The 80/20 Individual by Richard Koch – Oh Underperforming Me!

I just wish another 20% of me could care about this a little more... *sigh* (click to see it on Amazon! (affiliate link)

I stumbled upon what I thought was an interesting book and I just finished it:

The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best
by Richard Koch
Broadway Business (March 15, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0385509758
ISBN-13: 978-0385509756

Pros:

Nice detail on the (mostly) practical application of the Pareto 80/20 Principle… tons of elaboration – you could really sink your teeth into this.

Cons:

A whole lot of rehashed content.  I assume one that has read The 80/20 Principle would find this book mostly redundant.  I haven’t read it, so that’s a big assumption on my part, but (I think, anyway) the assumption is soundly grounded on the fact that most of the information discussed is good, standard, “I WANT TO WIN!” practice being justified by Pareto’s observance.  Nothing wrong with that – just nothing too terribly remarkable.

Assessment:

Honestly, I would check out the wikipedia page on the Pareto Principle and *maybe* grab this book if it’s cheap.  Granted, I should have read Mr. Koch’s other book, but I just couldn’t get interested in this book at all.

Here’s my summary: exceptional people perform life exceptionally well and you can, too.

My VERY brief notes are below.  A google search will turn up MUCH greater detail on the main topics listed below.

20% Notes on 80% of the Book – A Brief Journey:

Most people want happiness, not wealth.  Wealth is a means to happiness, but it is not the best.  People want control over their lives.

If you know and can demonstrate you add great value, then you can reasonable set the agenda and context in which you provide it because whatever you choose to take is so much less than what you realize.

3 Common Characteristics of Any Conscious Creation:

1. Creation is a matter of rearranging already existing things (nothing new under the sun)
2. Leverages the most powerful forces available (breakthrough: most productive way of doing something is enhanced by most powerful force changing to more powerful)
3. Occurs when ideas and individuals collide and collude

Bonus: A business innovation, in order to survive, must enhance customer satisfaction

The 9 Essentials of 80/20 Success at Work:

1. Use Your Most Creative 20 % – find your spike, grow it, milk it, stick with it
2. Spawn and Mutate Great Ideas
3. Find the Vital Few Profit Forces
4. Enlist Einstein – relativity/ecology … less time + superior product = success
5. Hire Great Individuals – only hire highly motivated people: 20% people; value of oddballs (diversity – 33% of new hires)
6. Use Your Current Company (dry run)
7. Exploit Other Firms
8. Secure Capital
9. Make Zigzag Progress

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If you’d like to look into the book further, then I recommend grabbing it on Amazon.com (affiliate linked):
The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best