Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change

by Edward D. Hess

“Ed Hess's Hyper-Learning is uniquely practical and is the essential starting point for charting new ways of thinking, living, working, leading, and being fulfilled in our new world.” —Gary Roughead, Admiral, US Navy (retired) former Chief of Naval Operations The Digital Age will raise the question of how we humans will stay relevant in the workplace. To stay relevant, we have to be able to excel cognitively, behaviorally, and emotionally in ways that technology can't.Professor Ed Hess believes that requires us to become continuously learning, unlearning, and relearning at the speed of change. To do that, we have to overcome our reflexive ways of seeking confirmation of what we believe, emotionally defending our beliefs and our ego, and seeking cohesiveness of our mental models. Hyper-Learning requires a new way of being and a radical new way of working. In Part 1 of this how-to book, Hess takes a practical workbook approach and helps readers create their Hyper-Learning Mindset, choose and embrace their needed Hyper-Learning Behaviors, and adopt their daily Hyper-Learning Practices. In Part 2, Hess focuses on how to humanize the workplace to optimize Hyper-Learning. Featuring case studies of three business leaders and two public companies, this book shows how to harness the power of human emotions, choices, and behaviors to enable the highest levels of human cognitive, emotional, and behavioral performance—individually and organizationally.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Personal Development, Business, Psychology, Self Help

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

Professor Edward D. Hess spent more than 30 years in the business world. He began his career at Atlantic Richfield Corporation and was a senior executive at Warburg Paribas Becker, Boettcher & Company, the Robert M. Bass Group and Arthur Andersen. He is the author of ten books, over 60 practitioner articles, and over 60 Darden cases, etc. dealing with growth systems, managing growth and growth strategies. His books include Hess and Liedtka, The Physics of Business Growth: Mindsets, System and Processes (Stanford University Press, 2012); Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Entrepreneurial Businesses (Stanford University Press, 2012); Growing an Entrepreneurial Business: Concepts & Cases (Stanford University Press, February, 2011); Smart Growth: Building Enduring Businesses by Managing the Risks of Growth (Columbia Business School Publishing, 2010); Hess and Goetz, So You Want to Start A Business (FT Press, 2008); The Road To Organic Growth (McGraw-Hill, 2007); Hess and Cameron, eds., Leading with Values: Virtue, Positivity & High Performance (Cambridge University Press, 2006); Hess and Kazanjian, eds., The Search for Organic Growth (Cambridge University Press, 2006).

Smart Growth was named a Top 25 2010 business book for business owners by Inc. Magazine and was awarded the Wachovia Award for Research Excellence.

His current research focuses on the Darden Growth/Innovation Model, the challenges of managing private company growth, growth systems and behaviors. Hess has taught in Executive Education programs for Harris Corporation, Cigna, Timken, United Technologies, Genworth Financial, Pitney Bowes, Unilever Russia, Westinghouse Nuclear, Alpha Natural Resources, Alegco-Scotsman, FTI Consulting, Dover Corporation, Glen Raven Corporation as well as IESE (Barcelona) and the Indian School of Business.

Hess's work has appeared in Fortune magazine, JiJi Press, Washington Post, the Financial Times, Investor's Business Daily, CFO Review, Money magazine and in more than 300 other media publications as well as on CNBC, BusinessWeek.com, Fox Business News, Forbes.com, Big Think, Reuters.com., Inc.com, WSJ Radio, Bloomberg Radio, Dow Jones, MSNBC Radio, Huffington Post.com, Business Insider.com and Chief Learning Officer.com.

Prior to joining the faculty at Darden, he was Adjunct Professor and the Founder and Executive Director of both the Center for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Growth and the Values-Based Leadership Institute at Goizueta Business School, Emory University.

Reviews

[The Conch · Rating 4 out of 5]

As machine age is slowly invading human space, hence dominance of IQ is no more important. To survive flood of AI and IoT, human now needs unique ability to score over machines. This book will show the way how emotional stability, mindfulness meditation, behavior, emergent thinking etc. will shape working environment.

Further, a neurological research mentioned in this book which shows that brain predicts scenario and Advaita philosophy is saying the same that world is projection of Bramhan. A concept of 'emergent thinking' has been discussed in this book which is nothing but becoming 'witness' of one's own mind, intellect and body.

Era of competition is over and an era of collaboration and critical thinking is on the horizon.

[Jung]

To become an effective learner, you need to squash your ego and get to a serene state of mind. Mindfulness meditation can help get you there. Adopting a growth mindset will encourage you to improve continuously. And a NewSmart mindset will help you rethink what “smart” really means. Finally, to adapt to a changing future and remain relevant, modern organizations must learn to value collaborative, company-wide learning. 

Actionable advice:

Stay fit to be a better learner.

Our bodies and minds are intricately connected. If there’s an imbalance with our physical health, our mental capabilities will also suffer. So make time for your daily walk, jog, or aerobics routine! 

[Ietrio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious about the contents of this volume. I am seeing more people defining themselves as hyper learners. And it certainly looks like a cute trend in signaling, and not related with the book. As for the speeches, Hess sounds like just another religious priests with his minor tweaks to the old texts and "science" slapped at every turn.

[Zhivko Kabaivanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyper-Learning (2020) shows you how to adapt to a rapidly changing world in which technology threatens to make many skills redundant.

By adopting a growth mindset, becoming less egotistical, and learning to collaborate, you’ll be ready to face the future.

[Truong Binh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for me in 2022 especially when the world has lots of changes.
Few things:
Hyper-learning demands continual learning, unlearning, and relearning.
Humans evolved to connect, cooperate and learn throughout their lives.
Learning requires a quiet ego and a safe environment.
Inner peace facilitates optimal learning.
A learning mindset frees you from the fear of making mistakes.
Make learning stick through behavioral change.
Hyper-learning demands different ways of working.
Promote trust, collaboration, and communication within your team.

[Jmac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read 3 books by Ed Hess and this one does not disappoint. Many writers just collect the thoughts of others, but you can tell Ed Hess lives what he writes. This book, like his others has a mission to educate us for a world in flux, a world where automation and artificial intelligence will slow and quietly replace human task-driven roles.

Everything by Ed Hess improves your view of the world because his writing is all at once, Humble, Whole and Heart-Warming.

[Anca Gîlcă · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical book on learning in different contexts: organizational culture, leadership, training, coaching. At the end of every chapter I listened carefully the workshops. I listened the audiobook on Scribd and I will buy it on paper to have it at home because I will use it in my training and coaching practice.

[Nasir Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall like the book and the theme that one needs to checkout there ideas of knowing it all at the door, get their hands dirty and continue to pursue the life long learning journey. The book is workshop style qnd require active listening and particpation to get the most out of the techniques that it present

[Sahil Parab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Top 3 learning from the book Hyper Learning.

1. Keep reinventing yourself again and again
2. Need to constantly adapt to ever changing circumstances and excel at lifelong learning.
3. Start out with your daily intentions, reflect on them daily.

[Aminur Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good

[Justine Yogapoetryart]

Very useful.

[Abby Epplett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard book on adapting to change and having a growth mindset in the modern work environment. Well-written and informative, but nothing that stands out. The beautiful cover is the best part.

[Eduardo Lira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ya me sabía mucho de esto así que por eso la calificación, está muy bueno para tener una breve descripción de conceptos como la meditación o la pausa reflexiva y de otras ideas de varios filósofos

[Jeff Tennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally and professionally a game changer particularly for a type A such as myself.