It’s been 14 years since I started Imagination so I treated myself to a four-week vacation—nothing special, just a chance to get away and unwind. If you’re like me, one week just doesn’t do it, as it typically takes three days to begin to unwind and by the fifth day I’m already starting to think about work again.
This time, I returned refreshed and recharged. It was nice to see that things ran smoothly in my absence and that I really didn’t need to be connected to everything happening in the company.
During the time off, I read two books that I’d highly recommend.
The first is Fast Strategy by Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen. The premise of the book is that it’s no longer enough to formulate a strategy and wait a year or two until the results come in. You must be constantly alert to emerging trends and market shifts, and you must react quickly and effectively. Strategically agile companies know how to transform themselves without losing momentum. Knowing what separates the winners from the losers in the fast strategy game is both insightful and thought-provoking for any content publisher.
My second recommendation is Wikinomics by by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams. For anyone concerned about or fascinated by the speed at which digital collaboration and user generated content occurs, this is a must-read. The authors show how smart firms can harness the collective capability and genius of online communities to spur innovation, growth and success. The book will challenge a publisher’s current thinking and assumptions about where content will originate and what it will look like in the 21st century.
I hope that you’ll find the time to read these two books; they were an eye-opening glimpse into the future of publishing.
