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Adapt

Why Success Always Starts with Failure

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Adapt

By: Tim Harford
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Summary

Everything we know about solving the world’s problems is wrong. Out: Plans, experts and above all, leaders. In: Adapting - improvise rather than plan; fail, learn, and try again.

In this groundbreaking new book, Tim Harford shows how the world’s most complex and important problems - including terrorism, climate change, poverty, innovation, and the financial crisis - can only be solved from the bottom up by rapid experimenting and adapting.

From a spaceport in the Mojave Desert to the street battles of Iraq, from a blazing offshore drilling rig to everyday decisions in our business and personal lives, this is a handbook for surviving - and prospering - in our complex and ever-shifting world.

2012, CMI Management Book of the Year, Long-listed

2012, Axiom Business Book Awards, Winner

©2011 Tim Harford (P)2011 Hachette Audio UK Career Success Decision-Making & Problem Solving Economics Management Management & Leadership Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Sociology Theory Business Career Leadership Inspiring Taxation
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fascinating account, slightly marred by the jarring accents of the narrator - no need for them.

ditch the accents

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Gets very complicated around 3/4 the way through, going into technical details about oil rigs and banks. I found myself tuning out. But the book ends strongly and for the most part I found it very thought provoking.

Thought provoking

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This could be a great book - but I'll never know because the tone and style of the narration is a terrible match to the content and tone of the book, and totally put me off! Tim Harford is an engaging speaker, there is a lightness to the way he explains even the most complex subjects, if only he'd narrated this book. Unfortunately the narrator used has a drool, serious and supercilious tone which is as off putting as his hissing sibilant sounds.

I wish Tim Harford narrated this book :(

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What made the experience of listening to Adapt the most enjoyable?

It really made you think about innovation and how successful companies continue to thrive over time.

really thought provoking re sustainable companies

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If you are a manager or run a business, you should read this. There is some really original thought here (i.e. not yet seen in Godin or other "guru" books) and Harford pulls together a lot of other leading edge thinking into a comprehensive page turner. The evolutionary mechanism described is apt for our current economic climate and Harford illustrates how it can be applied on various levels of work and management related processes.
The only part I disagree with and preventing 5 stars is his reference to Google as being visionary in regard to business practices - it's easy to try new things if you can blow billions!

Economic concept for this age

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