I believe you are visiting my website because thinking smarter is important to you. If so, you have come to the right place. This website is focused on my new book, Mega Thinking, which will be published in mid-October 2024 and available on Amazon. This is my first blog post on this website, so let me start by introducing myself.
I was born, raised, and spent my first 22 years in New Jersey, the Garden State. I attended Princeton University where I studied aeronautical engineering and graduated with a BSE. I married my high school sweetheart Roben just before my senior year.
Let me interrupt my introduction for just a moment. It was while at Princeton that I developed my “how to think smarter” process, which I later dubbed MegaCepts. After a devastating score on my first aeronautical engineering quiz, I realized I needed a structured way to identify, prioritize, and fully comprehend the most important points the instructor discussed in each class. This was a formative lesson in how to think smarter!
Continuing my brief introduction, after graduation Roben and I moved to the San Francisco area, and I joined IBM where I learned all about computers and computer science. During my time at IBM our two beloved children, Lara and Blair, were born.
We loved the San Franciso area, so I left IBM to become a Silicon Valley start-up entrepreneur and leader. I have been CEO of four technology companies. I retired from full-time work when I was forty-four years old but stayed active in the technology industry as a strategic advisor and coach to two dozen CEOs and hundreds of other leaders.
Throughout my career I have applied the process of Mega Thinking to make better leadership decisions. I have coached hundreds of leaders to apply this process. I wrote this book to share this approach to “think smarter” with as many people as possible. I hope it will help you be a better leader and lead a more successful life. When you read the book, think of me as your Mega Thinking Coach.
One other thing I need to admit to you. I am passionate about sports. I played football, basketball, baseball and ran track in high school. I played football and baseball in college. Post college I jogged, ran marathons, played basketball and softball, skied, and played tennis and golf. So, as they say I am a jock and that impacts my mindset in and approach to every aspect of my life. You can see this reflected in this book, and that is why I would be honored if you joined my team and allowed me to coach you!
This initial post offers an overview of my book,
Mega Thinking: A Simple, Powerful Process to Think Smarter and Make Better Leadership Decisions
Mega Thinking, or great thinking, can be achieved by using a simple, powerful process to make better leadership decisions. This process enables you to define the ten or fewer MegaCepts, or greatest thoughts, on any topic. The ability to make better personal and professional leadership decisions leads to a more fulfilling and successful life.
The MegaCepts—the highest-level thoughts—of my Mega Thinking book are:
- The importance of thinking: The human brain, and its capacity to think, is the most powerful and important capability for every person. It is the sole reason why humans stay alive! For centuries, hundreds of world-renowned philosophers, scientists, and leaders have acknowledged the importance of thinking via their wisdom and famous quotations.
- How your brain thinks: Scientific research has confirmed that the brain thinks at the subconscious and conscious levels. Mega Thinking presents a process to improve your conscious thinking in general and help you think smarter on more complex, technical, and important topics.
- The MegaCepts process, in a nutshell: My book, Mega Thinking, guides you through a process to establish the ten or fewer most important, greatest thoughts on any topic. The process is simple yet powerful, helping you to achieve great thinking on a topic.
- MegaCepts are confirmed by authorities: There are numerous examples of complex and important topics where authorities have established ten or fewer greatest thoughts. Examples include the seven major religions, the eight major forms of government, and the three major branches of science. These greatest thoughts, essentially MegaCepts, enable better understanding of these topics. For example, the Ten Commandments provide a structured and valuable way to understand Christianity.
- Thinking effectively—or not: Studies confirm that despite the importance of thinking and the brain’s powerful ability to think, many people do not think effectively and, in many cases, do not think at all. Many people consider that thinking about complex and important topics is both complicated and intimidating, so they choose not to do it. Plus, most people lack an organized, structured process to achieve great thinking.
- The 4-step MegaCepts process: In my book, you will learn four easy steps that will facilitate your ability to define the ten or fewer greatest thoughts on any topic, even highly complex and technical topics! The four steps are:
- Write down your initial ideas.
- Socialize your ideas with friends or colleagues to gather their thoughts and input.
- Conduct formal research to learn more and flesh out the key points.
- Create your MegaCepts list by identifying and prioritizing the most important, greatest thought on the topic.
- Case studies of real people using the MegaCepts process: The best way to understand the MegaCepts process is to illustrate its use with real people, successfully applying it to actual topics. This book shares the experiences of six people who applied the MegaCepts process to the following topics: parenting teenagers, picking a college major, improving interpersonal skills, understanding AI, becoming an effective leader, and reducing medical errors.
- Structured thinking and leadership go hand in hand: Achieving great thinking in making better leadership decisions will result in your personal, educational, and professional life being better and more fulfilling.
My credentials on the topic of thinking
I have been successfully using and teaching the MegaCepts approach for over five decades. I have used it to materially benefit my personal, academic, and professional life and have coached thousands of others to do the same. This book is my attempt to provide the benefits of this easy, proven approach to think smarter to millions more people to make their lives better.
In future blog posts I will explore each of the above MegaCepts in more detail.
Thanks again for visiting! If you think my book, Mega Thinking, would have value for you, please visit this website in mid-October 2024—we’ll have a link ready, so you can purchase your copy on Amazon. And independent of your interest in the book I would love to hear from you about your questions and ideas. Contact me at [email protected]. And let’s have a coach and player chat!
Coach Dave
