How to Hit a Curveball, Mark Levine
How to Hit a Curveball, Mark Levine
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How to Hit a Curveball
Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business

Author: Mark Levine, Scott R. Singer

Narrator: Don Hagen

Unabridged: 6 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 04/01/2010


Synopsis

"None of us knows what the future holds. But once you've learned how to confront and overcome the unexpected, this lack of knowledge will cease to make you anxious. Tomorrow will no longer be something to fear. And believe me, that's a great feeling"

As a professional, you want to be ready for anything. You'll spend hours, days, even years, perfecting your technique, studying the competition and stepping up to challenges in order to make yourself an all-star.

But at some point in your life, regardless of what you do or how far up the ladder you've climbed, you will be thrown a curveball-an unexpected challenge that comes at you quickly and without warning. The kind that forces you to rethink, well, everything.

Whether it's the loss of a job, a newly assigned responsibility at work, or a global recession that threatens your entire company or industry, an unanticipated charge can knock even the most experienced among us off guard. So if you want to succeed in business-and in life-it's not enough to be the smartest in the room or even the hardest working; you have to be a great curveball hitter.

Investment banker Scott R. Singer learned this lesson the hard way. But after a series of career challenges and personal setbacks, he started to develop a new approach to dealing with unforeseen problems by adopting a new attitude toward life. He realized that curveballs are a part of the game and the greatest players know how to knock them out of the park.

Singer shares his personal story and insights as well as those of some prominent curveball hitters he interviewed, such as Leslie Moonves of CBS, Alan Schwartz of Bear Stearns, and actor Michael J. Fox. Singer's rules for surviving and thriving when faced with uncertainty include:

• Step up to the plate: Accept what's happened; don't fight it. Tell others right away, and let them help.
• Be the batter, not the ball: Don't let your imagination get the best of you. Be a realist, not a pessimist.
• Keep your eye on the ball: Focus on what you can do instead of worrying about what might happen or what's beyond your control.

This fun yet practical audio book is full of valuable advice and anecdotes that can help anyone avoid striking out at work (or at home) and maybe even turn those surprising challenges into tremendous opportunities.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jen on July 31, 2014

Scott Singer’s How to Hit A Curveball: Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business uses a baseball analogy and a nine-inning framework to discuss how to navigate obstacles in business and in life. He interviews an impressive array of people (Buzz Aldrin, Les Moonves, Jerry Levin, Alan Schwartz,......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on March 19, 2015

While the metaphor got old after awhile, it definitely works as a way to explain how one can best respond to the curveballs we all experience in work and life. The book explores how responding to the unexpected—whether it’s personal, like a job loss, or specific to the industry, like the impact of d......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on May 18, 2011

Wow. First time I have been the first reviewer of a book. Quite an honor. Too bad I am not the type to give a detailed review. The presentation of the books as a baseball game was unique and approachable. Being a huge baseball fan, I found the organizaiton of the book very logical. The concepts prov......more

Goodreads review by Alexandra on March 30, 2014

There is nothing earth-shattering in here but that's fine. Instead, it is a well laid-out pep talk and a good book to pick up when you've been thrown (or are anticipating) a curveball because that's usually the time when you have trouble thinking clearly and logically. It's also a quick read, I fini......more