Nonfiction Book Award Status: Silver
Author Name: Tim Stroh
Synopsis
A Deeper Truth explains why 9 out of 10 new products fail, the neuroscience behind human choice, and how disruptive successes leverage the fundamental nature of human decision-making. While innovation is called out in the title, the book is really about human nature, why and how people make decisions, and ultimately how universally shared elements of our decision processes enable behavior and choice to be both predicted and influenced.
Backed by research across a dozen disciplines, A Deeper Truth explains how genetics and neurology impact perception, behavior, and choice. It also succeeds in providing a comprehensive explanation for disruption even in the arenas where Clayton Christensen himself acknowledges Disruption Theory fails.
Filled with stories and anecdotes, this book succeeds at being entertaining while defining the neurological, social, and evolutionary forces that influence our choices to adopt or reject new things. From products to social norms, these forces are reduced to rules that can be readily applied to de-risk innovation, predict how groups will respond, and ensure the success of your next change initiative, new product, startup, or innovation.
Author Bio:
My background is a dog’s breakfast. It starts with two years at the United States Air Force Academy and a severe case of imposters syndrome. I was convinced everyone there was smarter and more capable than myself. It also includes starting and running a successful marketing consultancy in Ljubljana Slovenia, multiple Software as a Service businesses in the U.S. and Australia, and roles with or providing consulting services to mega companies like Shell, Foster’s Brewing Group, and Gale Pacific. I have had the good fortune of working with great teams to successfully identifying opportunities and develop innovative products across multiple industries.
Throughout my life, however, I have also been on a quest to make a positive difference in the world and answer several seemingly unanswerable questions:
– “Why has every great civilization, despite every advantage, eventually collapsed?”
– What could possibly explain the irrational and horrific behavior that fills our history, the despots, caste systems, and war?
– Why has every successful business, again despite every advantage, eventually failed and faded from prominence?
– And…why, despite the investment of untold sums of money and the commitment of the worlds best and brightest, do so many startups and new products fail?
Historically, our inability to answer these questions has caused untold strife, a loss of jobs, and even a loss of life.
This book is the result of my need to answer those questions and thus hopefully make a positive difference by contributing to our collective understanding.
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