Blink is about the adaptive unconscious. The moment where we can sum up all the data that is before us and make an informed instant decision. Our brain is like a giant computer which processes data instantly to give the first impression.

Blink demonstrates this by looking at a study that can break a marriage down into core elements which will determine whether it will be successful or not. However even those observations can be thin sliced even further to just one core element – the presence of contempt.

Gladwell goes on to demonstrate that even though we need experience and infromation to thin slice deciions, too much information actually hinders this ability. He uses several examples to prove this, the best being the War Games and choosing jam.

The US staged a war game in 1999 with the home Blue Team having every conceivable source of information about the enemy, Red Team. Howevr the Red Team was led by a decorated war hero who defeated them in an instant. He summed up by saying “In chess i can see the whole board, but that doesn’t mean I’ll win because I don’t know what the enemy is thinking.”

When buying jam, consumers are more likely to make the snap purchase if there are only six jams to choose from rather than twenty. The more choices they are given, the more difficult the decision and the consumer suffer from analysis paralysis.

It’s this thin slicing of information that enables snap decisions. Our minds can collate all the history of our experience and thin slice it into the key information we need to make a decision. Yet in further experiments of subtle suggstion, it was found that exposure to certain words can influence behaviour so, our snap decisions are influenced by culture.

At this point Gladwell goes even deeper by looking at examples of how snap decisions go terribly wrong, by concentrating on a case where four police officers shot down an innocent black man, in seven seconds. They thought they saw a gun, they thought an officer had been shot down, they all opened fire. When they realised what they had done, they were all devastated.

Blink discussed the many elements that affect our judgement, our culture, our experience, the data that is placed before us. So the very things that help us, also hinder us. So how can we make a good snap decision? Suddenly thinking without thinking has lost its power, because we cannot think at all with too much information.

Gladwell demonstrates the point by telling the story of a famous orchestra who decided to put up screens to audition their musicians, so they only heard the music rather than judge the contender by looks, attitutde, the way they held the instrument etc. They found that this was how they eventually began to choose women into the orchestra – by talent alone.

Gladwell defines blink:- “what all the stories and studies and arguments add up to – is an attempt to understand this magical and mysterious thing called judgement.” The key question that Gladwell has been asked about Blink is “When should we trust our instincts, and when should we consciously think things through?” and he turns to Freud for the short answer ” When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the imporant decision of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature.”

And finally Gladwell sums up the ponderings of Blink beautifully by considering “I think that the task of figuring out how to combine the best of conscious deliberation and instinctive judgement is one of the great challenges of our time.”

Blink, as with all of Gladwell’s works, is a rich text of many stories and examples to illustrate the point, and reels you in ever so gently until you find yourself in the middle of a strong argument, which he gently brings you through to the end, to leave you pondering, why you think the way you do, how we can change it, and how we can harness it.

Tribes looks at the development of groups, especially niche groups which forms tribes – with or without you – and the value that is apparent in taking a leadership role of these groups.

Godin contends that people are desperate to believe in the elusive ‘something’ whether it’s animal welfare, software, tattoos, or orchids. But with this desperation, the despair is the collective sigh of all going nowhere believing in the one thing. This is where leadership enters the Tribes equation.

Godin looks at what makes a leader as opposed to a follower, what core values are needed and why so many don’t take up the challenge and why, it is essential that someone step up to the plate. He challenges our core fears of failure, apathy, discontent, the status quo and why all these fears need to be challenged and conquered – immediately.

Some of the core ideas include Leadership is Not Management, and with this, managers are not necessarily leaders. He cites examples of a single memo that changed the course of a company, written by an employee who rose to lead the company forward.

In these changing times, Godin warns that the market place is changing so rapidly that leaders need to rise to negotiate that change and in fact drive it forward. He demonstrates this with a study of Wikipedia, The Grateful Dead and many others, each filled with the smallest of golden tips.

He clarifies profoundly the difference between fans and followers. A follower is passive, who likes what you do and what you’re on about. A fan is an evangelist for you.

The balloon factory and the unicorn is one core example Godin uses to demonstrate how the status quo must be fought and why it is at times near impossible, but the key to hold onto, is that it is not impossible. With true leadership, someone who clearly demonstrates a mission statement and allows communication and activity between those who agree, can lead anyone, anywhere to do anything.

He talks extensively about the value of the heretic and how important it is to now listen to these people. Apart from this, Godin emphasises the need for these heretics to take charge of their own destiny and to lead. Sheepwalking versus tribe management and leadership is clarified. There are many sheep but very few shepherds.

