February Book of the Month – David Bodanis
Our February Book of the Month is “The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency in a World Turned Mean” By futurist, historian, and inspirational speaker David Bodanis
About the book.
Can you succeed without being a terrible person? We often think not: recognising that, as the old saying has it, ‘nice guys finish last’. But does that mean you have to go to the other extreme and be a bully or Machiavellian to get anything done?
In his new book, David Bodanis uses historical case studies to show there’s a better path, leading neatly in between. He reveals how it was fairness, applied with skill, that led the Empire State Building to be constructed in barely a year – and how the same techniques brought a quiet English debutante to become an acclaimed jungle guerrilla fighter. In ten vivid profiles – featuring pilots, presidents, and even the producer of Game of Thrones – we see that the path to greatness doesn’t require crushing displays of power or tyrannical ego. Simple fair decency can prevail.
With surprising insights from across history – including the downfall of the very man who popularised the phrase ‘nice guys finish last’ – THE ART OF FAIRNESS charts a refreshing and sustainable new approach to cultivating integrity and influence.
“Bodanis is clearly one of the good guys, and The Art of Fairness is a cheering, timely, inspirational reminder that we can succeed without losing our souls.” — The Sunday Times, November 2020
About David Bodanis
David Bodanis is a futurist, historian, scientist, business advisor and prize-winning author, and keynote inspirational speaker.
Having studied mathematics, physics, and economics at the University of Chicago, David became a teacher at Oxford University where he created and ran a course called the “Intellectual Tool Kit”- which ended up being semi-mandatory for all new postgraduate students in the social sciences.
His work at Oxford led to him working with Royal Dutch Shell’s Scenario unit, helping model economic futures as well as working with the future planning unit at the World Economic Forum (Davos). David also worked on an international study for the UK Treasury on the future of High-Frequency Trading and with the British government on developing hi-tech hubs in Lebanon and Dubai. More recently he has worked on Facebook’s virtual reality projects and is presently an adviser to TED’s idea curation groups, and continues with his consulting work on scenarios and trends (specifically around coronavirus in recent times)
A highly experienced speaker his talks cover a range of topics, including how to navigate uncertain futures, how fairness helps businesses succeed, and creativity in the workplace.
To learn more about David please click here and for more details of the book or to order a copy please click here.