The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks (Joshua Cooper Ramo 2016)
Dominic Doblo
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This time last year I read the author’s LinkedIn article Secrets of the Next Wave.
In this, he stated that if he were speaking to his 21-year old self, his message would be: you are what you are connected to. He also stated that success and connection are the same thing. Accordingly, I felt compelled to read his most recent book – The Seventh Sense.
The first part of the book really drew me in and after reading it I am somewhat convinced that we are in the early stage of a new revolution – the network revolution. This revolution will turn the world on its head, just as the industrial revolution and scientific revolution did in prior centuries. And like prior revolutions, there will be huge shifts in power and wealth. There will be the adapting winners and the resisting and ignorant losers.
I also appreciated, and was very interested in, the author’s views of:
- how networks transcend geographical borders and the laws and politics within those borders;
- the concentration of power at the network core and how its strength increases with every new connection;
- as the size of the network increases, the pain of not being in the network also increases;
- and the power associated with being a gatekeeper to a network.
I did find it hard to fully conceptualise what a network would look like if you had to draw it on a piece of paper, so I feel that the book failed me on this one point.
A tougher read (in terms of understanding) than most of the other books I’ve read. Having said this, I feel compelled to reread this book to ensure that I fully take in all the lessons that are to be learned. A good read.