Scott J. Pearson

Is That Clear? Effective Communication in a Neurodiverse World

By Scott J. Pearson | October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Neurodiversity is a new term to encompass the many ways different brain makeups impact our ways of being in the world. The word is most heavily used concerning the autism community to refer to different ways of relating. Many with autism express frustration and frank exhaustion with ineffective communication practices. Many of us who don’t have autism can learn a few relatively simple techniques, described in this book, that will enhance our communicative abilities with…

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

By Scott J. Pearson | October 15, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Since computers and digital technology have become so ubiquitous in contemporary life, creating good software and technology products has become an important business function. Many (exceeding 50%) technology products fail, despite significant design, engineering, and financial efforts. How can we make this process more efficient and profitable? That’s the job of a relatively new job title: the product manager. In this book, Marty Cagan discusses how to fulfill this role in an organization so that…

Management-Business Psychology

The Motivation to Work by Frederick Herzberg

By Scott J. Pearson | October 14, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

This classic study from 1959 describes, better than everyone else why modern men work beyond economic subsistence. Because it focuses only on men, it’s limited in a gender-diverse workplace, but because it studies two diverse occupations – accountants and engineers – it remains fairly generalizable. It concludes that the main reason people dislike their workplace is mismanaged environmental factors. But it also concludes that managing environmental factors properly does not positively motivate people to work.…

Management-Business Psychology

A Theory of Human Motivation

By Scott J. Pearson | October 11, 2023October 12, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

This foundational 1943 paper about human motivation and work deserves to be read in its original form, accessible here. Many textbooks provide a good summary of AH Maslow’s theory of human motivation around needs, but Maslow’s original work describes a more complex picture. For example, he does not describe a linear progression as lower needs become met. Instead, he paints a picture where multiple motivations often play off each other, where higher motives mingle with…

Biography-Memoir Management-Business Psychology Research-Education

Connecting with the Autism Spectrum: How to Talk, How to Listen & Why You Shouldn’t Call It High-Functioning

By Scott J. Pearson | October 10, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

In recent years, a new genre of book has emerged from those with autism. These books explain to the general public how to deal with autistic folk, specifically themselves, better. After decades of mistreatment, this group seeks to raise their voice for better social conditions. I’m not exactly sure how to classify these books because they’re half-memoir, half-psychology. They aren’t exactly rigorous science, but they are very reality-based. To this list, Casey “Remrov” Vormer adds…

Fiction-Stories History

The Village Healer’s Book of Cures

By Scott J. Pearson | October 8, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Witchcraft and alchemy, when they appear in literature, often do so in a young adult novel teaching about the difference between such crafting and reality. In a twist, Jennifer Sherman Roberts attempt to spin these entities into a tale of historical fiction geared towards adults. Set in 17th-century England – the age of Republican passions and Reformation excesses – this tale weaves together a sketchy “witchfinder” and a plain but strong village healer. The female…

Leadership Management-Business Psychology

You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing & Why It Matters

By Scott J. Pearson | October 7, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Listening is an often-overlooked skill in today’s society heavily geared around marketing and self-expression. It involves asking probing questions and interpreting each word, expression, and pause that a speaker makes. It’s critical for jobs in journalism, intelligence, leadership, and social work. In this book, journalist Kate Murphy explores how listening works and how you can make better use of its science. For source material, Murphy interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life along…

Religion-Philosophy

Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water & Loving the Bible Again

By Scott J. Pearson | October 3, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Fundamentalist and evangelical preachers often try to enforce a “literal” interpretation on the Christian Scriptures. That perspective often removes the affective, emotional, and wonder-filled components – precisely the original authors’ main points. The late Rachel Held Evans was raised an evangelical but became an outspoken mainline Protestant before her untimely death. Here, she tells her story alongside the Bible’s story. She tries to recapture some of the amazement that drew many to read the Christian…

Biography-Memoir

How to Say Babylon: A Memoir

By Scott J. Pearson | October 3, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

The Rastafarian movement aspired to free black people to take pride in being themselves in an petulant world. Unfortunately, as Safiya Sinclair here portrays, those ideals themselves sometimes led to oppressive circumstances, especially towards women and towards the curious-at-heart. She grew up in Jamaica to a musician-father who tried to seclude his family from the rest of the world (termed “Babylon”). He pressed education, but the determination and exposures Sinclair learned in school pushed her…

Cybersecurity Management-Business Software-Technology

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause & New Solution for Cybersecurity

By Scott J. Pearson | October 1, 2023November 23, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

A career in technology requires acumen in a specific domain. However, as one’s career builds, people skills (so-called “soft skills”) come more to the fore. Suddenly, being the “smartest person in the room” is of limited benefit. Indeed, it can be a handicap because that means that you don’t have anyone to counterbalance your ideas and to collaborate with. Cybersecurity CEO Christian Espinosa tries to guide those in technology how to transition from someone proficient…