I am reading Mindset, by Dr Carol Dweck.
It's based on the idea that we are either fixed mindset or flexible/growth mindset.
We either believe in innate talent, or in constant improvement.
Studies (!) show children improve when you praise them for the "effort" they put into something rather than praise them for their "ability".
It goes like this: if you praise ability, they start to believe they have innate talent, and any success is a reflection of it. Once they try something too difficult and fail, they start to question their talent, fear they don't have any, and restrict themselves to their comfort zone.
Then, anything they subsequently do is an attempt to recapture their old success.
This innate talent becomes what defines them, and their sense of worth.
(think of kids who are "good at school/college", but suddenly find themselves mediocre at university, surrounded by other clever kids.)
The other side is the effort aspect. If you praise effort, they believe that effort was the source of your success. If you try a more difficult challenge, and fail, you believe that greater effort is needed to succeed. You don't identify yourself with the failure, only that more training is needed.
There are some good chapters on sports
(Golfers who were talented, but never fulfilled themselves because they couldnt cope when they didnt win a championship. And those who failed, but went on to train harder and win the next year.
Tennis: It cites John MacEnroe as fixed mindset. He always blamed external reasons for his failures. He thought his talent was enough. So he never really grew as a more rounded player.)
There are chapters on business:
CEOs who believed their talent was all, and used the success of the companies to express their talent. But, when things dont go their way, they start blaming their execs, firing them, and subsequently losing the company. eg, lee Iacocca, and the Enron CEOs.
Those CEOs who simply ran businesses and didnt think it was what defined them were most likely to invest in new ideas and concepts. Kroger supermarkets (US), etc.
I agree with TheBramble, most self-help books can be summed up in just a few sentences.
Their utility is questionable. But they pass the time.
I must check up on the 80/20 thing. Sounds interesting.
Has anyone read "The Power of Now"? (Eckhard Tolle)