Recently, I encountered a quote that said:

Our life experiences are massively built through the inspiration we gain from the places we visit, and the people we meet along the way. As a start-up entrepreneur, it is often only through reading books and articles from other successful individuals that help to foster personal growth regarding entrepreneurship. With a new year upon us, there is no better time to start reading. Try adding these 11 books for all first-time entrepreneurs recommended by Andrew Medal, a serial entrepreneur and digital strategist, into your list of must-read books for 2017:

1.    The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

This book is still a must read, even though the Lean Startup movement is not as radiant as it was from 2011 to 2013. Based in principles taught by Steve Blank in Four Steps to the Epiphany, Ries provides any entrepreneur (or intrapreneur) the framework and practical science behind testing ideas.

The whole premise of the book is to view startups as science experiments, by testing and analysing everything you do, to help you save money and time to ensure your idea has some sort of demand. Read it if you haven't. 

Pick It Up: The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Reis | Amazon| Audible | Barnes & Noble 

2.    Rework by Jason Fried

Jason Fried is a diabolical genius. In my mind, he’s like this mad scientist that sits up in a tower overlooking the world, and watches as the world does everything wrong, while he sits back and plays a game of chess. He’s the godfather of going against the grain and disrupting the status quo.

This book will help you unravel the societal norms engrained into us at an early age, and uplift you to become better entrepreneurs by thinking outside the box. 

Pick It Up: Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble 

3.    The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell attempts to uncover the “mysterious sociological behaviors” that shape everyday life. Gladwell explains a tipping point as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point,” and says “ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses do.”

He gives historical examples and substantiates his theories with facts, while breaking down his examples through invisible forces that only a world-renown sociologist can. He explains the reason that hush puppies became so popular in the mid 1990s and the reason behind steep decline in New York City’s crime rate after 1990.

To simply learn about how these invisible forces can create unintended results helped me to be more conscious about life and business. All of Gladwell’s books encourage me to think deeply, and empower me to see the world through a different lens, which results in new perspective. These new perspectives help me view my own entrepreneurial journey differently, which I greatly value.

Pick It Up: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Differenceby Malcolm Gladwell | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble 

4. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

Disruption. We’ve all heard the term. Christensen was the one who brought it to life.

Here’s the synopsis: “First published in 1997, Christensen's book suggests that successful companies can put too much emphasis on customers' current needs, and fail to adopt new technology or business models that will meet their customers' unstated or future needs. He argues that such companies will eventually fall behind. Christensen calls the anticipation of future needs 'disruptive innovation,' and gives examples involving the personal computer industry, milkshakes, and steel minimills.”

Pairing this book with The Lean Startup helped me realise how important testing and validating assumptions is for not just startups, but for established companies as well. The innovator’s "dilemma" comes from the concept that companies will dismiss new market innovation based on the fact that customers do not currently use them, which then leaves the market ripe for disruption. Clayton gives historical examples that makes the concept easily digestible and helps drive home the lessons.

Pick It Up: The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble 

5.    Crossing the Chasm by Geoffery A. Moore

Immediately after reading this book I thought I understood everything about building a company. This book teaches you why you may have had early “traction,” but how and why that traction does not guarantee mass market success. He does this by breaking down early adoption cycles, and shows the difference in your product lifecycle.

The chasm he refers to is between early adopters and the mass market. Simply looking at the cover will help you understand the concept. This book helped me understand the hockey stick curve growth model and other vital startup lessons. If you read the Lean Startup beforehand, Moore’s lessons will help you understand “product-market fit” as Ries discusses so frequently in his book.

Pick It Up: Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition by Geoffery A. Moore | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

6. Launch! by Scott Duffy

This book acts as a practical manual for breathing life into your idea. Duffy walks through examples and entertaining stories along the way, as well as provides a basic framework to follow through his years of business (which includes selling his last company to Richard Branson and the Virgin Group). Entertaining and useful, this book lives up to its allure, and displays the value and expertise of Duffy as a businessman, mentor and human.

Pick It Up: Launch! The Critical 90 Days from Idea to Market by Scott Duffy | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble 

7.    Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas From the Computer Age by Paul Graham

Paul Graham is the man behind Y Combinator, the Harvard of tech accelerators, and Graham has an uncanny ability to see into the future. This book gives a glimpse into Paul’s unique thinking and draws on historical examples. He takes us on a journey of what he calls "an intellectual Wild West,” where anyone with an idea can take a shot.

Pick It Up: Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas From the Computer Age by Paul Graham | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble 

8.    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

This book is highly effective for helping anyone to prioritise and stay organised and on task. My big takeaway from this book was the Urgent/Important prioritisation matrix. As entrepreneurs, being able to intelligently prioritise becomes a vital skill. You can learn this skill and many more through Covey’s classic.

Pick It Up: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble 

9.    The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

The 4-Hour Workweek has become an instant classic for any entrepreneur. Tim Ferriss treats his life as a big experiment. In this book, he teaches us how to live the life we want now, through real world case studies and practical examples. He explains that the "New Rich" figure out how to outsource, delegate and eliminate half of your work and other cool life/work hacks.

