Tuesday, January 10, 2012

WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell

At least one of the essays in this collection was expanded into a book that I'd already read, and one about the Dog Whisperer was reminiscent of Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation, but most of this was new material for me.  Now I'll always know the difference between panicking and choking.  When you panic, you forget to think, and when you choke, your over-analyzing keeps you from relying on your instincts and muscle memory.  Gladwell also has an unusual perspective on copyright infringement.  I think he sees it more as flattery than theft.  I loved his analysis of Enron's collapse.  Apparently their leaders valued talent over anything else, promoting the brightest and giving them free rein to do whatever they liked.  Successful companies, like Southwest Airlines and Procter & Gamble, emphasize organizational strengths.

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