The Zig Zag Principal by Rich Christiansen 

Reviewed by Gerrit Timmerman, AIA, Principal of Curtis Miner Architecture

As a busy professional and firm owner, Gerrit Timmerman, AIA, often finds it difficult to make the time to read. While at a marketing event a few years ago, a friend recommended a new book called The Zig Zag Principle to him. Shortly after the event, the friend purchased the book for Gerrit and sent it to him as a gift.

We’ve all heard the adage “the best way to get somewhere is a straight line,” but author Rich Christiansen suggests otherwise. Christiansen is an entrepreneur who has founded or cofounded more than 30 businesses. Some of them were colossal failures, others were multi-million-dollar successes.

In The Zig Zag Principle, Christiansen shares a strategy to assist anyone who might want to start a business. And in business as well as in life, the author suggests the best course isn’t always a straight one.

Gerrit appreciated the key insights to achieving a goal:

• Establish your core values, and aggressively live by them.
• Engage the pattern of goal setting. Write them down; ensure they are measurable and realistic.
• Be flexible and willing to learn from mistakes, make adjustments, and then push forward with confidence that you will succeed.

Gerrit found the principles outlined by the author very practical yet powerful. “The book flowed in a very methodical manner,” he explains. “He offered ideas that had immediate applicability.” In fact, Gerrit recently recommended Curtis Miner Architecture owners and management read and discuss the book because it offered a great perspective in pursuing personal and business goals.

Gerrit acknowledges he often uses the excuse that he’s too busy to read. But every time he makes the sacrifice to pick up a book, he’s fascinated by the great gems of information he discovers. “I’ve never been disappointed in the return on investment for engaging in learning,” he says. “This book was a very worthwhile investment of time.”

He recommends the book to anyone who is hungry to learn and eager to improve.

Gerrit W. Timmerman, AIA, is a principal architect at Curtis Miner Architecture. He studied architecture at the University of Utah where he received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture degrees.