• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money

2

AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons

3

The Strait of Hormuz is more open than previously thought as the U.S. shoots down Iranian drones threatening ships and provides 'naval overwatch'

1

'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money

2

AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons

3

The Strait of Hormuz is more open than previously thought as the U.S. shoots down Iranian drones threatening ships and provides 'naval overwatch'
executive read

Three New Books to Step Up Your Game at Work (and in Life)

By
Erika Fry
Erika Fry
,
Anne VanderMey
Anne VanderMey
, and
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erika Fry
Erika Fry
,
Anne VanderMey
Anne VanderMey
, and
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 22, 2016, 9:00 AM ET
Illustration by Javier Jaén

1. “Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations”
by Thomas L. Friedman

The globe-trotting New York Times columnist’s most famous book was about the world being flat. This one is all about the world being fast. Globalization, along with breakneck technological and environmental shifts, is driving change at a faster pace than most people, companies, and governments can manage, Friedman writes. The book is a sprawling exploration of the state of the world—awesome, but kind of scary by Friedman’s rendering. His main piece of advice for individuals, corporations, and countries is clear: Take a deep breath and adapt. This world isn’t going to wait for you.

Pro Tip: Make time to connect with people: In a digital era, face-to-face contact becomes increasingly important.  

2. “Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations”
by Dan Ariely

A surprisingly empathetic and practical volume, behavioral economist Dan Ariely’s slim, 100-page primer on motivation will be the book you wish your boss had read. Positive feedback, mutual respect, and a sense of connection to a larger purpose, he finds, are crucial to happiness and productivity at the office and beyond.

Ariely is a working academic and illustrates his thesis through a series of experiments: In one, he gives two groups of people word puzzles. For the first group, researchers check participants’ work; for another group, they shred it without looking at it. The people whose efforts were acknowledged did significantly more work for less pay.

Pro Tip: Bored with your job? Try to change your mental framing. Ariely gives the example of a man tired of his duties cleaning hospital instruments—but once he internalized that his job was crucial for patient safety, he found renewed energy and got a promotion. ­

3. “Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives”
by Tim Harford

Embrace chaos to tap into your true creative potential. That’s the premise of the latest book from Tim Harford, of Undercover Economist fame. The British author argues in favor of welcoming messiness into our lives as a gateway to ­innovation—and ultimately success—even as he explores the psychology behind why we cling to tidiness for the order and safety it promises.

Harford deftly weaves together real-life examples of notable figures who cozied up to disorder to varying degrees on the road to success, from Steve Jobs’ fascination with serendipity to the bedlam of Donald Trump’s shocking rise to the top of the Republican Party.

Pro Tip: Prioritize three tasks for the day and alternate work on each based on when inspiration strikes.  

A version of this article appears in the November 1, 2016 issue of Fortune with the headline “You’re Already Good. Here’s How to Step It Up.”

About the Authors
Erika Fry
By Erika Fry
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Anne VanderMey
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Trump says Fed rate increase would be wrong ahead of Warsh debut
EconomyFederal Reserve
Trump says Fed rate increase would be wrong ahead of Warsh debut
By Tony Czuczka, Jennifer A. Dlouhy and BloombergJune 7, 2026
2 hours ago
Trump calls Iran war a ‘military exercise’ even as Hormuz fighting heats up and denies promising no new wars — despite repeated pledges
PoliticsIran
Trump calls Iran war a ‘military exercise’ even as Hormuz fighting heats up and denies promising no new wars — despite repeated pledges
By Jason MaJune 7, 2026
3 hours ago
OpenAI readies ‘superapp’ pivot ahead of planned IPO, FT reports
AIOpenAI
OpenAI readies ‘superapp’ pivot ahead of planned IPO, FT reports
By Amedeo Goria and BloombergJune 7, 2026
4 hours ago
Trump stunned as stocks fall on great jobs report. Barclays explains why ‘we are entering the warning zone’
Big Techtech stocks
Trump stunned as stocks fall on great jobs report. Barclays explains why ‘we are entering the warning zone’
By Eva RoytburgJune 7, 2026
4 hours ago
AI’s mega stock deals raise specter of more shares than buyers
AItech stocks
AI’s mega stock deals raise specter of more shares than buyers
By Jeran Wittenstein, Henry Ren and BloombergJune 7, 2026
5 hours ago
Banks lay groundwork for mass workforce cuts as AI takes hold
AIBanks
Banks lay groundwork for mass workforce cuts as AI takes hold
By Meg Short and BloombergJune 7, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
Economy
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
By Nick LichtenbergJune 7, 2026
9 hours ago
AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons
AI
AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 5, 2026
3 days ago
The Strait of Hormuz is more open than previously thought as the U.S. shoots down Iranian drones threatening ships and provides 'naval overwatch'
Energy
The Strait of Hormuz is more open than previously thought as the U.S. shoots down Iranian drones threatening ships and provides 'naval overwatch'
By Jason MaJune 6, 2026
18 hours ago
I've sold property on California's Central Coast for decades. The buyers chasing ranch and winery estates are after more than a lifestyle
Commentary
I've sold property on California's Central Coast for decades. The buyers chasing ranch and winery estates are after more than a lifestyle
By Lindsey HarnJune 6, 2026
1 day ago
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
Real Estate
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
By Sydney LakeJune 6, 2026
1 day ago
Here's where U.S. debt may become unsustainable with interest payments triggering a default crisis that even steep tax hikes can't fix
Economy
Here's where U.S. debt may become unsustainable with interest payments triggering a default crisis that even steep tax hikes can't fix
By Jason MaJune 6, 2026
21 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.