Matthew Syed Books

Find your way to awesome with this brilliant toolkit of goals, plans and challenges!

"This positive and empowering guide, by bestselling mindset author Matthew Syed, will help boys and girls build resilience, fulfil their potential and become successful, happy, awesome adults. I'm no good at sport ... I can't do maths ... I really struggle with exams ... Sound familiar? If you believe you can't do something, the chances are you won't try. But what if you really could get better at maths, or sport or exams? In fact, what if you could excel at anything you put your mind to? You Are Awesome can help you do just that, inspiring and empowering young readers to find the confidence to realise their potential. The first children's book from Times journalist, two-time Olympian and best-selling mindset author Matthew Syed, it uses examples of successful people from Mozart to Serena Williams to demonstrate that success really is earned rather than given, and that talent can be acquired. With hard work and determination, practice and self-belief, and, most importantly, a Growth Mindset, there's no reason why anyone can't achieve anything. Practical, insightful and positive, this is the book to help children build resilience, embrace their mistakes and grow into successful, happy adults."--Amazon.com

From the author of the bestselling hit You Are Awesome, Matthew Syed, comes this positive and empowering toolkit helping young people to think critically, rethink comfortably and communicate effectively in a world increasingly at odds, boosting their social superpowers and enabling them to become awesome adults!

Where do the best ideas come from? And how do we apply these ideas to the problems we face - at work, in the education of our children, and in the biggest shared challenges of our age: rising obesity, terrorism and climate change? In this bold and inspiring new book, Matthew Syed - the bestselling author of Bounce and Black Box Thinking - argues that individual intelligence is no longer enough; that the only way to tackle these complex problems is to harness the power of our 'cognitive diversity'. Rebel Ideas is a fascinating journey through the science of team performance. It draws on psychology, economics, anthropology and genetics, and takes lessons from a dazzling range of case-studies, including the catastrophic intelligence failings of the CIA before 9/11, a communication breakdown at the top of Mount Everest, and a moving tale of deradicalization in America's deep South. It is book that will strengthen any company, institution or team, but it also offers many individual applications too: the remarkable benefits of personalised nutrition, advice on how to break free of the echo chambers that surround us, and tips on how we can all develop an 'outsider mindset'. Rebel Ideas offers a radical blueprint for creative problem-solving. It challenges hierarchies, encourages constructive dissent and forces us to think again about where the best ideas come from.

What links the Mercedes Formula One team with Google? What links Dave Braisford's Team Sky and the aviation industry? What is the connection between the inventor James Dyson and the footballer David Beckham? They are all Black Box Thinkers. Whether developing a new product, honing a core skill or just trying to get a critical decision right, Black Box Thinkers aren't afraid to face up to mistakes. In fact, they see failure as the very best way to learn. Rather than denying their mistakes, blaming others or attempting to spin their way out of trouble, these institutions and individuals interrogate errors as part of their future strategy for success. How many of us, hand on heart, can say that we have such a healthy relationship with failure? Learning from failure has the status of a cliché, but this book reveals the astonishing story behind the most powerful method of learning known to mankind, and reveals the arsenal of techniques wielded by some of the world's most innovative organizations. Their lessons can be applied across every field - from sport to education, from business to health. Using gripping case studies, exclusive interviews and really practical takeaways, Matthew Syed - the award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Bounce - explains how to turn failure into success, and shows us how we can all become better Black Box Thinkers.

In "Bounce," journalist Matthew Syed examines the complexities of human competition, exploring why we win or lose across various fields. Through scientific research and case studies, he challenges myths about talent and meritocracy, revealing how competition shapes our understanding of psychology, culture, and performance.

An inspiring book about creative problem-solving from the No.1 bestselling author of BOUNCE, BLACK BOX THINKING and YOU ARE AWESOME.

In this thoughtful, provocative book, a former Olympian persuasively demonstrates how sports offer powerful and often overlooked tools with which to explore fundamental subjects, including biology, morality, globalization, culture, gender, race, and economics.

Where do the best ideas originate, and how can we apply them to pressing issues like obesity, terrorism, and climate change? In this thought-provoking work, Matthew Syed emphasizes that individual intelligence alone is insufficient; we must leverage our 'cognitive diversity' to address these complex challenges. The book explores the science of team performance through various lenses, including psychology, economics, anthropology, and genetics, while presenting compelling case studies. These range from the CIA's intelligence failures before 9/11 to a communication breakdown on Mount Everest, and a poignant story of deradicalization in the American South. Additionally, it shares insights from a highly successful yet obscure songwriter, reveals the secrets of innovative schools, and discusses how Catholic marriage decrees inadvertently spurred the Industrial Revolution. This work not only strengthens organizations and teams but also offers personal applications, such as the advantages of personalized nutrition, strategies to escape echo chambers, and ways to cultivate an 'outsider mindset.' It presents a radical framework for creative problem-solving, challenging existing hierarchies, promoting constructive dissent, and prompting a reevaluation of where the best ideas truly come from.

Discover the power of diverse thinking in this exciting new book from the bestselling, award-winning author of You Are Awesome, Matthew Syed.