Pick It Up: The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss | Amazon | Audible | Indigo.ca 

10.    The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene

Robert Greene is the man behind the 33 Strategies of War, The 48 Laws of Power and other classics. Teaming up with 50 Cent, they have written the manuscript for business and life success, which can be summed up as one mantra: “Fear nothing.” The book walks us through real life examples of 50 Cent’s life, and how he overcame personal and business adversity. It provides a message of hope and encouragement.

Pick It Up: The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene | Amazon | Audible | eBooks.com 

11. Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art & Science of Remembering Everything by

Joshua Foer

This is not a 'business' book. However, it's one of my favorites that I’ve read in the past five years. Joshua Foer is a journalist who started covering memory competitions. He got so enthralled by his work, that he took on the challenge of becoming a memory athlete himself.

Filled with rich journalism, he provides us deep insight into the tricks and strategies used by these “mental athletes,” while he walks us through his personal journey of preparation for the United States Memory Championship. The book is riveting and entertaining beyond belief, and as Foer says, “in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.”

Pick It Up: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art & Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble 

Inspiration: 11 Vital Books for First-Time Entrepreneurs

Image Source: weheartit.com

Chia Yi Jing | Bubbling with enthusiasm, bright ideas, and confidence, Yi Jing set foot in the PR world with Orchan Consulting, where she was offered permanent employment after a successful internship. She is determined to make her mark in the industry, and her bosses know that she will. 

A big shout out to Mumbrella Asia. Thank you for featuring Metanoia on your portal today. We look forward to continuing our journey with clients and friends in 2017. Read the full story below:

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The team behind Kuala Lumpur-based independent PR agency Orchan has launched a second complementary agency.

Metanoia will offer reputation management, strategic corporate communications and research and advocacy services, with a leaning towards public affairs, government relations and trade and investment opportunities.

The new agency is to be headed up by Craig Selby (pictured), one of the co-founders of Orchan alongside Farrell Tan. Based in Kuala Lumpur, it will provide consultancy in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Cambodia.

Both Orchan and Metanoia work on the premise of ‘change’ being the only constant in life, with the name Metanoia a Greek word meaning the changing of one’s mind or way of life.

“Our Orchan experience has been a strong catalyst for the emergence of Metanoia,” said Selby. “Client requests for counsel over the years ignited opportunities to step beyond public relations. We recognise that with the current broader industry landscape, opportunities exist regionally to take a more focused approach to key issues facing businesses that step outside the public relations arena, yet maintain strategic overlap with it.

“Many clients seek a trusted ear and a ‘go-getter’ who can work with them as a support partner to refine their business DNA, branding, key communications messages (internally and externally), and to offer fresh perspective from an observant outsider’s vantage point.”

Metanoia starts life with six consultants, with the team’s primary focus on Southeast Asia, with particular reference to Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.

“Our mission is to enable clients to achieve their objectives through honest, insightful counsel, authentic advocacy and creative communications – informed by deep insights, thorough analytics and a strong understanding of stakeholder groups,” added Selby. “Fostering a culture of unconventional, lateral thinking allows us to accomplish this, as our counsel is not limited by any particular service or discipline, and embraces a variety of integrated tactics to achieve success. In essence, we want to help our clients see clearly, speak authentically and act decisively.”

Source: Strategic Corporate Communications Agency Launches in Kuala Lumpur

You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. - Jim Rohn

The nature of the workplace climate is very akin to that of … (for lack of a better word) nature itself. There are constant shifts which revolve around the organisational structure, such as personnel changes, retrenching of departments, and even promotions amongst colleagues – all of which could potentially disrupt familiarities which we have established for ourselves. The onus is on us to realise the effect of these changes, and respond accordingly. For instance, how should you approach the situation differently when your peer is now your boss / when you are now your peer’s boss?

When a relationship shifts from peer-to-peer to employee-to-manager, it is imperative that both parties accept the new role that is established. As coaching and evaluation of employees are a part of managerial tasks, a certain degree of “social distance” between both parties should be in place, to ensure efficient and effective employee assessment. Sure, existing friendships should not be forgone and ignored. However, the professional relationship between both parties should be acknowledged as well.

After accepting the new roles which both sides have adopted, they should then identify new ways of working together within the organisation. Mutual discussion should address different ways of cooperation going forward – you could explore ways to support your peer-turned-manager in accepting his / her new authority over you; you could demonstrate your willingness in offering guidance from your new-found authority. Both parties are responsible for removing any potential discomfort / unease stemming from the shifting power dynamic, and cooperate to develop new and improved ways of moving forward.

An improved flow of communication must also be determined to further facilitate the new relationship. Previous interpersonal linkages should not affect key concerns within the organisation, and should adhere to professional boundaries. For instance, as a manager, honest comments on workplace commitments should be addressed, even to your closest friends – likewise, as an employee, you should give feedback on organisational policies which you disagree with, even if they were suggested by your buddy-turned-manager.

The ideas shared above were inspired by an article from the Harvard Business Review titled, “What to Do When Your Peer Becomes Your Boss?” by Amy Gallo. Although she only focuses on one aspect of the change of power, I believe that both parties (peer-turned-manager and peer-turned-employee) are responsible for conjoining their efforts in establishing an effective professional relationship. The original article can be found at What to do When Your Peer Becomes Your Boss.

