Over the weekend, I enjoyed a big dose of summer relaxation with my friend & running partner, Tresa. As we were leaving Sky Harbor airport on Friday for our weekend away on Coronado Island, I picked up the book Sway - The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior; the cover caught my attention with its look that is clearly reminiscent of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. As the plane pulled away from the gate, I began to read Brafman & Brafman’s first pages that jumped out at me as Gladwell wannabes.
But, as our plane reached its travel altitude and I began sipping my Diet Coke, I kept reading until I ended up appreciating the book and deciding that I like Brafman & Brafman as co-authors (forgive me for my first impression). While Malcolm Gladwell talks about the diversity of his personal background that has shaped his worldview, Brafman & Brafman share that Ori earned an MBA while Rom holds a PhD in psychology - so some of the Brafmans’ approach comes from their shared experience as brothers combined with the diversity of their educations. It would be fun to have lunch with Gladwell, Brafman & Brafman. I wonder what they think of each other’s work?
Of the many topics that surface in Sway, two include use of incentives and how dissenters may affect group dynamics. My career in sales has taught me that incentives are often not used effectively even within the most sophisticated organizations and sales forces. And, I know that while I am typically an initiator, which may correlate with a positive outlook and forwarding innovations, I also acknowledge the important role that natural dissenter's sometimes play. When books bring up tidbits we can apply to our everyday lives, we tend to attribute value to them; it is likely that something in this book will apply to your life, too. As with Gladwell’s books, the topics in Sway are introduced in a way that makes psychology tantalizing but it is always necessary to dig deeper into the topics presented to really gain a sense of what research has suggested so far.
As I have been a fan of Gladwell’s books, I also recommend reading Ori and Rom Brafman’s Sway; my hope for these books is that they continue to open doors of critical thinking about “being human” that can help each of us grow in our individual thinking and help our culture become wiser overall. Since The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and Sway are all national bestsellers, we know that they are reaching the American consciousness which gives them a real shot at being seeds for personal and cultural progress. Beyond the possibilities within the United States, the books also give us glimpses into cultural similarities and differences that could become a start at developing cultural competence which could then lead to global progress (think big!).
For more information and opportunities for critically thinking about “being human”, read the reference sections of all of these books. You can then find the primary sources the authors relied upon and also begin to search for related articles/books that could help you gain a deeper and broader perspective on the topics covered. These books can be early steps in an exciting personal journey that contributes to a potential “tipping point” within groups and cultures; yes, it may be you who changes the world for good ~
Are any of these on your summer reading list?
The Tipping Point How little things make a big difference
By Malcolm Gladwell
Blink The power of thinking without thinking
By Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers The story of success
By Malcolm Gladwell
Sway The irresistible pull of irrational behavior
By Ori Brafman & Rom Brafman
