Ignore Everybody is Beyond the Obvious

Two book reviews - quick reads and interesting ideas

Beyond the Obvious by Phil McKinney was a quick and interesting book. It is a little outside of my usual genre of social psychology, yet clearly a business and organization book. McKenney comes from the IT world with a focus on marketing and innovation. The book draws a lot from his experience at Hewlet Packard where he served as the chief technology officer. Prior to HP he was involved in start-up ventures in the technology industry. McKinney can speak to the fast-paced world of invention and innovation through his work experiences.

While reading the book I didn’t find what he discussed as new, instead it was repackaged. It was freshened with examples from recent shifts in technology, such as smart phones. Key concepts McKinney discussed included having an open mind, getting close to the customer, and asking the right questions. One area in the book did stand out for me as thought provoking was asking the question, how? In health care we have a pretty good idea about who our customer is (but probably not as clear about why a competitor was chosen, when that occurs) and why we deliver our services.  We are struggling with answering how to meet customer needs.

MicKinney suggests talking more about how we deliver services. This is particularly relevant as telemedicine advances occur, home monitoring devices become more effective, and mid-level practitioners expand their support. While not included in the book, I think the question of how also addresses the issue of quality. What value does our service bring to the public health? How do we assure that the outcomes are worth the cost and our services advance the overall health of our communities? To be relevant in the future we have to understand the question of how, more than was necessary in the past.

McKinney’s book is a pretty quick read. It is not a book about research or psychological insights. He is practical and has ideas on how to get groups to tackle the tough questions. I have started asking more questions about patients who chose other providers, how we want to deliver services, and where is technology taking health care. For these questions it is worth the time to read the book.

Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod is another quick read, of a vey different type of book. MacLeod is a cartoonist with a practical view of the world. He built up his body of work slowly on the back of business card size paper. It was his passion and not mainstream. Unlike some authors who suggest a person needs to abandon the regular life and follow their dream. MacLeod encourages people to work on the side. Pay your bills so you can do only what you like, ignoring the pressure to do what makes money. Your passion may not make you rich or famous, but that is okay. There is a price for being famous. He wants his readers to do what makes them happy, not pleasing others. His cartoons are scattered through the book and make interesting highlights to his points. I finished the book quickly and felt good about staying true to what is important to me, while making sure I’m paying the bills.