Next Big Idea Club is a quarterly non-fiction book subscription with selections handpicked by bestselling authors Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink. It also includes supplemental online content and other membership perks.
This package was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This is a review of the Hardbacks subscription, $59 per quarter. See other subscription options below.
About Next Big Idea Club
The Subscription Box: Next Big Idea Club
The Cost: There are three subscription plans available:
- Hardbacks: $59 per quarter or $215 annually ($53.75 per box) for two books per quarter, plus access to all online content and a free bonus book.
- E-Books: $49 per quarter or $189 annually ($47.25 per box) for two e-books per quarter, plus access to all online content.
- Express Membership: $89 annually ($22.25 per quarter) for online access only, and you supply your own books.
The Products: Two nonfiction books every three months, curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink; plus online course material, forum access, and a year of Business Insider Prime.
Ships to: Free shipping to the US for Hardback membership. International members are welcome to join the E-book or Express plans.
My NBIC Review
The book this month touches on big ideas and emotions in the workplace. As a big idea person, I am full of lofty dreams, but sometimes seeing them through can be hard. I am also a very emotional person prone to oversharing and bouts of excitement, something that I have always struggled with reigning in while at work. I am excited to dive into these books and learn. I am not a particularly self-reflective person (I tend to be very live-in-the-moment) and I don't spend much time with self-development books, so I am curious to see what I think of this box.
No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work by Liz Fosslien and Mollie Wet Duffy – Retail Value $27.00 (found here for $17.70)
This book was just released in February 2019.
The cover illustration is way too real. Has anyone ever not felt like that little owl in a big meeting at work?
Book summary from Amazon:
How do you stop the office grouch from ruining your day? How do you enjoy a vacation without obsessing about the unanswered emails in your inbox? If you're a boss, what should you do when your new, eager hire wants to follow you on Instagram?
The modern workplace can be an emotional minefield, filled with confusing power structures and unwritten rules. We're expected to be authentic, but not too authentic. Professional, but not stiff. Friendly, but not an oversharer. Easier said than done!
As both organizational consultants and regular people, we know what it's like to experience uncomfortable emotions at work - everything from mild jealousy and insecurity to panic and rage. Ignoring or suppressing what you feel hurts your health and productivity -- but so does letting your emotions run wild.
Our goal in this book is to teach you how to figure out which emotions to toss, which to keep to yourself, and which to express in order to be both happier and more effective. We'll share some surprising new strategies, such as:
* Be selectively vulnerable: Be honest about how you feel, but don't burden others with your deepest problems.
* Remember that your feelings aren't facts: What we say isn't always what we mean. In times of conflict and miscommunication, try to talk about your emotions without getting emotional.
* Be less passionate about your job: Taking a chill pill can actually make you healthier and more focused.Drawing on what we've learned from behavioral economics, psychology, and our own experiences at countless organizations, we'll show you how to bring your best self (and your whole self) to work every day.
I am one of those sensitive people who are really easily affected by my surroundings and the undercurrent of emotions both negative and positive surrounding me. I also work a ton of different jobs and navigating the ups and downs of each can be exhausting. It doesn't help that they are all so vastly different in terms of climate and peers. It can be hard to not feel carried away with all of the emotions any of us encounter on a day to day basis. This book aims to explain that emotions at work shouldn't be left at the door, but that they can be used as a tool to craft healthier and happier work environments. As a total workaholic, that last point really speaks to me personally.
I really like how this book feels instantly approachable with its fun colors and cute illustrations throughout. It feels much more casual than some other self-help books and the author's voices are both engaging and humorous.
We also received a bookmark for this book and two really cute stickers:
Each book in this sub comes with a guidebook to help you explore the ideas with a group or solo.
This sort of couldn't be more perfect if you have a book club because it is filled with insights and exercises to start engaging conversations.
Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall - Retail Price $29.99 (Found here for $15.00)
This book was originally published in March 2019.
So this book really interested me as someone who is always full of crazy ideas. What is different about this particular book is that while it gives examples of crazy ideas gone wildly right, it also explores WHY those ideas were able to take hold and flourish while others crashed and burned.
Here's the book summary from Amazon:
What do James Bond and Lipitor have in common? What can we learn about human nature and world history from a glass of water?
In Loonshots, physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behavior that challenges everything we thought we knew about nurturing radical breakthroughs.
Drawing on the science of phase transitions, Bahcall shows why teams, companies, or any group with a mission will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them, just as flowing water will suddenly change into brittle ice. Mountains of print have been written about culture. Loonshots identifies the small shifts in structure that control this transition, the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice.
Using examples that range from the spread of fires in forests to the hunt for terrorists online, and stories of thieves and geniuses and kings, Bahcall shows how this new kind of science helps us understand the behavior of companies and the fate of empires. Loonshots distills these insights into lessons for creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries everywhere.
Over the past decade, researchers have been applying the tools and techniques of phase transitions to understand how birds flock, fish swim, brains work, people vote, criminals behave, ideas spread, diseases erupt, and ecosystems collapse. If twentieth-century science was shaped by the search for fundamental laws, like quantum mechanics and gravity, the twenty-first will be shaped by this new kind of science. Loonshots is the first to apply these tools to help all of us unlock our potential to create and nurture the crazy ideas that change the world.
This is a heavy book for me mentally. It is going to take me some time to really dig through it. But as someone who has these big ideas but often falters in implementation, this is a must-read.
Like the book before, it also came with an incredibly insightful workbook that would be useful for a solo reader or for a group exploring this volume.
Once again, we also received a bookmark specific to this volume:
Also included were a pair of pencils labeled Artist and Soldier. These represent the two archetypes commonly at odds in a creative or business setting. The Artists are the idea people and the Soldiers are the execution type of go-getters. You need to learn to see the importance of both types of people as a leader.
Verdict: The spring 2019 edition of Next Big Idea Club included two very new release hardback books as well as two coordinating workbooks and other little accessories. A sub like this is an incredible choice for someone who is looking for some serious self-development and would enjoy a guided trip through thought-provoking books focused on personal development and growth. The No Hard Feelings book was absolutely the much easier read between the two, and actually holds a ton of information that is useful to healthy and productive relationships in and out of the office. The Loonshots book is much denser, but the info packed inside is fascinating so far, and at the very least incredibly inspiring! Both of the books together have a combined retail value of $56.99, which is a little less than the cost of the hardcover version of this membership but does not take into account the incredibly insightful guidebooks and cute bonus freebies.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? It's unclear from their website if new subscribers will receive the Spring 2019 box as their first box, but they do note that all new subscribers receive online access to all past content when they join.
Value Breakdown: This box was $59 and included two new release books with a total MSRP of $56.99, although they can now be purchased for about $32.70 total.
COUPON– New subscribers can get 10% off any subscription plan (annual or quarterly) when you sign up here, no coupon code needed!
Check out all of our Next Big Idea Club reviews and more book subscription boxes!
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What do you think of Next Big Idea Club? Any other nonfiction book clubs that you recommend?
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