Image Source: Harvard Business Review 

Benjamin Lee Cheng Han | Benjamin is a student of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, currently exploring unchartered realms in the Public Relations field. Writing is clearly his interest – a decisive contributor to his foray into the public relations industry. To date, he boasts the proud record of having tamed one of the office cats, and drinking expired tea from the pantry.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

Often, when discussing change or crisis / reputation management, we can identify internal aspects which require attention – personnel engagement, leadership involvement, financial planning…; or that of external factors – competitors’ position, industrial climate, public opinion… Here at Metanoia, we’ve oft provided insight into which phases need emphasis at which particular time – what to do at the beginning of a crisis; steps to initiate effective change management; highlights of maintaining a positive reputation; you get the gist of it.

However, there is a level-zero before everything; before all the planning, before executional ideas are drafted, before crises even occur for contingency procedures are enacted. Level zero is our own brain. Before any strategies are operationalised, there lies yourself – your mindset, established perceptions about the workplace, behavioural habits and practices, etc.

It’s already difficult to change extra-body organisational tasks such as the organisational climate, or leadership engagement with change processes; rewiring our own brains represents no simple feat either. But before initiating change processes, or managing reputational crises, one should first look at improving aspects of our own mindset, aspects which when improved, can further contribute to successful management of extra-personal involvements. Developing refreshed thought processes can have a positive impact not just for the organisation, but for your personal wellbeing as well.

First off, look at creating a conducive environment and personal routine. The mind creates associations between your surroundings and what is absorbed under those circumstances, and familiarises the digested content with the particular surrounding. For instance, writing a proposal whilst having coffee creates the potential for coffee to trigger remembering what was written when presenting it.

Working with adequate breaks also potentially increases productivity, as opposed to working consecutively long hours. By taking periodic breaks, your brain is given due rest, and is given the necessary time to refresh before resuming on tasks at hand. Of course, some jobs require constant and fixated attention – but thirty (30) seconds? One (1) minute? A brief break doesn’t entail a trip to the coffee shop for an Americano, just enough time to reinvigorate your focus.

Although the original article draws direct links on rewiring your brain to become a leader, we here at Metanoia believe these ideas apply on a more holistic level. By changing your mindset positively, you don’t just seek at becoming a better leader, but also for personal betterment, and to more effectively contribute to the organisation.

Ideas for the blogpost are credited to the original article on Entrepreneur, titled ‘Rewiring Your Brain to Become a Better Leader’ by Mike Moradian, Executive Director of HonorSociety.org.

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Benjamin Lee Cheng Han | Benjamin is a student of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, currently exploring unchartered realms in the Public Relations field. Writing is clearly his interest – a decisive contributor to his foray into the public relations industry. To date, he boasts the proud record of having tamed one of the office cats, and drinking expired tea from the pantry.

Your brand name is only as good as your reputation - Richard Branson

When undergoing change, leadership involvement is imperative to an overall successful and sustainable change process. Sure, there are other factors which directly impact the potential effect of change, including (but not limited to) financial planning, organisational personnel engagement, and familiarity with the organisation’s industry position. However, preparedness begins at the helm of the organisation, and leaders represent an important facet of ensuring effective change.

Without leaders implementing the correct strategy and execution of ideas, little to no progress of the change project at hand is undertaken. Organisational personnel are not given a clear understanding about the expectations involved with the change, and subsequent procedures become increasingly difficult to operationalise. Misalignment within leadership creates a disjointed mentality within the organisation, creating a negative climate amongst personnel which jeopardises change processes.

Transparency within leadership is also a key factor contributing to lasting and effective change within an organisation. When leaders are unwilling to share intellectual capital with their teams and hold on to their knowledge, they fail to enhance the intellectual capacity of the organisation. Change is difficult to initiate if leaders have differing intentions to that of organisational goals, especially if they prioritise personal wellbeing over building change momentum and benefitting those involved with the change at hand.

Another aspect in establishing successful change is if leaders identify a common organisational language which can be effectively understood and applied across all aspects of the organisation. For instance, leaders should align the organisation under a uniform image, either externally or internally, in order to establish change momentum as well as a consistent organisational image. Through this, the change process isn’t disrupted by sudden alterations to common objectives or manners of executing change procedures.

When leaders have clarity in purpose and focus, and are aligned with the organisational philosophy and goals, only then can effective change efforts be conducted. Through the implementation of appropriate strategies, organisational transparency, and by having a standard system throughout the organisation, leaders have the capacity to initiate successful and lasting change. The link below leads to an article which further elaborates on the importance of leadership clarity and alignment in change management.

Inspiration:

Change Management Requires Leadership Clarity and Alignment

Image Source: worldventures.com

Benjamin Lee Cheng Han | Benjamin is a student of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, currently exploring unchartered realms in the Public Relations field. Writing is clearly his interest – a decisive contributor to his foray into the public relations industry. To date, he boasts the proud record of having tamed one of the office cats, and drinking expired tea from the pantry.