Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Learn or Die summary
Edward D. Hess
Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization
18 mins
What is Learn or Die about?
Learn or Die (2014) makes a strong case for personal and organizational learning as a survival tool in today’s fast-paced business world. Full of practical tips, the book presents a framework for how individuals and organizations can create an environment that fosters life-long learning.
Table of Contents
Learn or Die
summarized in 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
System 1 thinking says keep the status quo. System 2 thinking says shake it up; we can do better.
We learn as we observe the results of cause and effect in our environment. When dark clouds gather overhead, for example, you know through past observation that it may rain.
Over time, such observations become a way of interpreting the world. Our learning systems are somewhat like a computer operating system – that takes more work to rewrite. Yet it’s precisely our ability to rewrite what we’ve learned that is the key to productive learning.
The human learning machine consumes lots of energy, and because of this, tends to operate more often than not on autopilot – relying on instinct – to conserve fuel.
We call this mode System 1. It’s in this mode that you, for example, keep your voice down inside rather than yell and scream, based on the hard lessons you learned as a child.
Sometimes this mode can blind you, however. When you really need to think out of the box, such as when you’re trying to figure out why a competitor’s product is crushing yours in the market, you need to switch your thinking to System 2.
The ultimate goal of a learning organization is to overcome the preference for System 1 thinking. To do so, learning organizations must help employees to process information, especially information that challenges automatic assumptions.
System 1 thinking isn’t a problem with basic activities. Yet in business, it can cause you to miss trends or opportunities. A company stuck in System 1 thinking often can’t see alternatives to the status quo.
In contrast, System 2 thinking helps you reject automatic responses; instead, you’re able to consider new options and temper any bias.
Observing and managing the way you think is essential to actual learning. One way to get in the habit of using System 2 thinking is to simply reflect on what you’ve done during the day. This will help you to identify critical moments in which System 2 thinking could have helped.
Throughout the process, remember to keep an open mind so you can turn mistakes into learning opportunities.
Want to see all full key ideas from Learn or Die?
Key ideas in Learn or Die
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Who should read Learn or Die?
- Team leaders, managers, CEOs and entrepreneurs
- Career-minded employees looking to improve overall skills
- Managers who want to build a learning organization
Categories with Learn or Die
Books like Learn or Die
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
26 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers