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The Serendipity Mindset

The Serendipity Mindset

The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

What if being lucky was a skill that you could master and share with other people?


Modern life can feel like an endless sequence of cancelled plans, last-minute meetings and delayed journeys. So how can we use unpredictability to our advantage? LSE and NYU academic Dr Christian Busch has spent a decade exploring how, if acted upon, unexpected encounters can enhance our worldview, expand our social circles and create new professional opportunities. In this book, he reveals the secrets behind the hidden force that rules the universe: serendipity.

From social mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa to accidental energy-saving multinationals in the West, he has studied hundreds of subjects internationally who improved their lives by learning to see opportunities in the unexpected. We meet people from all backgrounds, from couples who first interacted during chance encounters to businesspeople who invented multi-million ideas after a best-laid plan misfired, learning the fundamental common denominators among lucky people.

The Serendipity Mindset is a revolutionary exploration of a well-researched and essential life skill that we can all develop in a few simple steps. By learning to identify, act on and share it, we can use uncertainty as a pathway to more joyful, purposeful and successful lives.

© Dr Christian Busch 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

  • To fully leverage the discoverability and connectivity that today's mobile networked world enables, you must hone your ability to connect the dots of chance encounters and seemingly random information in creative and productive ways. This book can help you do that - highly recommended!
    Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and co-author of 'Blitzscaling'

About the author

Christian Busch

Dr. Christian Busch is an internationally known expert in the areas of innovation, purpose-driven leadership, and serendipity. He is the director of the CGA Global Economy Programme at New York University (NYU), and also teaches at the London School of Economics (LSE). A cofounder of Leaders on Purpose and the Sandbox Network - and a former director of LSE's Innovation Lab - he has worked with senior executives and governments around the world. He is member of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Expert Forum, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and on the Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 thinkers "most likely to shape the future." His work has been featured by outlets such as the Strategic Management Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The Guardian, and the BBC.
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