A Review of The Harvard Business Review series, AND MORE!

 

I eventually saw the end of this book as I promised. Yaaaay!


It may not seem like an achievement to others but I count it as such because for the past few years I’ve not been able to bring myself to complete reading a book. As a matter of truth, I still have Chimamanda’s ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ on my bookshelf, waiting to be completed. It was one of the gifts I received on my 21st birthday, and I found it quite captivating at the beginning when I started reading. But once I got to the chapter where it spoke more about the Biafra war and politics, I saw my interest dwindling. Not a fan of politics at all. But now, I think I need to return to that book, maybe not just to continue from the page I left off, but to start all over again.

So, on my way to Scotland, I ran into a duty-free shop at the airport and saw some really good books that got me salivating, and I got this Harvard Business Review series on Emotional Intelligence focusing on Confidence. Not confidence as you know it, but confidence on another level.

Just yesterday I was able to finish reading it. And I’m proud of myself. Lol... Yes, it may have taken me two weeks to finish reading a 154paged book, but sometimes reading a book takes more than just being able to ‘finish' it. And I enjoyed the way I read it. Slow and steady. I didn’t read it every day. Of course, if I wanted to finish the book in a day, I would, but I chose to instead go with the take-your-time strategy.

This is how: So I made sure I always had the book in my handbag or backpack, took it whenever I was going out, especially on a journey. I officially started reading the book during my one and half hour flight to Scotland, and I continued this process whenever I took a train or a bus. Didn’t read it very every other day, but on the days I did, I savored each passage. Yesterday I finished, I finished on a train!

So the cycle of this book was basically from plane ️ to train. Hahaha

The Emotional Intelligence series basically teaches ‘How To Be Human At Work’, providing real-life examples as it discussed various case studies, including Donald Trump, Oprah, and some other notable personalities whose weaknesses and strengths were shared to analyze certain scenarios. It speaks about emotional intelligence in the work environment and accentuates certain key leadership principles.

And I’m happy to share some highlights of the book based on my review:

• Being able to ‘honestly’ assess your abilities & shortcomings, and getting comfortable enough to correct them.

• Confident people are willing to acknowledge that they don’t and can’t know everything.

• Instead of agonizing about what others think of you/your work, concentrate on the unique perspective that you bring.

• Get feedback when you need it.

• It is better to strive to be well-respected than ‘well-liked’.

• Confidence comes from small wins that occur repeatedly. (Celebrate your small wins).

• It speaks about how over-confidence can becloud your sense of judgment and make you over-assume/generalize.

• It shares six ways to look more confident during a presentation.

And one of my fav quotes in the book is:

“One difference between winners and losers is how they handle losing”.

Every CEO/Boss should have this book. And employees too.

Photo credit - Progress Oberiko

If I were to recommend, another very effective way of reading books (in case you’re having trouble reading hard copies), it would be the use of AUDIOBOOKS.

Audiobooks can also be a very interesting strategy for reading.

• With the help of the narration, you’re transcended into the scene of the story, making you feel as though you were present.

• It teaches you words pronunciation,

• Builds your mind and your sense of imagination,

• Gives you time to engage in other things while you only listen with your ear. You can be taking a walk while listening to an audiobook, cooking, traveling, taking on your house chores, etc, the advantages are numerous.

I’m currently listening to the audiobook version of Chimamanda’s ‘Americanah’, and it intrigues me how amazingly the narration was done. Kudos to the narrator - Ajoa Andoh. I admire her ability to switch between accents. At first, I had thought there was more than one narrator from different ethnicities, but afterward, I realized it was just her.

She is able to swiftly switch from an American accent to a Nigerian accent (although her Nigerian English sounds more Ghanian than Nigerian), to French, to Ibo, and even the Indian accent; including switching from a male voice to female and then to a child. It is mind-blowing for just one person to be able to do that in a novel, and I particularly like the way she says 'Vinny boy'. I must commend her!

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I’ve been listening to this audiobook for a while via YouTube, and I’m definitely not in a hurry to finish the book. With my current reading strategy, it might take me a long time, possibly months, but I really don’t mind.

I only listen to the audiobook when I’m in the shower, cooking, or having a meal. I do that just to have my mind intellectually engaged for the period, rather than just silence or music. And it helps me a lot. Of course, I don’t have all the time luxury to just sit down in one place and read, amongst other important things I also have to do, so this strategy, although slow, I believe will get me somewhere.


Another highly recommended audiobook I’m looking to read is ‘A Promised Land’ by Former US President, Barack Obama. A friend of mine praised and esteemed the book for having the narration done in Obama’s voice.

So you feel like the Ex-President himself is speaking to you. Hmmm, it’ll be surreal. And I look forward to it.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

©ProgressOberiko

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