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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Business Chemistry summary
Kim Christfort
Suzanne Vickberg
Practical Magic for Crafting Powerful Work Relationships
24 mins
Brief summary
Business Chemistry by Kim Christfort and Suzanne Vickberg is a guide for understanding the different personality types in the workplace. It explains how recognizing these types can help teams work better together, leading to increased productivity and success.
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Business Chemistry
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Key idea 1 of 8
The Pioneer is an energetic freethinker who trips up on details.
Do you work with someone who’s full of big ideas but fuzzy on the details? Perhaps your boss is always talking about her vision for the company’s future but pays far less attention to making her vision a reality. If this sounds familiar, then you have the pleasure – and the pain – of working with a Pioneer.
It’s easy to spot a Pioneer working style. The Pioneer is the most energetic person in any room, and never afraid to jump in with a suggestion or five about which direction the team should take. The Pioneer is bursting with creativity and original ideas, but don’t expect her to read the meeting agenda that you carefully crafted. Why? Because Pioneers finds structure extremely boring.
Often exhausting their listeners, people with this working style jump from one idea to the next, making spontaneous decisions and rarely stopping to consider whether their brainstorms will actually work. Furthermore, Pioneers’ disinterest in detail means that those around them are forced to pick up the slack. They might have the vision, but they’ll leave it to you to turn it into a reality.
Nonetheless, Pioneers tend to be highly successful. In fact, evidence suggests that this is the most prevalent personality type among CEOs. A classic example of a Pioneer is British explorer Ernest Shackleton, a legendary leader who pursued his outsized dreams with boundless amounts of energy.
In 1914, for example, Shackleton put together an expedition that would sail through a thousand miles of the uncharted Antarctic. Although you might think he’d be short of volunteers for this risky mission, Shackleton’s reputation as a fearless leader and his infectious thirst for adventure ensured that thousands of people applied to join his expedition.
Perhaps predictably, Shackleton’s grand vision didn’t quite come to fruition. It wasn’t long before his ship, The Endurance, became trapped in the ice, leaving the crew stranded. Undeterred, Shackleton came up with creative ideas for keeping up morale, including talent contests and evening sing-alongs.
When it became clear that the expedition needed rescue, Shackleton brainstormed new ideas, eventually using his indefatigable energy to row eight hundred miles solo across the ocean in a dinghy to find help. That’s the thing about Pioneers – their ideas may not always work, but they’ll always sail from one adventure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm.
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What is Business Chemistry about?
Business Chemistry (2018) examines the tensions and pitfalls involved in our working relationships. Packed with tips and tricks for clicking with even the most challenging coworkers, these blinks are your essential guide to making meaningful workplace connections.
Business Chemistry Review
Business Chemistry (2018) is an insightful book that explores the dynamics of workplace relationships and provides valuable strategies for effectively collaborating with others. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers practical tips and techniques for understanding different work styles and adapting communication strategies to improve team effectiveness.
- Through a combination of scientific research and real-life case studies, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of the diverse personalities within an organization.
- With its engaging anecdotes and relatable examples, this book successfully captures the complexities of human interactions, making it far from a dull read.
Best quote from Business Chemistry
Einstein famously once said, Its not that Im so smart. Its that I stay with problems longer.
—Kim Christfort and Suzanne Vickberg
Who should read Business Chemistry?
- Stressed-out workers struggling with their boss
- Team leaders seeking fresh insights
- Psychology buffs looking for a new perspective
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Business Chemistry FAQs
What is the main message of Business Chemistry?
Get to know your colleagues' working styles to improve collaboration and performance.
How long does it take to read Business Chemistry?
The reading time for Business Chemistry varies, but you can read the Blinkist summary in just 15 minutes.
Is Business Chemistry a good book? Is it worth reading?
Business Chemistry is worth reading to enhance teamwork and communication. It provides valuable insights and practical tips for working effectively with different personality types.
Who is the author of Business Chemistry?
Kim Christfort and Suzanne Vickberg are the authors of Business Chemistry.
What to read after Business Chemistry?
If you're wondering what to read next after Business Chemistry, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization by Peter F. Drucker
- The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
- Why Simple Wins by Lisa Bodell
- On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis
- Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy
- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
- Shift by Ethan Kross
- Good Judgment by Richard Davis
- The First Minute by Chris Fenning