CheshTech Picks of the Month:
It’s the end of the month and here at CheshTech we’re excited to release our #CheshTechPicksofTheMonth! This month was a productive and interesting month of reading for me. A book I had been waiting a few months for by Bill Gates came out and was at the top of the reading list as a personal interest.
In addition, a great recommendation by a friend of mine had me reading Infinite Game by Simon Sinek as my professional growth book of the month. This book surprised me, but I really enjoyed it.
This month was Women’s History Month and for that I made sure to add to my recommendations one of the great books I’ve read in recent memory. Educated by Tara Westover captivated me from start to finish.
If you missed last month’s review, you can check out the February Book Picks of the Month in our blog.
Business: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
For my business book of the month, I went with a book on leadership and the proper mentality business leaders should have when building their companies. Going into this book not knowing quite what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised and it quickly became one of my more favorite business reads.
Sinek focuses on the difference between running a finite business versus an infinite business. A finite business focuses on short-term goals that primarily are incentivized by financial accomplishments or hard results.
Meanwhile, an infinite business is measured by its culture and is built to last infinitely and incentivizes the people that work for the company by building a culture that is meant to bring meaningful change to that industry.
Sinek outlines countless studies and examples of companies that play a finite game, and companies that play an infinite game. An example he uses is the competition between Microsoft and Apple with the Zune and the iPod. Microsoft and CEO Steve Ballmer focused just on beating Apple’s product with a better version. Apple focused on continuing to innovate the iPod and focus on the long term picture.
The result? The Zune was a huge bust while Apple innovated and released the iPhone quickly revolutionizing the smartphone. Apple played the infinite game by building a culture of focusing on continuous innovation, while Microsoft only focused on beating the competition and thus lost sight of the long term vision.
Overall, it was a fascinating read and an idea that we have problems with the current state of capitalism and putting the priorities of employees, long term vision, and culture first is better than a stock price that fluctuates daily.
Personal: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
This was a book that I was waiting months for ever since I read that it was going to be released. As a big fan of Bill Gates and The Gates Foundation, I was very curious to see what his take would be on the Climate Change issue.
I was also excited to read about some promising solutions instead of hearing and reading about people talking about how doomed the world is and running in circles talking about the problem without discussing solutions.
Truthfully, I thought this book was very well written and especially so for anybody new to the climate change problem. He offered a lot of great solutions and highlighted a lot of great companies and the innovations they are working on. He also laid out policies that the governments can do to help collaborate with these businesses to incentivize a switch to environmentally friendly energy.
However, he did not discuss what could be done to actually get the government and the private sector to work together. It’s unfortunate that the issue has been politicized like it has because a large part of what Gates proposes has to do with the government coming to an agreement. These days that’s not the most likely outcome.
Also, he did not touch on regenerative farming practices like I hoped that he would. In fact, he basically ignored it all together when soil and regenerative agriculture has been proven to be a very beneficial and environmentally friendly tool. For anyone looking to learn more about that I highly recommend Food Fix by Mark Hyman.
It’s clear it’s going to take a big effort and teamwork between the government, the private sector, and every day people to make a change. This book gives a positive outlook at how we can come together to solve this issue, without sacrificing our way of life and continuing to uplift the people in poorer countries.
Women’s History Book Special: Educated by Tara Westover
This memoir is written to captivate the reader’s attention and is the definition of a book that is difficult to put down. The memoir shares the experience of the author Tara Westover and her journey from the mountains of Idaho, to a life full of high level education, discovery, and growth that is difficult to fathom.
Westover grows up without any formal education with a Mormon background and a family that doesn’t believe the government should be involved in anything. She faces the challenge of a family that doesn’t allow her to live the life of the average American child. She beautifully writes about her childhood, how her views conflicted with her family, and how she balanced the love of family with the passion to pursue normalcy.
She grows up without setting foot in an actual classroom until she is 17 years old. Westover then spends the next decade dedicated to education ranging from BYU to Cambridge across the pond. To give you an idea of how secluded she was, Westover hadn’t heard of the Holocaust until she was in college.
The memoir really shows the power of education and how an understanding can open your mind to the world. A beautifully written book and a journey that is unlike any other. I highly recommend this memoir.
Conclusion
Another month of books down! It’s a passion of mine to read and share my recommendations. I hope you find them useful and please let me know if you have any comments on the books mentioned above!
Have any recommendations? Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and let us know what books we should read next!
