BOOKED for Lunch - Obliquity

Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly

by John Kay


About this Webinar

If you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in another. This is the concept of Obliquity: paradoxical as it sounds, many goals are more likely to be achieved when pursued indirectly. Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in difficult terrain.

John Kay, the author of Obliquity: Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly joined us at our BOOKED for Lunch series to tell us:

  • Why shifting your focus to the bottom line could be the worst decision for your business.
  • How a focus on the value you add, and the pursuit of excellence, could lead you to more success than you imagine.
  • When it's time to 'rip up the rulebook' and transcend traditional business practice.
  • The role of failure in success.
  • Why letting go of success may be the best action to take if you truly want to succeed.

About the Book - Obliquity

Obliquity is the principle that complex goals are best achieved indirectly. This book explains why the happiest people aren't necessarily those who focus on happiness, and how the most successful cities aren't planned (look at Paris versus Brasilia). And if a company announces shareholder return as its number one goal, perhaps we should beware: the most profit-orientated companies aren't usually the most profitable.

Get your copy of Obliquity from Booktopia today and save.

About the Author - John Kay

John Kay is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a fellow of St John's College, Oxford. As research director and director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies he established it as one of Britain's most respected think tanks. Since then he has been a professor at the London Business School and the University of Oxford, where he was the first director of the Said Business School. He is a regular columnist for the Financial Times and the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Markets and The Long and the Short of It.

Read more about John Kay.

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