In 'The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control', Walter Mischel delves into the cognitive skills underlying willpower and long-term thinking. The book summarizes his decades-long research on the 'marshmallow test', a series of delayed-gratification experiments with young children. Mischel explains how the ability to delay gratification is a fundamental skill that predicts greater academic success, better health, and more positive relationships later in life. He also discusses strategies to enhance self-control and emphasizes that willpower can be learned and developed over time.
In this book, Seth Godin provides a framework for effective and elegant strategic thinking. He challenges readers to identify their 'smallest viable audience' and make remarkable work, understand and influence the systems shaping our world, prioritize long-term thinking over instant gratification, and make smart, purposeful choices that shape a better tomorrow. The book is designed for leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers seeking lasting transformation in their careers and communities.
This book provides a detailed guide for startup founders, walking them through the Customer Development process from initial idea to a fully functioning business. It emphasizes the importance of validating hypotheses, understanding customer needs, and iterating based on real-world feedback. The book includes over 100 charts, graphs, and diagrams, as well as 77 valuable checklists to help drive the company toward profitability. It covers key steps such as Customer Discovery, Customer Validation, Customer Creation, and Company Building, and advocates for a lean approach to building startups[2][4][5].
Seth Godin - This Is Strategy | The Innovation Show
Join us on this episode of The Innovation Show with the inimitable Seth Godin, author of 21 international bestsellers that have profoundly influenced the way we think about work and art. In this engaging conversation, Seth delves into his latest book on strategy, emphasizing the importance of identifying your smallest viable audience, understanding and leveraging systems, and prioritizing long-term thinking over instant gratification. He shares valuable insights on why most people gravitate towards instructions rather than forging their own paths, the concept of 'elegant strategy,' and how viewing challenges as a game can make failures more manageable. Seth also explores the impact of AI on the workforce and the significance of systems in shaping our strategies. Whether you're transforming an industry, sparking a movement, or building a career, this episode is a must-listen for change-makers and innovators.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:19 Seth Godin on Teaching and Strategy
02:21 The Lego Metaphor and Strategy
04:54 Games, Systems, and Empathy
07:34 AI and Office Plankton
11:11 Understanding Systems and Change
16:10 Innovation and Elegant Strategies
21:47 The Role of Incremental Improvement vs. Innovation
24:00 Innovation Theater and Real Change
36:25 Long-term Thinking and Strategy
42:15 Final Thoughts and Conclusion
The Innovation Show 
