Adapt cover art

Adapt

Why Success Always Starts with Failure

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Adapt

By: Tim Harford
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

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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All stars
Most relevant
fascinating account, slightly marred by the jarring accents of the narrator - no need for them.

ditch the accents

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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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What an interesting and unusual book, and read in a clear, straightforward style. I have to disagree with the previous reviewer about incorrect inflection. Judge for yourself, but I found the no-nonsense narration easy and enjoyable to listen to.

"Adapt" is a practical application of complexity theory to modern life. As such it challenges many common sense assumptions. Failure is often the prelude to success, because it involves experiment, which allows us to learn, if we can recognise, admit and understand our mistakes.

The case examples are interesting, from the "toaster project" to the overturning of Rumsfeldt's disasterous central planning of the Iraq war, to the building of the first Spitfire through the persistence of a maverick civil servant and the generosity of an eccentric female philanthropist. Perhaps there are a few too many military examples. However, I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Clever, entertaining and well narrated!

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Good book, the first and last third parts especially, the middle third was a bit dull though.

would recommend, but once you finish the first third you know everything as the examples just repeat the principle.

Worth a read, but repeats a bit much in the middle

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loved it I've now started branching my own research into the different avenues that he directed me to and great guide to my own enterprises

reverting read

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