The Summary of the Book "Limitless"

Here is the detailed summary of "Limitless: Leadership that Endures" by Ajaz Ahmed, using the five concepts depicted in the book.

1. Democratize

Concept: Making opportunities and resources accessible to everyone, not just a select few. Example: Ajaz Ahmed discusses how Henry Ford democratized the automobile industry by introducing the assembly line. This innovation drastically reduced the cost of manufacturing cars, making them affordable for the average person and transforming personal transportation. Therefore he has created a new market like Jobs one century later. He claims that if you ask one hundred people how they one particular product. 80% will not know, 15% will think to say something and the rest will have real opinions. To maintain this, Ford paid 5 USD per day to his employees which is double than the market average. He reduced the working hours with the belief of better recruits will feel rewarded and feel more sympathy and loyalty to work.

2. Revolutionize

Concept: Bringing about radical change to transform industries and societies. Example: Steve Jobs revolutionized the tech industry with the introduction of the iPhone. This device not only combined a phone, an iPod, and an internet communicator but also created a new ecosystem of apps, fundamentally changing how people interact with technology and each other. Moreover, Thomas Edison is said to be the most influential man of the 19th century. He said that he has found 10.000 different ways of not working.

3. Simplify

Concept: Stripping away complexity to make products and services more user-friendly. We tend to simplify inherently. We use emojis a lot which proves that in our roots we tend to move to simple communication like we did thousand years ago. Example: Coco Chanel simplified women's fashion by introducing elegant yet comfortable designs. She moved away from the restrictive clothing of the early 20th century, making fashion more accessible and practical for women. If you have six 2x4 lego brick you will have approximately 1 billion alternatives to build something.

4. Organize

Concept: Structuring and managing resources efficiently to achieve goals. Example: Margaret Rudkin, founder of Pepperidge Farm, meticulously organized her business to ensure high standards of quality and consistency. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence helped her build a trusted brand.

5. Author

Concept: Creating and shaping a unique vision or narrative that inspires others. Example: Ajaz Ahmed himself authored a new approach to digital marketing with AKQA. By emphasizing creativity and innovation, he set new standards in the digital space, inspiring others to think beyond traditional marketing strategies. Jeff Bezos once said, you can work hard, long or smart. But you cannot choose two from three.