Velocity: The Seven New Laws for a World Gone Digital [Kindle Edition]

Ajaz Ahmed (Author), Stefan Olander (Author)

Book Description

How can you win when the only certainty is change? Highly accessible, lively and inspiring, Velocity draws upon the authors' unique perspectives and experiences to present seven timeless new laws for businesses and individuals in a world that is dominated by rapid change and digital technology.

Written as a fascinating and enjoyable conversation between the authors - Stefan Olander, Vice President of Digital Sport from Nike and Ajaz Ahmed founder and Chairman AKQA - Velocity's up-to-date examples illustrate key lessons, together with insights, ideas and inspiration that individuals and businesses should adopt to thrive in the digital age.

Velocity shares the vision and values required to succeed with the untold backstories to influential and iconic innovation. Fast paced, useful, provocative and highly motivating, Velocity is a management book that will arm you with actionable ideas to define your future.

Features:

- 4 Velocity principles: Speed, Direction, Acceleration, Discipline.

- 7 Laws, including 'A Smith & Wesson beats four aces', 'It's easier done than said', 'Convenient is the enemy of right' and 'No good joke survives a committee of six'.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 "Compelling...apply its laws to your business to swing it back from slavish adherence to process and towards creative innovation and intuition."  —The Agency Review 

"There's no waste, no flowery prose - only an intelligent flow of insights, advice, stories and illumination ... I defy you to read it without a highlighter pen in your hand."  —Contagious magazine

About the Author

Ajaz Ahmed is the founder and chairman of AKQA, the world's largest independent innovation agency. AKQA has a legendary reputation for innovation and has won more "Agency of the Year" awards and recognition for its creativity than any other comparable company in history. Clients include Nike, Volkswagen, Virgin, Audi, Xbox, and Heineken. Stefan Olander is the vice-president of digital sport at Nike and one of the world's leading digital innovators. Stefan has led many of Nike's most cutting-edge initiatives, including the revolutionary Nike+ experience developed in partnership with Apple. Nike employs more than 30,000 people across the globe and is one of the world's most valuable brands. He lives in Portland. Sir Richard Branson is best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies.

Product Details

• File Size: 477 KB
• Print Length: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ebury Digital; 1 edition (May 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007QSNMS6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,038 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Law > Business > Commercial
  • #35 in Books > Law > Business > Commercial
  • #66 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > E-commerce

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A relevant conversation, full of quotable material May 19, 2012

By Cameron Maddux

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are smartly playing in digital creation, you see many decks and presentations about "what is happening." They always include wonderfully articulated quotes from successful, wise people. And you wonder, "Where did they get that quote?" Well, Velocity quotes are going to be all over decks for the next several months, FYI.

The format is written literally as a conversation between the two authors, Ajaz Ahmed & Stefan Olander. You are most likely grabbing this book because of the titles these people have: Chairman and Co-Founder of AKQA and Vice President, Digital Sport, Nike Inc. Boom. Instant credibility. There is absolutely no need for them to establish their credibility, the web drips with accolades on their digital smarts, creative performance and successes.

The bullet hole cover is fitting, as the book reads like bursts of shots. A smart idea. A great quotable line to sum it up. An anecdote. A quote from another source. Another smart idea, and so on. Each "chapter" closes with a summary, but ironically the book closes with none - it just ends. Well, there is a url and I guess that is the point, conversations keep going online.

As someone who teaches university students in this arena, I found this book has already proven to be quite valuable. As mentioned, the quotes have found their way into my lectures. But more importantly, I have an arsenal of anecdotes from Nike and other cool brands for student questions. The students definitely connect with the stories and the credibility of the authors. It allows me to reinforce my own ideas. The thinking is mostly agreeable, as you'd expect with two people with such a proven track records.

What kept me from giving it 5-stars:
+ I really liked when they included conversations with other people, but there were too few in my opinion. These two are going to have an extensive network, so I'd love to have other perspectives filling out the book's stories and points.

+ It is strange to read an edited conversation. You don't feel like you are over-hearing a conversation (a la Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyers.) You also don't get the normal flow of an industry book. It is an experiment, and it feels that way, both good and bad. I didn't actually "connect" with the material at times; it felt distant and conflicting. But I also enjoyed this, as it made me think and engage with the content, rather than just be led down an author's path.

Overall, good read - and something to read NOW, not later.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Velocity Goes no where fast. July 9, 2012

By firemc2

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had high hopes. This book contains about 6 pages of retreaded encouragement that would make a Nike sneaker blush.
That leaves 242 pages for the two authors to quote all the athletes that have been quoted in other self-help books and pat each other on the back time after time. It gets boring after a bit. Don't think that your garage based idea is going to get a start from anything in this book, because they are only talking about mega organisations that they have been affiliated with and sadly there is no room for your ego with theirs in the room.

Just because you have made it does not mean that you can write a book that others should read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Conversational writing style is more engaging! June 30, 2012

By Crabbe

Format:Kindle Edition

I just finished reading Velocity while on the airplane. I do like the conversational style that the 2 authors use. They bring up points that sustainable businesses can not ignore.

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