantiate my opinions and recommendations with detailed reasoning. The primary purpose of doing so is to give you, the reader, as much explanation as possible, so that you will be able to better judge the wisdom and value of my advice as well as adjust my recommendations to your unique circumstances. The secondary objective is to demonstrate the granularity of thinking that leads to superior analyses—a critical component in reaching insightfulness. In other words, my secondary objective is to demonstrate how to think more deeply and analytically in both business and in life in general. Although a secondary objective, it is not of secondary value. In fact, insightfulness is achieved precisely because of increased analytical skills. As a result, although the book’s primary audience is someone early in their career, the more experienced professional will benefit from the sections that dive deeply into the granularity of thought and analyses.
So please be patient with the sections you feel may be too philosophical and challenging and enjoy the sections you find helpful.