Review: Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West

Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West by Catherine Belton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A former FT journalist in Russia, Catherine Belton, has done a formidable research for this book. Many interviews and documents have been worked through to depict how Putin and his men from ex-KGB have created kleptocratic and revanchist state such as Russia has become in 2000s-2010s - at the same time, securing an improved way of living for its residents to a certain degree.

I found interesting historical accounts of how Putin and KGB worked in the DDR of 1980s, how they siphoned money out of the USSR to useful allies in the West to discredit the system in the West - and how this eventually has continued after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It was also interesting to read the details of how it happened that a previously rather unknown uncharismatic person has become one of the most powerful statemen of the world - and how the independent large business, juridical and political systems have all been gradually suppressed.

At times, the number of names and connections was difficult to follow. The book could have some registry of key people to refer to.

It also felt too ideological at times - written not by an impassionate historian, but by a person referring to countless of stories to prove one main point - that ex-KGB is ruling Russia and is dangerous for the West. This could have been mentioned fewer times.

Review: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A one-time drummer for Nirvana (one of my favourite bands which was sort of formative to my teenage years) and a founder and the main figure behind Foo Fighters Dave Grohl tells stories from his life.

He starts with the description of his childhood and teenage years in suburbs of Virginia, near Washington - all via references his love for music. He then proceeds with how he has gotten in a punk rock band Scream and later to Nirvana. After the death of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl eventually re-invents himself in a band established by himself and some companions, Foo Fighters.

I loved reading about Grohl's passion for music. This is the main theme which flows throughout the whole book. Starting from how he was "playing" melodies with his teeth, then using pillows in his bedroom instead of the drums - then diving into the world of rock and roll concerts, first as a spectator, then as musician on the scene.

I particularly liked the first half of the book, learning about what the life was like in Virginia in the 1970s-1980s, what it meant to be touring around in the USA, Europe and Australia as part of a band in a van on very meagre means, how was it to be part of Nirvana and sharing the flat with Kurt Cobain.

The stories of his later life were also fun to read, but were more sporadically structured and presented.

Overall, Dave Grohl seems like a nice guy, someone you would like to have among your friends - principled, passionate, but easy-going lad. The book reads exactly like that.

Review: To Sell is Human: the Surprising Truth About Moving Others

To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although not as good book as Pink's classics "Drive", I still liked "To Sell is Human".

The first part about what sales was like before and what it means now was somewhat dubious, although I liked how Pink framed selling into "moving people" - this is something we all do.

But the subsequent parts were rather good. Like in "Drive", there are simple and short arguments supported by social studies and ample research. And I liked in particular various exercises to try and test various good practices. I have actually tested some of them on my team ("have a conversation with a time traveller" trying to explain a contemporary product to someone who lived few hundreds years ago; try one-word pitch, subject-line pitch or Pixar pitch) - it went really well.

Attune to your counterpart, try to really get into what they need.
Mimic strategically.
Don't be overly extraverted or introverted - being an ambivert is best.
Practice interrogative self-talk (Can I do it? Why?)
Be positive, but back up when needed.
Be clear.
Know how to pitch your idea - forget the elevator pitch, there are six innovative ways to structure your pitch.
Make your partner look good. Say "Yes and" (not an easy one in the real life!)
Most of all, make it purposeful.
Don't do upselling, do upserving instead.

I really liked the idea bout clarifying others’ motives with two “irrational” questions.

Suppose your daughter is delaying and denying, and generally resisting studying for a big end-of-the-year exam. You wouldn’t say, “Young lady, you must study,” or “Please, please study for the exam”. Instead, you could ask her two questions:
1. “On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 meaning ‘not the least bit ready’ and 10 meaning ‘totally ready’, how ready are you to study?”
After she offers her answer, ask
2. “Why didn’t you pick a lower number?”
This is an unexpected question, it is not a binary off-on, yes-no question. It can expose an apparent “No” as an actual “Maybe”. Even more important, as your daughter explains her reasons for being a 4 rather than a 3, she begins announcing her own reasons for studying. She moves from defending her current behaviour to articulating why, at some level, she wants to behave differently.

