I am pleased to announce that The Laws of Subtraction: 6 Simple Rules For Surviving & Thriving In The Age Of Excess will published in September 2012 by McGraw-Hill.
My three current books are The Shibumi Strategy: A Powerful Way to Create Meaningful Change (Wiley/Jossey-Bass, 2010), In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing (Crown Business, Hardcover 2009, Paperback 2010), and The Elegant Solution Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering Innovation (Simon & Schuster/Free Press, 2006).
In Pursuit of Elegance was a 2009 Inc. magazine bestseller, and was named to the BusinessWeek 2009 Best Business Books list in the Design/Innovation category, 800CEORead’s “Best Business Books 2009 (Creativity/Innovation)”, and Richard Pachter’s “Best Business Books of 2009” lists.
The Elegant Solution was a 2006 Wall Street Journal bestseller and the recipient of the Shingo Prize for Excellence, and a 800CEORead “Best Business Books 2006″ nominee.
THE SHIBUMI STRATEGY: A Powerful Way to Create Meaningful Change
What if we are constantly being sent signals and offered opportunities, but because we are so involved in our mad rush to survive the day that we simply don’t receive them? What if we’re stuck, asleep at the wheel, and we just don’t know it, because our conventional ways of thinking, rigidly structured routines, and solidly set minds block us from discovering what the universe is calling us to do?
The Shibumi Strategy is a little book about a big breakthrough. It tells the story of Andy Harmon, a hardworking family man who finds himself in crisis when his company closes. Through his struggle, and guidance from unlikely sources, he learns subtle lessons in Zen principles, coming to understand that it is often the unexpected setbacks that harbor the power to transform. When approached as an opportunity, these unforeseen trials can often result in a life-changing breakthrough. For Andy, it comes in the form of shibumi—a Zen concept without direct translation in Englishbut connoting effortless effectiveness, elegant simplicity, and the height of personal excellence.
Engaging and enlightening, The Shibumi Strategy provides a pathway for a five-phase cycle, encompassing lessons on commitment, preparation, struggle, breakthrough, and transformation. Also included are short insights, practical takeaways, and exercises for incorporating this philosophy in everyday life.
Designed to strike a universal chord, Andy’s journey toward shibumi enables individuals to adopt their own interpretations of the concept and create meaningful changes in their lives. For those navigating difficult transitions, struggling to overcome internal setbacks, seeking to regain balance, or simply taking new directions, The Shibumi Strategy offers a fresh perspective on the challenges we all face at some point in work and life.
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“The holy grail for any leader is to reach a state of clarity and peak performance. Through the power of story, The Shibumi Strategy shows us how, and sheds an invaluable light on the role (and potential) of the everyday struggles we face.”
Scott Belsky, founder & CEO of Behance and author of Making Ideas Happen
“What an exquisite story! Matt May deftly weaves ancient wisdom with modern realities, revealing how each of us can embrace the struggle inherent in any meaningful breakthrough—and use it to transform our own potential in work and life.”
Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation
IN PURSUIT OF ELEGANCE: Why The Best Ideas Have Something Missing
What made the Sopranos finale one of the most-talked-about events in television history? Why is sudoku so addictive and the iPhone so irresistible? What do Jackson Pollock and Lance Armstrong have in common with theoretical physicists and Buddhist monks?
Elegance.
In this thought-provoking exploration of why certain events, products, and people capture our attention and imaginations, Matthew E. May examines the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture.
Combining unusual simplicity and surprising power, elegance is characterized by four key elements—seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In a compelling, story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance indesign, engineering, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers surprising evidence that what’s “not there” often trumps what is.
In the bestselling tradition of The Tipping Point, Made to Stick, and The Black Swan, In Pursuit of Elegance will change the way you think about the world.
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“In Pursuit of Elegance is a fascinating intellectual romp that will change the way you look at your surroundings. As he takes readers from Jackson Pollock paintings to Dutch intersections to the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger, Matt May reveals the hidden elements beneath genuine innovation. This book is surprising, compelling, and, yes, extremely elegant.”
Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive
“What a masterpiece! I meant to only take a quick glance at In Pursuit of Elegance, but once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop.”
Robert I. Sutton, Stanford professor and author of Good Boss, Bad Boss
THE ELEGANT SOLUTION: Toyota’s Formula For Mastering Innovation
In a rare look into Toyota’s ability to do more with less and consistently achieve breakthroughs that outperform the competition, The Elegant Solution explains what Toyota associates have known all along: it’s not about the cars. Rather, Toyota’s astounding success is just the visible result of a hidden creative process that begins with a seven digit number.
One million.
That’s how many new ideas Toyota implements every year. These ideas come from every level of the organization—from the factory floors to the corporate suites. World class benchmarks like Lexus, Prius, Scion—even Toyota’s vaunted production system—are simply shining examples of elegant solutions.
A tactical playbook for team-based innovation, The Elegant Solution delivers powerful lessons in breakthrough thinking. At once a thoughtstarter and taskmaster, The Elegant Solution is an vital prescription for anyone wanting to truly master business innovation.
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“This is an amazing insider’s peek at an amazing company that has done amazing things. Elegance and perfection are elusive targets, but if ever a book showed how to score a double bull’s-eye, this is it.”
Guy Kawasaki, author of Enchantment
“Toyota is now one of the top three car companies in the U.S. according to the New York Times–a fact that would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. May, a senior advisor with the University of Toyota, reveals how Toyota’s philosophy of team-based innovation and creative business practices has made this -postindustrial manufacturing company a winner. A formula of three principles and 10 practices drives Toyota’s creativity, with a reported one million ideas from its employees being implemented each year. May was challenged to translate the Toyota Production System into a company-wide process to cultivate creative ideas at every level of the company and convert those ideas to solid value for customers buying a Toyota automobile. May outlines his journey with dozens of compelling real-life examples of creative thinking while weaving in the history and Japanese culture that has made Toyota the well-respected and profitable company it is today.”
Booklist © American Library Association.
