Reviews and takeaways from the business books, biographies and the odd sports memoir I’ve actually read, not skimmed.
Most of us aren’t short of effort. We’re short of focus. In Unhinged Habits, Jonathan Goodman challenges the idea of constant balance and argues that progress comes from cycles of focus, reduction, and knowing what actually matters.
Unlimited is the story of a regular Aussie bloke who pushed himself further than he ever thought possible and ended up representing Australia at the…
Why I Picked It Up I’ve been a fan of Dennis E. Taylor ever since I binged my way through the Bobiverse series. Few authors…
Siya Kolisi’s Rise is more than a rugby autobiography. It’s a powerful story of resilience and service-driven leadership, told through the life of a man who rose from township poverty to lift the World Cup twice, and who now uses his platform to lift others. Rugby fan or not, this is a book about courage, opportunity, and what it really means to lead.
Discover the inspiring story of Nedd Brockmann in Showing Up. This gripping book review explores his 4,000km run across Australia, the grit and humour that powered it, and why we need more unfiltered larrikins like him in today’s world.
A Book Review of “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things” by Adam Grant One of the best books I’ve read recently is Hidden…
There’s a quote in The Choice that lingers long after the page turns: “We can’t change what happened, but we can choose to find the…
“Where was the caring in leaving children without meals? Where was the excellence in serving food unfit for purpose?”
Just off a Qantas flight that felt more “Spirit of Squeezed Sardine” than “Spirit of Australia,” I couldn’t shake the disconnect between my lived experience and the airline’s stated values of safety, caring, integrity, and excellence.
As I’ve been reading Joe Aston’s The Chairman’s Lounge, that disconnect has come into sharper focus. The book doesn’t just explain what’s gone wrong. It reveals how the pursuit of EBITDA and adjusted earnings has gradually reshaped Qantas into something unrecognisable.
My review explores the flight, the facts, and the bigger question facing all businesses:
👉 What happens when financial metrics trump human experience?
💭 Read it now on pauldobinson.com.
🗣️ “Everyone had an opinion. And every opinion was the same: That will never work.” ~ Marc Randolph, That Will Never Work Marc Randolph’s That…
As a lifelong rugby fan married into an Afrikaans family, I approached Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby with both curiosity and personal interest. Johan…