In summary he looks at the key negators to leadership namely, timing and Not Now Not Yet, asks if Not Now When in such a way that you just can’t not disagree. By understanding care and charisma, elements of leadership including listening and mediocrity, he asks in conclusion Why Not You and Why Not Now?

There are no easy steps to leadership, no plan laid out or magic formula. But the totality of the information in this work equips the reader with a new outlook on what it takes to lead and who in fact you will be leading – but most importantly – WHY.

This is another one of those books to add to your collection if you’re a thinker or want to know more about the mechanics of leadership and social change.

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1. There is no such thing as an overnight success and
2. Stars are born AND made.

Throughout The Outliers, Gladwell looks at several case studies including The Beatles, Bill Gates, New York lawyer Joe Flom and others.

Gladwell argues that it is possible to take a successful person and predict their history in terms of where and when they were born, who their parents were in terms of cultural identity, and what type of school they attended.

While looking at successful Canadian hockey players, it was discovered that the best were born at a specific time of year. With other case studies, Gladwell succeeds in building the case that it definitely depends on when you were born as to whether you will be successful or not, in a range of endeavours.

He then goes on to examine the importance of cultural heritages including Jewish immigration and the ensuing rag trade boom, and the significance of rice fields on success in mathematics and other academic enterprises.

Gladwell’s signature and most coined argument from The Outliers is the 10,000 hour rule. Using a collection of studies he suggests and proves that one will only be an outstanding success at anything once they have achieved 10,000 hours of practice and execution of their speciality.

Gladwell builds compelling arguments and makes one stand back and think about the nature of success. The information he provides and the argument he makes allows us to understand success retrospectively and to some extent predictively.

Cliff notes really don’t do this work any justice and it is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in the pathology of success.

Firstly I think Joel Comm has totally missed his calling and should just concentrate on writing.  He has a real gift and this book is an excellent story, intermingling facts with just enough story to create a rich text.

There is so much information jam packed within the stories of how famous internet marketers like John Reese, Rich Schefren, Rosalind Gardiner, Yanik Silver, Jay Abrahams and hundreds more, all got started and what they are most remembered for.

All of the marketer’s personal stories are overlayed upon the history of how the internet even came to be and what it actually began as and what it has evolved into, to date.

To date being the operative phrase and conclusion of the book as Joel Comm tries to look into the future to see where the next big thing will be.

He finishes off by profiling a story of an Iranian girl, Ladan Lashkari, borrowed from Eric Holmlund’s blog. The cliff note is she doesn’t have one advantage that we do but is still managing to earn $US6,300 a month.

The story from all of these marketers is that they laser focused on one thing or one niche or one topic that they knew and took it from there.  What they learned from their first experiences they took to their second and so on.

So even though what I know is not savory, I also know there’s a huge and growing market for it so I’m taking all the tips I learned and going forward with it.

History is important.  To know where something has come from, you can judge where it may lead.  Joel Comm has given an excellent, and relatively concise history of who, what, when and where and wrapped it in entertaining ditties about the personal struggles of the big guys.

Fantastic and highly recommended read for anyone, but EVERYONE who is even THINKING of starting an online business.

Joel, can we please have more books?  You are a fantastic writer. Well done mate.

Kath

There are so many of these at the moment both in blogs and books, it’s really hard who to believe.

However I tend to believe these guys for two reasons.

Firstly, take a look at their sites and rankings – the proof is all there.

Secondly, they are brutally honest about how they did NOT succeed for ages online and then how they began to succeed.  It’s a long process. Something that is not often cited in blogging and blogging literature elsewhere.

Half way through there is not much actually new that they have added here.  They talk about niche blogging or demographic blogging as if that hasn’t already been done to death – except there is a catch in this book.  Exercises.  They give a summary of what you should have ‘got’ so far and then finish with some exercises to prove their point about what they’re saying about niche blogging.

There is a whole chapter on blog platforms which I’ll be honest I skimmed through but it had the obligatory wordpress versus blogger scenario.

At chapter four where I’ll leave this review we are back at writing and content which is the universal theme so far about actually making money out of blogging.  Reminds me of another webmaster I’ll talk about later, who has been saying the same thing for nearly 10 years now.  Content is king.  And even though the new bloggers on the block may be using different interfaces and platforms to deliver it, content is still the winner.  If you build it they might come.  If you write well enough about it, they’ll definitely be there – those who are interested anyway.

Get your copy here: Problogger

I’ll finish the rest of the book by tomorrow and give the rest of the review.