Unreasonable Success and How to Achieve It
How do people of seemingly ordinary talent go on to achieve unexpected results? What can we learn from them? What are the ingredients for unreasonable success and how is it achieved?
In this ground-breaking book, bestselling author Richard Koch charts a map of success, identifying the nine key attitudes and strategies can propel anyone to new heights of accomplishment.
The pattern of success is fractal. It is endlessly varied but endlessly similar. Success does not require genius, consistency, all-round ability, a safe pair of hands or even basic competence. If it did, most of the people in this book would not have impacted the world as they did.
Who could have predicted that Nelson Mandela, a once-obscure lawyer, could have averted disaster in South Africa, reconciling people of different heritages to each other and establishing a viable democracy? Or that Helena Rubinstein, a young woman growing up in the grotty ghetto of Kraków, could have changed the face of beauty throughout the world? Or that the illegitimate son of a notary would become one of the world's greatest painters, known universally by his first name, Leonardo?
Successful people typically don't plan their success. Instead they develop a unique philosophy or attitude that works for them. They stumble across strategies which are shortcuts to success, and latch onto them. Events hand them opportunities they could not have anticipated. Often their peers with equal or greater talent fail while they succeed. It is too easy to attribute success to inherent, unstoppable genius.
With this book, you can embark on a journey towards a new, unreasonably successful future.
Richard Koch is the author of The 80/20 Principle, which has sold more than a million copies and been published in approximately forty languages.
He is also a successful entrepreneur and investor, whose ventures have included Filofax, Plymouth Gin, Belgo restaurants and Betfair, the world's largest betting exchange.
He was formerly a partner of Bain & Company, and co-founder of LEK Consulting. He has written more than twenty acclaimed books on business and ideas.