21 A- Reading Reflection No. 2
The book I read was How to Fail at Almost Anything and Still Win Big
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book definitely connected with a lot of content from the course. I think one of the things this book really connected with from the course is the importance of both human and social capital. The author, being the author of Dilbert, used a lot of the people who followed the comic to help some of his ventures be (temporarily) successful. The entire theme of the book, the fact that you gain skills even as you fail, shows the importance of your capital. The skills you have, and the more of them you obtain, the more likely you are to be successful. This is similar to what we discuss in class when trying to distinguish what skills set us apart from every other person trying to start a business. This book really reminded me of the story Professor Pryor talks about in class, for the guy who opened a fried chicken restaurant that didn't actually know how to make fried chicken before doing so. He thought of the idea, didn't have the skill, and then learned it in order to successfully start his business.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
An exercise for this class would be for everyone to write down skills they wish they had. We all have that list of things we want to learn before we die, so write those down, then maybe come up with a business idea for them. You could one day pick one, or more, and do it. Even if its hypothetical business like we already do or if your business fails, you have now learned so much about that topic that you have acquired a new skill. You could even just pick a skill and come up with a way for you to learn that skill.
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
I thought by the title he would talk about a few things he failed at, and not entirely business related concepts, however that wasn't the case. The author lists examples of businesses he actually started, that failed. He listed so many I actually lost count. So it really goes to show how many times you can try and fail in becoming an entrepreneur, yet still one day be successful.
Another part that actually really surprised me was when he was talking about this guy he met on a plane. The guy was talking applying for a job and said that as soon as he gets a job, he immediately starts looking for a better one. He says that job hunting is an on-going process for him, and he doesn't just do it when he needs a job. He said to always look for the better job, because the best option not just going to be there every time you need a job. The author then says that this mean you need to have a system, rather than a goal. This is a really unique and surprising take on this, and I think is something that could potentially be beneficial in the future. Though job hopping may not be the best thing, his systems rather than goals theory is actually really great.
1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?
I would say the theme/argument of this book is how trying and failing at things can actually make you successful. The author mentions many, many, ideas and ventures he had that failed (despite similar ventures to his succeeding afterwards). His main idea that every single skill you gain will help you be more successful. Despite failing at many things, each time he tried something he learned about it and in turn learned a new skill. Even the process of failing can teach you things and those things will eventually help you succeed later.2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book definitely connected with a lot of content from the course. I think one of the things this book really connected with from the course is the importance of both human and social capital. The author, being the author of Dilbert, used a lot of the people who followed the comic to help some of his ventures be (temporarily) successful. The entire theme of the book, the fact that you gain skills even as you fail, shows the importance of your capital. The skills you have, and the more of them you obtain, the more likely you are to be successful. This is similar to what we discuss in class when trying to distinguish what skills set us apart from every other person trying to start a business. This book really reminded me of the story Professor Pryor talks about in class, for the guy who opened a fried chicken restaurant that didn't actually know how to make fried chicken before doing so. He thought of the idea, didn't have the skill, and then learned it in order to successfully start his business.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
An exercise for this class would be for everyone to write down skills they wish they had. We all have that list of things we want to learn before we die, so write those down, then maybe come up with a business idea for them. You could one day pick one, or more, and do it. Even if its hypothetical business like we already do or if your business fails, you have now learned so much about that topic that you have acquired a new skill. You could even just pick a skill and come up with a way for you to learn that skill.
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
I thought by the title he would talk about a few things he failed at, and not entirely business related concepts, however that wasn't the case. The author lists examples of businesses he actually started, that failed. He listed so many I actually lost count. So it really goes to show how many times you can try and fail in becoming an entrepreneur, yet still one day be successful.
Another part that actually really surprised me was when he was talking about this guy he met on a plane. The guy was talking applying for a job and said that as soon as he gets a job, he immediately starts looking for a better one. He says that job hunting is an on-going process for him, and he doesn't just do it when he needs a job. He said to always look for the better job, because the best option not just going to be there every time you need a job. The author then says that this mean you need to have a system, rather than a goal. This is a really unique and surprising take on this, and I think is something that could potentially be beneficial in the future. Though job hopping may not be the best thing, his systems rather than goals theory is actually really great.
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