Review: A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories

A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A depiction of the life in Bronx, a suburb of New York inhabited mainly by the families of recent immigrants (many of them Jews) during the 1930s.

These are four separate stories, all of them quite dark, but with philosophical context.

The book really pictures well dull life of poorish suburb of New York of the 1930s. The hopes, disappointments and personal tragedies of its characters were all vividly depicted.

I personally would have preferred one longer story with several characters involved. The visual art is interesting, but too exaggerating to my taste.

Review: Ultimate Guide to Google Ads

Ultimate Guide to Google Ads by Perry Marshall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A solid introduction to the world of Google Ads. I liked the general principle that the book was preaching - how not to give away too much money to Google. At the same time, when relevant, it encourages to use Google's machine learning when picking the bidding strategies for various keywords.

I also liked that some general principles of marketing were well introduced in the context of Google Ads. Be sure you know what is your business' USPs. Follow the 80/20 rules - also in Google Ads, 20% of the keywords bring you 80% of profit. Measure relentlessly - most don't do that, so you can have an edge there.

Some chapters were somewhat superficial, some included a lot of self-promotion by the authors.

Overall, can recommend the book.

Review: Täiesti tavaline merereis

Täiesti tavaline merereis by Meelis Kupits
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mõnus lihtne lugu ühest ENSV kalurikolhoosile kuulunud laevareisist 1970-ndatel. Koomiksi visuaal on tore ja kena - sobib nii täiskasvanutele kui vanematele lastele.

Õpib üht-teist ajaloo kohta: kuidas tollal kalapüük käis, kus täpsemini Nõukogude Liidu laevad käisid, kuidas detailselt kogu see (plaani)majandus toimis. Hariv ja tore lugemine ning pildiline materjal!

Review: Radical Candor

Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Malone Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kim Scott has worked at Google and Apple. The book is the collection of her experiences from there as well as her management beliefs packaged into an advice for managers.

At times, overly simplistic (yes, you need to provide feedback and encourage receiving it; yes, you need to organise and lead well-planned meetings) and repetitive, it nevertheless is a rather good management book in my view. Some of the lessons I take from it:

Radical candor: provide direct feedback and care personally thereby. You need both. Providing feedback without caring is obnoxious. Caring and never challenging directly is ruinous empathy.

How to fire people so that it is right for you, for the person in question and for the others? "When you fire someone, you create the possibility for the person to excel and find happiness performing meaningful work elsewhere. Part of getting a good job is leaving a bad one, or one that’s bad for you." and "Retaining people who are doing bad work penalizes the people doing excellent work. Failing to deal with a performance issue is not fair to the rest of the team."

Driving results collaboratively by "Get Stuff Done" wheel: Listen-Clarify-Debate-Decide-Persuade-Implement-Learn-Listen. Every step needs to be taken separately to ensure the best results.

"Loud listening": the best type of listening and debating culture in organisation is “strong opinions, weakly held”.

A distinction between "Big Debate" and "Big Decision" meetings: sometimes it is useful to have both kinds, separately, in that order.

Managing decision-making: "Don’t grab a decision just because the debate has gotten painful. A boss’s job is often to keep the debate going rather than to resolve it with a decision."

The right way to provide feedback is using technique “situation behavior impact”: 1) the situation you saw, 2) the behaviour (i.e. what the person did, either good or bad), 3) the impact you observed. This helps avoid making judgements about the person's intelligence, common sense, innate goodness, or other personal attributes.

Another useful tip on providing feedback: "Don’t “save up” guidance for 1:1 or a performance review."

Planned think time: "In addition to regularly planned meetings, people are going to want to talk to you about this or that; urgent matters will arise that you must deal with. You need time to clarify your own thinking, or to help the people who work for you clarify theirs. You should not be tyrannised by your calendar."

Review: The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984

The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984 by Riad Sattouf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A graphic novel by a famous French cartoonist of French-Syrian descent. It is a graphical memoir of his early life in Gaddafi's Libya, then France, then older Assad's Syria. Presented through the eyes of a young child, it catches interesting details of everyday life and sheds the light on cruel and bizarre world of Arab dictatorships of the 1970s-1980s.

Beautiful cartoon art, captivating story, funny and terrifying moments to follow.