David Amirian
CEO and founder, The Amirian Group
What are you reading right now?
I just started reading “Give and Take” by Adam Grant, which details a different approach to achieving success. For years, we’ve cited passion, hard work, talent and luck as the factors driving triumph. “Give and Take” highlights how success is progressively dependent on how we interact with others. In the short term, the first group does well, because they’re not wasting time helping people and not getting anything out of it. But the book shows, with various scenarios and examples, that in the long term, the givers benefit tremendously by establishing relations with people. I’d like to be in the giving camp.
What spurred you to read that book?
I have a friend, David Farahi, who is the COO of Monarch Casino & Resort in Nevada. He’s a very successful guy who’s building a casino in Reno, a huge complex which is a three-year project. I asked him, “What are you reading?” and he said, “Give and Take.”
Has anything else you’ve read in it stuck with you? Would you recommend it
to others?
I am recommending the book. Too often in today’s world, people ask for commissions or a percentage before actually sharing all of the necessary information. This book teaches you to open up your heart and trust others.
Jessica Scherlag
Social media strategist, Compass
What are you reading right now?
I read “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo in one sitting. It’s a New York Times best seller from a Japanese cleaning consultant and the creator of the KonMari method. Her philosophy is that a well-tidied home filled only with items that “spark joy” will lead to personal fulfillment.
What spurred you to read that book?
I’ve always been interested in the idea of minimalist living. I was looking to get rid of some stuff and kept hearing about this book.
Has anything you read in it stuck with you? Would you recommend it to others?
Practicing mindful consideration of your possessions. I cleaned my room following the tenets of the KonMari method and was impressed that I’ve kept up with it. It takes me longer to put away my laundry because of her folding techniques, but I’ve saved a lot of space, which is important for living in New York City. It has even translated into my work life and mindset at Compass. Not just through decluttering my desk but in helping me focus on the most important aspects of our business. I recommend reading with a critical eye, discarding — for lack of a better term — any of the book’s practices that do not suit you.
Justin Dower
Director of new development, Ideal Properties Group
What are you reading right now?
“When China Rules the World” by Martin Jacques. It was first published in 2009.
What spurred you to read that book?
I had been interested in China and was walking around Barnes and Noble and saw this book. It’s not something necessarily that relates to my business, just something that interests me. China is nearly eclipsing the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. It is asserting its military capabilities in the South China Sea and elsewhere to the chagrin of NATO member nations in the area. There is also unprecedented volatility in China’s stock market.
Has anything in it stuck with you? Would you recommend it to others?
I would certainly recommend it. It was especially intriguing to read seven years after it was published, having the knowledge of current events that the author did not have at the time.