“As he did in The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg melds cutting-edge science, deep reporting, and wide-ranging stories to give us a fuller, more human way of thinking about how productivity actually happens. He manages to reframe an entire cultural conversation: Being productive isn’t only about the day-to-day and to-do lists. It’s about seeing our lives as a series of choices, and learning that we have power over how we think about the world.”—Susan Cain, author of Quiet
 
“Charles Duhigg has a gift for asking just the right question, and then igniting the same curiosity in the rest of us. In Smarter Faster Better he finds provocative answers to a riddle of our age: how to become more productive (by two times, or even ten times) and less busy, how to be more effective in the world and more in control of our lives. Duhigg has rendered, yet again, a great service with his sharp, lucid prose.”—Jim Collins, author of Good to Great

 

At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key concepts—from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making—that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics—as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters—this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don’t merely act differently.
 
They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.

A young woman drops out of a PhD program and starts playing poker. By training herself to envision contradictory futures, she learns to anticipate her opponents’ missteps—and becomes one of the most successful players in the world.

A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function, and find that how a group interacts is more important than who is in the group—a principle, it turns out, that also helps explain why Saturday Night Live became a hit.

A Marine Corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp—and discovers that instilling a “bias toward action” can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers.

The filmmakers behind Disney’s Frozen are nearly out of time and on the brink of catastrophe—until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

What do these people have in common?

They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation; the way we interact with data: These are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.

John Salley is an NBA veteran of 11 seasons.  He is the first basketball player in NBA history to win four championships with three different teams. He was on Phil Jackson coached teams in Chicago and Los Angeles. Drafted out of Georgia Tech in 1986 by the Detroit Pistons, Salley was a member of the “Bad Boys” squad which included Isaiah Thomas and the infamous Dennis Rodman; a team that went on to win back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. Following stints with the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, Salley played with Michael Jordan as part of the Chicago Bulls 1996 championship team. After a brief retirement to co-host NBA on NBC, Phil Jackson invited Salley to come join the Los Angeles Lakers where he was on the 2000 NBA Championship team.Since his retirement from the NBA, Salley has worked in television, film, radio, print and new media. Salley was a co-host of the Emmy nominated series The Best Damn Sports Show Period (FOX) for seven years. He hosted and was Executive Producer of his interview show, Game On! with John Salley on the Reelz Channel.  

John has adopted a plant based (raw vegan) lifestyle, and is a frequent speaker at VegFest’s across the USA. As a Wellness Advocate, one of John’s main missions in life is to continue to educate people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle thru better eating habits. He is a partner in the label “Vegan Vine” in partnership with Clos LaChance Winery.

He has written on food, wine and wellness, for Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado and LA Confidential. Visit his website. Follow him on Twitter:  @thejohnsalley