[Week of 6/2] 8 Recommended New Books ②
The business environments, social trends, and career choices we face every day. There are "invisible rules" and "implicit dynamics" at work within them. Whether we go through life without noticing them, or understand them and turn them into our own weapons, our future may change significantly.
In this article, we will take up four topical books themed around "talent," "the tipping point of change," "investment strategy," and "the struggles and growth of new managers" in the modern age, and explore hints for surviving in contemporary society while unraveling the questions and insights each one poses.
1. Why ordinary people kill geniuses: "Ordinary People Kill Geniuses"
1-1. Why geniuses disappear from the workplace
"Ordinary People Kill Geniuses" (by Yuiga Kitano) is a unique business book that vividly depicts the friction of "talent" in the workplace. The author points out that there are three broad categories of people in society—"geniuses," "talented people," and "ordinary people"—and that the fundamental differences in how each perceives the world are the root cause of communication breakdowns.
Geniuses have the power to see "invisible things," do not fit into existing frameworks, and pave the way for the future. However, their actions are not understood by ordinary people and are excluded by the pressure of group conformity. Talented people waver between the two, sometimes harboring jealousy toward the genius—.
While expressing the relationship between these three using drastic language such as "majority rule is a knife that kills geniuses" and "judgments based on empathy invite mobocracy," the book delves into the structural problems that prevent innovation from being born in organizations.
1-2. Talent management in the remote era
The paperback edition adds a new chapter titled "Geniuses, Talented People, and Ordinary People in the Age of AI and Remote Work," pointing out the gap in human relationships and talent evaluation caused by physical distance. It asks how to discern individual value without relying on empathy.
2. Where does revolution begin: "The Tipping Point (Super New Edition)"
2-1. The moment small changes move the world
"The Tipping Point" (by Malcolm Gladwell) is a masterpiece that clarifies the mechanism of social contagion by asking the question, "Why do certain phenomena suddenly spread throughout society?" In this "Super New Edition," the book has been completely rewritten to suit the times, evolving from the old three principles (The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, The Power of Context) to "Atmosphere," "Social Engineering," and "Superspreaders."
For example, "atmosphere" is a phenomenon where individual decision-making is unconsciously influenced by the mood of the group. The view that "whether something becomes a trend" depends not on whether it is "good or bad," but on "how you design the atmosphere of the place," hits the essence of information diffusion in the SNS era.
2-2. How to live in a manipulated society
Using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example and cutting into "untold truths," this book calmly and stimulatingly presents a methodology for how we can survive in an "age of manipulation."
3. Stealing the eyes of the pros: "Learn the Basics of Stock Investment from Activists"
3-1. Who are activists?
In recent years, "activists" have been increasing their presence in the stock market. This book introduces rational strategies that even individual investors can use through "remora investing," which involves "hitching a ride" on their behavioral patterns.
Activists don't just buy stocks. They offer opinions on management, change governance, and boost corporate value. The strategy for individual investors, who are essentially "tactical followers," is to aim for the timing when stock prices move during that process.
3-2. A perspective for reading between the lines of information
What is noteworthy is that it delves into the "common traits" of companies targeted by activists. You can learn the perspectives investment professionals use to look at the future, such as "companies with undervalued but dormant assets" and "management teams reluctant to reform."
4. Managers should "support" rather than "fight": "Growth Manager"
4-1. Is management a lonely profession?
In an era where younger generations show resistance to becoming managers, this book visualizes the "invisible stress" that new managers face, such as "difficult relationships with older subordinates" and "the surrounding gaze toward parental leave systems," by incorporating specific episodes.
The author proposes a new image of management: not the traditional "instructional manager," but a "growth manager"—a presence that supports from the side. This is a concept that aligns with Teal organizations and supportive leadership, and it is an important perspective for future organizational theory.
4-2. Whose back are you pushing?
The book argues that a manager should never be "the person who provides the answers," but rather "the person who thinks through questions together." That stance can be said to be the first step toward building a society where ordinary people do not kill the genius in others, but instead bring it out.
Each of the four books approaches the themes of "individuals and groups," "change and order," and "visible power and invisible power" from different angles, but what they have in common is that the "ability to pose questions," "intelligence to read context," and "will to reconstruct relationships with others" are essential.
In both business and career, precisely because we live in an era without answers, isn't "re-examining the world by borrowing someone else's gaze" our greatest weapon?