Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ 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
What Matters Now summary
Gary Hamel
How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition and Unstoppable Innovation
14 mins
Brief summary
What Matters Now by Gary Hamel challenges traditional management practices and argues for a new approach that empowers employees, fosters innovation, and drives success in the 21st century.
Topics
Table of Contents
What Matters Now
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
In our modern, technological world, leadership and power come with great responsibility.
Recent decades have witnessed great change, but such change has also raised the stakes. In our rapidly moving, globalized world, leaders have far more power and responsibility than ever before.
And a lot more to answer for if something goes wrong.
Global leaders must be conscious of the impact their decisions have. One bad decision could lead to a compromised food product, for example. Yet where once such a slip-up might have just affected a small town, today the health of hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk.
Many leaders are already grappling with how an interconnected, international economic system can amplify the fallout from a decision. Sometimes it’s necessary to pay up to contain a mistake before it spirals out of control.
In 2011, for example, French and German banks moved to bail out the financial systems of Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain spending almost $900 billion in an attempt to maintain the euro’s stability and prevent an even larger currency crisis.
Think about today’s global leaders. Do you trust them to keep small mistakes from turning into global catastrophes?
The internet and other new technologies have become effective tools to drive a global sense of consciousness and, importantly, keep world leaders in check. Injustices are harder to sweep under the rug; news stories travel around the world in the blink of an eye. As a result, the pressure to create change and increase social responsibility is far greater.
In 2008, Coca-Cola came under fire for using unsustainable methods to extract water from a drought-stricken region in India. As the news spread, Coke sales dipped all over the world. The then company CEO announced the company would become “water neutral” by 2020.
Yet as a global society we can no longer rely on government or private sector policies as the sole method of damage control. Read on to find out what sort of change really needs to happen.
Want to see all full key ideas from What Matters Now?
Key ideas in What Matters Now
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.
What is What Matters Now about?
What Matters Now (2012) reveals the many challenges for companies looking to navigate an increasingly globalized and technology-driven world. With practical advice, these blinks show how company can not only survive such an environment but also adapt, innovate and thrive.
Who should read What Matters Now?
- CEOs wanting to learn how to easily adapt to global challenges
- Managers looking to challenge their company’s status quo
- Entrepreneurs involved in businesses with a global outlook
Categories with What Matters Now
Book summaries like What Matters Now
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 these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
29 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth