Five Must Reads to “See the World Differently”

1.   Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains and Cities, and Software

This is rather old, yet relevant in 2018. This book uses interesting examples to explain the theory of emergence and help one discover the essence of our complex world. We live in an inter-connected, intra-dependent world where new behaviors, patterns can evolve or rapidly emerge. You will be more willing to question the notion of control and predictability that often contributes to our false expectations and surprise.

2.   The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Nassim Taleb is an accomplished empiricist, writer and storyteller. He dives deep into the unpredictability of highly improbable and often catastrophic events. He overcomes the common fallacy of narrative and predictability in complex systems and easily leads one to consider new perspectives about our world.

3.   Silo Effect: The Peril of Expertise and the Promise of Breaking Down Barriers

Very well researched book. Gillian reveals how we classify or categorize the world is not a reflection of the real world. Thus the structures we create to communicate and function create silos that often create organizational blinders. Enhanced awareness and questioning of underlying assumptions, beliefs and ways of doing things is important to see the world differently.

4.    Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks.

This is Ramo’s second book. To keep my list short I eliminated his first The Age of the Unthinkable. Equally informative he offers an interpretation to how the world is changing. Following his explanation of an increasingly connected world and possible consequences one can then see how to gain new insights, identify risks and opportunity.

5.   Think Like a Futurist : Know What Changes, What Doesn’t, and What’s Next

This is a short book that helps one take a long view looking past the daily static and noise to see the signals of change.  Futurist don’t predict the future, they help us who are too busy in our lives to see it emerge. This will complement the other readings to help you widen your lens and extend your thinking horizon beyond the urgency of today.