That is the tagline of the book I recently finished by Malcolm Gladwell. Blink is all about the decisions we make in the blink of an eye. One of the first studies the author describes is that of gamblers playing a rigged game. The game is simple, red cards bad, blue cards good. The thing that makes it hard is the gamblers were not forewarned as to the nature of the cards. They were hooked up to all kinds of monitoring devices, logging even the sweat activity on their palms. What was the outcome of these games? Well at about fifty cards, the gamblers began to choose the blue cards more often than the red, and around eighty, they consciously realized what was up and began to only pick blue.

The Smart Subconscious

Nothing too earth shattering about that you say? The interesting thing is not when the gamblers consciously recognized the red cards were bad but rather when they subconsciously realized it. That’s right, at about ten cards, the gamblers’ heart rates and palm sweat increased each time they picked a red card, but not when they picked a blue one. Their subconscious was already picking up on the game at ten cards, yet they didn’t consciously realize what was going on until about eighty. The whole book is filled with goodies like that.

The Ending

I was kind of disappointed with the end of the book as I felt like Gladwell did not really give a cut and dry description of how to make better decisions. Thankfully, I stuck around for the afterword, where I found this gem of a quote:

When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital mtters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature. Sigmund Freud

Good old Sigmund. This is basically Gladwell’s conclusion. Feel free to sweat and over analyze the small stuff. Big decisions though? Chances are your subconscious will make a better choice because consciously you are not able to process all the information. Having recently made a rather large decision made this book really interesting. I’m glad I didn’t read it until now as I wouldn’t have had as many personal experiences to drop into the various examples that Gladwell brings up.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human thought process, mind reading or patterns. By mind reading, I don’t mean the day you are going to die kind but more of the what the person across the table is thinking kind.

Just a sidebar, Blink was so good that I read it in about a week. It was the second book I completed in about a month, which probably sets a non-programming book record for me. The cool thing is I already have the next few lined up on my Amazon wish list.

The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn is a book about how passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. I liked the format of the book. It was broken down into simple steps and points. Points were often supported with quotes (which I love). Each chapter actually started with a quotation as well which I’ve always enjoyed in books. The book was small (119 pages) and I was able to read it in a night. Below are various quotes from the author and quotes that he mentions by other people that I related with in the book.

Make each day your masterpiece. Joshua Wooden, father of John Wooden

Whatever you are, be a good one. Abraham Lincoln

Principle #1: Everyone Makes a Difference

There are no unimportant jobs, just people who feel unimportant in their jobs. Mark Sanborn, the author

There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive. B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine

Faithfully doing your best, independent of the support, acknowledgement, or reward of others, is a key determinant in a fulfilling career. Mark Sanborn, the author

Principle #2: Success is built on relationships

Service becomes personalized when a relationship exists between the provider and the customer. Mark Sanborn, the author

…relationship building is the most important objective because the quality of the relationship determines the quality of the product or service. Mark Sanborn, the author

The 7 B’s of Relationship Building

1. Be Real.
2. Be interested (not just interesting).
3. Be a better listener.
4. Be empathetic.
5. Be honest. Say what you’ll do and do what you say.
6. Be helpful.
7. Be prompt.

Principle #3: You must continually create value for others, and it doesn’t have to cost a penny

The object is to outthink your competition rather than outspend them. Mark Sanborn, the author

Sanborn’s Maxim says that the faster you try to solve a problem with money, the less likely it will be the best solution. Mark Sanborn, the author

There are two types of people who never achieve very much in their lifetimes. One is the person who won’t do what he or she is told to, and the other is the person who does no more than he or she is told to do. Andrew Carnegie

Principle #4: Reinvent yourself regularly

IQ = Implementation Quotient. It’s the difference between having a good idea and implementing it.

Practice one a day. If you had to do everything in an extraordinary manner, you’d barely make it to work in the morning. Focus on doing one extraordinary thing per day. If you do that 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, your life will soon be a record book full of extraordinary.

Compete with yourself. There will always be people who accomplish more or less than you. It’s more productive and fun to compete against and benchmark yourself.

Becoming a Fred

You change the world of another driver when you allow her to change lanes abruptly without blaring your horn, recognizing that she too is human and fallible. Of course you alter her world in a different way if you blast your horn, yell and gesture obscenely.

You also change the world of a coworker, a customer, a vendor, or a cafeteria worker with your smile or your frown.

No these aren’t dramatic changes. They won’t alter the course of world affairs or bring about a cure for AIDS. But whose to say these little changes don’t have a cumulative, profound effect in the lives of others and, ultimately, in your own life. Mark Sanborn, the author

The fact is that everybody is already making a difference every day. The key question is, What kind of difference is each of us making. Mark Sanborn, the author

Developing Other Freds

There is something that is much more scarce, something finer by far, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability. Elbert Hubbard

When people feel that their contributions are unappreciated, the will stop trying. And when that happens, innovation dies. Mark Sanborn, the author

You teach what you know but you reproduce who you are. John C. Maxwell

You can preach a better sermon with your life than your lips. Oliver Goldsmith

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

At the Day of Judgment we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done. Thomas A Kempis