想再上一層樓? 年度必讀的5本商業好書大綱
k inside the (right) box
1.站在正確的盒子裏思考問題
Thinking outside the box isn't just a cliché -- it's a ridiculous request. The brain organizes everything in categories. So what really gives you an innovation edge, argue Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny in Thinking in New Boxes, is finding the right boxes. When Bic execs started viewing their company as a maker of disposable products, not just pens, it became a market leader for decades. Learn how to re-envision your business the same way.
跳出框框思考，不只是陳詞濫調——也是一項荒謬的要求。我們的大腦將所有的東西分門別類。盧克?布拉班迪爾和艾倫?艾尼的《在新的盒子裏思考》（Thinking in New Boxes）認爲，真正能給你帶來創新優勢的是找到正確的盒子。Bic公司高管開始將自己視爲一次性產品製造商，而不僅僅是鋼筆製造商之後，它搖身一變，成了市場的領頭羊，引領市場數十年。大家都需要學習用同樣的方式來重新審視自己的業務。
data into an asset
2.把數據轉化爲資產
The primary job of a leader is prediction -- whether it's figuring out if your customers are ready to ditch you or knowing when your trucks will break down. Fortunately, this has gotten easier now that even small companies can crunch vast amounts of data inexpensively. Big Data, by Viktor Mayer-Sch?nberger and Kenneth Cukier, will help you turn information into a powerful asset without getting lost in trying to understand every nugget.
無論是搞明白客戶是否準備離開，還是弄清楚公司這輛戰車何時會拋錨，預測都是領導人的主要職責。幸運的是，如今這項工作已經變得容易多了，甚至連小公司都可以用便宜的價格處理大量的數據。維克托?邁爾-舍恩伯格和肯尼思?庫克耶的《大數據時代》（Big Data）將幫助您把信息轉變爲強大的資產，不會因爲試圖搞清每項數據而迷失。
to teach rather than sell
3.授人以漁，而不是授之以魚
In 1895 John Deere (DE, Fortune 500) launched The Furrow to educate farmers about new technology -- and more than a century later, it's the largest-circulation magazine in its category. The tractor maker was onto something, according to Joe Pulizzi's Epic Content Marketing. Customers want to be taught, not sold. The author shows you how to build the authority you need to attract and retain customers in your niche, tapping new digital tools.
早在1895年，《財富》美國500強之一的約翰迪爾公司（John Deere）就推出了《The Furrow》雜誌教育農民學習新技術——如今，這本雜誌已經是這個領域發行量最大的雜誌。知名博主喬?普立茲在自己的博客Epic Content Marketing上這樣說，這家拖拉機制造商那時可真有遠見。對客戶要授之以漁，而不是授之以魚。本書作者向大家展示，如何在你所在的細分行業，利用新的數字化工具，建立起吸引和保持客戶所需要的權威。
ving among black swans
4.借黑天鵝事件實現騰飛
Nassim Taleb famously coined the term "black swan" (in a book by the same name) for hugely unpredictable events. In Antifragile, he suggests how to not just survive but thrive on these occurrences. Trying to cultivate resilience isn't the answer. You've got to plan so that your business, your investment portfolio, and even your children can benefit and take power from coming storms. I spent this year revamping my business because of his advice.
納西姆?塔勒布在《黑天鵝效應》（Black Swan）一書中創造出了著名的“黑天鵝”一詞，用以描述異常出乎意料的事件。在《反脆弱性》（Antifragile）一書中, 他建議大家，不僅僅要倖存下來，還要在這樣的事件中脫穎而出。努力培養適應能力並不是答案。你需要提前計劃，確保你的業務、你的投資組合甚至你的子女都可以從中獲益，並從即將到來的風暴中獲得能量。正是因爲他的建議，我今年花了一年的時間重整我的企業。
others, help yourself
5.助人就是助己
Finally there's some quality research to back up something that successful business people have understood intuitively for generations: Doing favors for those around you, without expecting payback, helps you too. In Give and Take, Adam Grant points to research showing that the smartest negotiators often strike deals that are highly beneficial for their counterparts as well, with little cost to themselves, resulting in gains for all parties involved.
最後，有一些高品質研究支持這樣的說法，世世代代成功的商業人士對此已有直觀的理解：幫助周圍的人，不求回報，這樣做也會幫到你自己。在《給予和索取》（Give and Take）一書中，亞當?格蘭特指出，有研究顯示，最聰明的交易者達成交易時，常常寧願自己付出一點點代價，也要讓交易對手同樣能夠獲得高額的利益，從而實現多贏。
