By: Charles Duhigg
Reviewed by: Andy Foley
The Premise:
Smarter, Faster, Better by author Charles Duhigg delves into the science of productivity by exploring eight critical concepts that are pivotal in increasing productivity.
Every chapter takes a deeper dive into each critical concept through compelling storytelling of real-life case studies backed with the scientific data to prove the theory. The important lesson of understanding that working faster and pushing ourselves really hard is not the formula needed to become more efficient and increase productivity. Duhigg ensures throughout that the key message is loud and clear. Being highly efficient is all about how we think, identify goals, construct teams, and make decisions. Scattered throughout the book you will find reinforcements on how you can become more efficient by “managing how you think” versus “what you think about”.
Smarter, Faster, Better showcases different scenarios within prominent organizations such as; Google, Air France, Disney and hit show Saturday Night Live. Within each story, there are multiple scenarios, all with very different outcomes proving the theory on what actually increases productivity and allows you to become more efficient.
The Bottom-line: Personally, I was very excited to read this book. In a world with so many virtual team members, the largest generational difference a workforce has ever seen, and the new norm of ‘more work in less time’, I found this book a bit too long, but the key messaging was validating, and most importantly: achievable.
Duhigg’s storytelling is excellent and, in most cases, I found my mind being transported to past memories of similar situations that impacted me. I was consistently able to relate. More importantly, my mind could course correct my past experience, re-play the scenarios again, and apply some of these theories to create a more efficient and better outcome
Recommendation: Although a bit too long, I do recommend this book for anyone looking to improve their productivity or who wants a better understanding of how choices and actions impact personal and team results.
