Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs – Ken Kocienda
This book turned out to be different from my initial expectations, yet it was a satisfying read. It doesn’t provide a comprehensive overview of Apple’s entire history and product line, and it’s not a conventional business theory book either. It goes in depth with the author’s experience in his areas of product development only. It has very little of Steve Jobs. So if you are looking for a book on him, this is not it. I really enjoyed it though. It was well written, and in depth on the product creation. It’s very much written like a story. It had me laughing at some points and I found it interesting. There were a few points that I lost interest in it though. The author being a software engineer does get a bit technical at times, but does a great job of drawing familiar parallels to software principles.
I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone curious about the intricate process of product development at Apple. It offers a delightful and enlightening reading experience, making it a solid 4 star recommendation.
Hello Gen Z: Engaging the Generation of Post-Millennials – Claire Madden
Gen Z, born between 1995 and 2009, currently aged 29 to 15, I picked up this book wanting to know more about Gen Z, particularly in the workforce. I understand that at the time of writing, in 2017, many Gen Z individuals were teenagers, but there were also adults in the workforce, and Gen Z would be increasingly entering the workforce as the years went on. The author could have focused more on the future. I felt that I had high hopes to learn a lot from the book, but in the end, it let me down. It was filled with quotes from Gen Z, which is fine, but it was inundated with repetitive quotes all saying the same thing. There was a lot of “this is how it is right now,” but no strategies for dealing with Gen Z in the workforce or in general. Some of it focused on understanding Gen Z, which is necessary in the book, but not to the extreme extent of what we are already observing from them. It didn’t provide explanations. I felt it took a long time to get into the book, and even then, it lacked depth. I’ve read other books on different generations, and they had more depth, even for the era in which they were written. I felt like the terms, slang, and things labeled as Gen Z were more characteristic of Gen Y, especially since I am Gen Y. I’m unsure if Gen Z is just not that different, or if I’m not as old as I thought I was! I recommend this for generations X and above. 3 stars.
Conscious Leadership: Reveal your potential. Inspire excellence. – Neil Seligman
I don’t believe this book is poor, but it didn’t quite resonate with me either. This book presents itself as a guide for leaders, but it’s really for anyone interested in understanding themselves better and making better choices. It offers examples, exercises, and suggestions for further reading on each topic. It’s short and covers a lot about self-development and becoming a better person. Overall, it’s a pretty good book. I don’t really have any faults with it. I think it just wasn’t for me. 3 stars.
