The Voltage Effect

EXCELLENT INSPIRING

A Must Read!How many times do you get to accompany a top-of-the world expert as they work with the CEOs of companies such as Uber and Lyft? In most cases, these economists and consultants are bound by non-disclosure agreements preventing them from revealing what goes on behind closed doors.But in this book, economist John List takes you inside the real world of figuring out which ideas will scale and become the next big thing--and which won’t. This isn’t another book by an academic theoretician or consultant showing us how the world of business should be, based on hazy generalizations, or by a CEO who regales us with stories of what they did when they were up at bat.In this book you ride side-saddle with an expert as he investigates ideas to see which will work, and which will fail—but more importantly, why each idea sounded good and how the decisions were made of which ideas could scale. And this isn’t just which ideas made the sales line grow, but instead, Prof List uses his deep knowledge of the financial statements to dig into the true cost of each idea and whether it will add to the bottom line. Too many entrepreneurs—and authors-- are focused only on top line growth.From this book you will walk away with ideas about how ideas are tested in the most rigorous fashion. At center point are a set of ways you can deceive yourself when looking at and interpreting data. As an added bonus, he includes examples from his work in schools and for the federal government as he develops simple, usable tests of how to judge your ideas.The book is a unique combination of Prof List’s wide experience and laser focus on predicting what will fly and what won't. The take-aways make for enjoyable reading and a roadmap to some of the most important decisions all of us make about which ideas to push forward.

The type of book i'd go back to over and over again to learn and apply how to develop scalable programs and products. The stories and examples are so relevant

Book sent in good condition as advertised by merchant

I highly recommend this book for everyone, no matter their background. As a person with varied backgrounds (I was an intern in a big-name company, working in a start-up company, investing in social venture programs and now a phd student), I gained much inspiration reading this book. It leads me to reflect on my experience in business, current work in research, and decisions in my personal life.Back in my days, books like Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Zero to One, The Lean Startup, Business Model Generation, etc., are all must-read for every entrepreneur. I think the Voltage Effect should be added to that list (chapter Scaling Culture includes discussion about diversity and inclusion that has been rarely mentioned in other books), and it opens to broader audiences. For entrepreneurs or policy markers, it offers practical tools for implementation and scaling. For college students, it tells you what economics does and how it can help make this world better. For everyone who likes to self-reflect, I bet you can have some good insights about your own life choices. John List shares lots of firsthand material and experience of his past research work (with government, NGOs, private sectors) and personal life experience in a sincere way (especially the chapter Quitting Is For Winners ). I wish I could meet this book earlier. Fortunately, it is not too late to read it now!