Amanda Penn, Author at Shortform Books

It Starts with Why: Key Takeaways from Simon Sinek

Why does it always start with why? Start With Why covers everything you need to know about creating an organization that puts its values at the center of its business. The core concept is simple and straightforward: great businesses know why they’re doing what they’re doing—and they use that mission as their guiding principle. Given this goal, Start With Why covers three aspects of WHY: 1) defining your WHY, 2) understanding how your WHY affects your company on all levels, and 3) making sure you stay focused on your WHY in the long-term. We’ll cover why, to create a successful

Why Was Chamberlain Deceived so Completely by Hitler?

How did the 1938 meeting between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler go? How did Hitler convince Chamberlain that he only planned to invade Czechoslovakia? The meetings between Chamberlain and Hitler show how hard it is to spot a lie. Learn about Chamberlain’s attempts to read Hitler and why none of us are very good at understanding strangers.

Simon Sinek on Leadership: Get People to Trust You

What are Simon Sinek’s views on leadership? What does he think is the most important element of good leadership? Simon Sinek’s views on leadership center around establishing trust. We’ll cover why Simon Sinek believes good leadership creates trust within the business, and how to establish the trust necessary to be a great leader. Here’s Simon Sinek on leadership from his book Start With Why.

Was Amanda Knox Guilty? Why Did Everyone Think So?

Was Amanda Knox guilty? What were the issues with the Amanda Knox case? Why were so many people so sure of her guilt, despite the evidence suggesting otherwise? We’ll cover how Amanda Knox’s actions made her seem guilty, and why we all have a hard time understanding strangers when they don’t act the way we expect them to.

Effects of Stress on Memory: Lessons from PTSD Research

What are the effects of stress on memory? Are the effects severe? Long term? Stress affecting memory is a huge problem in everyday life, and a particular problem for people who need to obtain crucial information under stressful circumstances, such as interrogators. We’ll look at the effects of stress on memory in the military to understand how stress might also affect us in less acutely stressful environments.

What Happened to Sandra Bland? Malcolm Gladwell’s Answer

What happened to Sandra Bland? What events led up to death in jail? Who’s to blame? The police officer? The justice system? Our society as a whole? We’ll cover Malcolm Gladwell’s answer to the question, What happened to Sandra Bland?, from his book Talking to Strangers. Learn why Gladwell thinks the death of Sandra Bland was the tragic result of common misreadings of strangers.

Aldrich Ames—How the Soviet Spy Fooled His CIA Colleagues

Who was Aldrich Ames? How was he outed as a spy? How was he able to fool the CIA for so long? Aldrich Ames was one of the most senior officers in the CIA’s Soviet Counterintelligence agency during the Cold War. He was also working as a double agent for the Soviet Union. The CIA is supposed to be the most sophisticated intelligence agency in the world. But even some of the best CIA agents have failed to detect liars in their midst. Learn what it means for the rest of us when even CIA agents can’t identify liars like Aldrich

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: Is It Working?

What was the Kansas City preventive patrol experiment? Why was it so groundbreaking? Why have we failed to replicate it successfully across the country? We’ll cover what the Kansas City experiment was, how it used the theory of coupled behaviors, or coupling theory, and why it was so successful. Then, we’ll look at why it hasn’t been particularly successful in other parts of the country.

Cortes and Montezuma—The Meeting that Killed 20 Million Aztecs

What happened when Hernán Cortés sailed from Spain to Mexico and met Montezuma? Why was Cortés able to conquer Montezuma and the Aztecs so easily? How did the meeting of Cortés and Montezuma mark a turning point in the way we think about other people? We’ll cover how Cortés and Montezuma met, and look at how this meeting between two people of completely different backgrounds, mindsets, and assumptions is indicative of misreadings of strangers that are common today.

Florentino Aspillaga’s Revelation About Cuba Shocked the CIA

Who was Florentino Aspillaga? What does his revelation to the CIA say about the problem of how to know when people are lying to us? Florentino Aspillaga was a Cuban intelligence officer disenchanted with Fidel Castro’s regime. In 1987, he defected and fled to the American Embassy in Vienna. Learn why what Florentino Aspillaga told the Americans was so important, and what it can teach the rest of us about how hard it is to know who to trust.