‘What to Make of a Life’ Review: Encoded for Success

The Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2026

by Theodore Kinni

In 1995, a year after co-writing a bestselling book on the habits of great companies, Jim Collins left the faculty of Stanford’s business school to found his own management lab. Over the course of his work, Mr. Collins became interested in how people create engaging lives for themselves. He shares his findings in “What to Make of a Life.”

The book examines luminaries in matched pairs from the worlds of music (Jimmy Page and Robert Plant), writing (Toni Morrison and Barbara W. Tuchman), politics (Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford) and more. Why such well-known people? Because “that’s where the data is,” Mr. Collins writes. He recounts his subjects’ accomplishments with an eye to exploring three questions that many of us have asked at some point. How do I find a path that is right for me? What do I do when my current path ends? How do I stay engaged over a lifetime? Read the rest here.

‘Superteams’ Review: Focused Collaboration

The Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2026

by Theodore Kinni

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many leaders claimed that effective teamwork required remote workers to return to their cubicles. Ron Friedman begs to differ.

In “Superteams,” the social psychologist reports that high-performing teams are as likely to work well at home as in the office. “Far more important than where a team works is how it works,” he declares. What makes a great team? Mr. Friedman sought the answer by interviewing more than 6,000 professionals who say their teams are tops to find out what they do differently from the rest. He found that the members of these teams get more done, make one another better and are constantly improving. Read the rest here.