Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong - Hardcover

Barker, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062416049 ISBN 13: 9780062416049

Publisher: HarperOne, 2017

Synopsis

Founder of the hugely popular blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker looks at the surprising science behind what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, and teaches us what we can do to be more like them and why in some cases it s good that we aren t.

Much of what we ve been told about the qualities that lead to achievement is logical, earnest . . . and downright wrong. Barking Up the Wrong Tree explodes the myths and looks at the science behind what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us. What it reveals is that success is less about being perfect in a particular quality than knowing what you re best at and being properly aligned with your context. The thing that sets you apart, the habits you tried to banish, the things you were taunted for in school may grant you an unbeatable advantage given the proper context.

While we can t all win Olympic Gold or Nobel Prizes, many of the methods that get people ahead are well within reach. The book will look at what works, what doesn t, and share insights on how to best navigate the world when we re unsure. It will also reveal:

• Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, why the best (and worst) US Presidents are the ones who subvert the system, and how your biggest weakness might actually be your greatest strength.
• How disaster survivors find the will to go on, how Medal of Honor winners keep fighting when the odds seem impossible, and how the emerging science of "mental contrasting" can help us determine when to go all-in and when to think twice.
• When is the best time to double your efforts, when to throw in the towel and when to bluff.
• How the most networked employees are often the most productive but why the greatest experts almost invariably classify themselves as introverts (including an astounding 90% of top athletes).

Sometimes what produces success is raw talent, sometimes it s the nice things mom told you to do and other times it s the exact opposite. Barking Up the Wrong Tree separates the true from the false and rewrite the rules of success for everyone.

About this title

Review

“BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE is a masterpiece. Whether you are a connoisseur of self-help books, or despise them, you won’t be able to resist this recipe for living a better life.” (Robert Sutton, Stanford Professor and bestselling author of The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal With People Who Treat You Like Dirt)

“In this compulsively readable, brilliant kaleidoscope BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE, Barker is your rollicking guide through the science of success. You’ll discover what pirates and inmates can teach us about honesty and generosity, how to network like the world’s greatest mathematician, and much, much more. (Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive and To Sell is Human)

“Delightfully puckish, evidence-backed and full of insight, this book answers questions about success that have puzzled us for far too long.” (Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take)

“This book is compelling because Barker’s irreverence is so consistently on-target, relentlessly puncturing the wisdom balloons that most need bursting.” (Robert B. Cialdini ,New York Times bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion)

From the Back Cover

Much of the advice we’ve been told about achievement is logical, earnest . . . and downright wrong.

In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker reveals the extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and—most important—how anyone can achieve it. You’ll learn:

• Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, and how your biggest weakness might actually be your greatest strength 
• Whether nice guys finish last, and why the best lessons about cooperation come from gang members, pirates, and serial killers
• Why trying to increase confidence fails, and how Buddhist philosophy holds a superior solution
• The secret ingredient to “grit” that Navy SEALs and disaster survivors leverage to keep going
• How to find work-life balance using the strategy of Genghis Khan, the errors of Albert Einstein, and a little lesson from Spider-Man

By looking at what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, we learn what we can do to be more like them—and find out in some cases why it’s good that we aren’t. Barking Up the Wrong Tree draws on startling statistics and surprising anecdotes to help you understand what works and what doesn’t so you can stop guessing at success and start living the life you want. 

 

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperOne
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0062416049
• ISBN 13: 9780062416049
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320