Start Here
This course is designed to guide your thinking as you read through a business book.
Each lesson gives you a different lens for examining what you read. You will continue through the book, capture what stands out, and use the lesson prompts to consider what the ideas could mean for your business.
You can use the course alongside the Book of the Quarter or with another business book you are currently reading.
Begin With Your Current Reading
Each lesson starts by asking you to continue reading.
If you are following the Book of the Quarter, use the assigned chapters or pages from the current reading plan.
If you are reading another book, continue with the next section at your own pace.
Read what you can. The value of the process comes from thinking carefully about what you read, even when you do not complete every page.
Capture What Stands Out
As you read, capture the notes, quotes, questions, reflections, and takeaways that draw your attention.
You may notice several ideas during one reading session. Record anything you may want to revisit.
Each lesson will ask you to select one takeaway to examine more closely through that lesson’s thinking lens.
Use the Thinking Lens
Every lesson introduces a question that helps you consider the takeaway from a different perspective.
The thinking lenses will help you explore areas such as:
fit and context
scale
requirements and constraints
possible business changes
friction and resistance
clarity
connection
priority
application
You can return to the same idea in more than one lesson or use a new takeaway each time.
Consider What Application Could Look Like
Each lesson includes examples of what application may look like at that stage.
Early in the course, application may simply involve recognizing where an idea relates to your business.
As you continue, you will become more specific about what could change, whether the idea deserves further attention, and whether it should move into Apply.
Record Your Reflection
At the end of each lesson, write down your response to the reflection prompts.
Your reflection creates a record of:
what stood out
how you understood the idea
what you learned about its fit
what became clearer
what you may want to revisit or apply
These reflections will help you review the book as a whole when you reach the final lesson.
Move Through the Course at a Useful Pace
If you are following the Book of the Quarter, complete the corresponding lesson as you move through each week of the reading plan.
If you are using another book, continue at a pace that gives you enough time to read and reflect.
You may spend several days or longer with one lesson. You may also return to an earlier thinking lens when a later part of the book gives an idea new meaning.
Using the RBG App
The RBG app gives you a place to add the book you are reading and capture what stands out along the way.
After completing the book, you can review what you captured, flag the ideas that deserve further attention, and move selected items into Apply.
The course provides the thinking process. The app helps you carry that process through your reading.
Key Reminder
The lessons are guides for thinking, not assignments to complete perfectly.
Use each one to slow down, examine what you read, and develop a clearer understanding of what may matter for your business.
Next Lesson
In the next lesson, you will choose how you want to move through the course, either with the Book of the Quarter and Read Along or with another business book at your own pace.