“You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.”
– Alvin Toffler
Welcome back to APT Insights! Each month, we share some content that we have seen, heard, or read recently and deem worth sharing. We have some interesting pieces to share this month! We hope you enjoy watching, listening, and reading some of our suggestions below. Further, we encourage you to incorporate some elements of them into your business and/or personal life.
WATCH
Strategy is top of mind this month for us here at APT, as we near the end of the current year. It’s time for year end evaluations and next year planning. This TED talk inspires a unique perspective about strategy. It isn’t just an annual occurrence.
Nick Hansen has an impressive business background and uses some powerful historical lessons from the world of business strategy to encourage adopting the right perspective, thus influencing the outcomes of our strategic choices, in life and in business.
LISTEN
How to Make Strategic Career Decisions, Even in a Crisis (Back to Work, Better) with Dorie Clark
Continuing with the theme of strategy, this Harvard Business Review podcast episode is a must-share. This is a quick and easy listen, yet still packed full with a lot of great suggestions about how to balance goals with different timelines, all while working towards the main focus, whatever that may be for you.
Some of our favorite concepts include Dorie’s discussions about strategic patience, describing The Long Game (being in heads-up mode versus heads-down mode) and how we can utilize the theory of change management.
**Looking for last minute holiday gifts? Check out Dorie Clark’s new book The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World. While we have not read it yet, it is on our To-Read list!
READ
A Better Life Is 80% Action, 20% Smart Thinking by Thomas Oppong
People tend to be one of two types: brainstorm and plan but do not execute – or – work, work, work but with no direction. There is a way to find a happy medium, therefore planning with intention and working with a goal in mind. Using quotes from some other experts and tangible advice for implementing this 80/20 mentality, this read will change your mind about how to approach projects, large and small.
For more insights from Thomas, subscribe to his Postanly weekly newsletter. It is always full of great reads about wealth, wisdom, and smarter living.
KEEP LEARNING
As always, we thank you for your interest in our posts! We hope you have learned a couple new things from these resources. As we near the end of the year, we look forward to sharing next month’s recommendations, the final tips for 2021! (Don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2022!)
To go back and read any of our past insights, you can access the archives here.
We are always open to recommendations for content we can read, watch, or listen. Contact us to share anything you have found interesting lately, and we might even include it in an upcoming APT Insights blog post!