Book Review: Big Little Breakthroughs

We heard Mr. Linkner speak at an industry evening in Texas. He shared his background as a jazz guitarist, then starting several tech companies, and the dream to rejuvenate Detroit.

In the event and in the book, he shares some pretty intriguing stories. He admits these are not the ‘rocket scientists’ but rather everyday people who saw something that needed attention. Similar to other authors, he stresses the importance of habits that lead to amazing achievements.

You’ll definitely enjoy the opening chapters in Part I that have several varied stories of everyday issues, everyday people, who saw a need and pursued an answer. Moving into Part II, he talks about falling in love with the problem, being obsessed. He spent a full chapter talking about getting started before you’re ready. There are some great examples of where this has worked and the problems that are a result of this approach. The chapter on opening a test kitchen reminded me of our test environments. I even proposed calling our Programmers our Head Chefs (not sure this will stick, though). Chris was inspired by the Brilliant Ideas section and has created a Sysbulb board to gather ideas from the teams.

I really liked reading through the Daily Creativity Workout. Not everything is a fit for me, but The Daily 3 questions, What am I grateful for, What will I focus on today, and What will I let go of, are some daily reminders we can all embrace! Recommended – CMW