# Obliquity: Why our goals are best achieved indirectly

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/obliquity-why-our-goals-are-best-achieved-indirectly/
- Published: 2011-03-12T08:43:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Obliquity is the principle that complex goals are best achieved _indirectly_. 
This book explains why the happiest people aren’t necessarily those who focus on
happiness, why the richest men and women are not the most materialistic, and why
the most successful cities are not planned. If a company announces shareholder return
as its number one goal, perhaps we should beware: the most profit-orientated companies
aren’t usually the most profitable.**

Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales
targets, history shows that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially
in difficult terrain. John Kay applies his provocative, universal theory to everything
from international business to town planning and from football to managing forest
fire.

## About Sir John Kay

[Sir John Kay](https://www.johnkay.com/2004/01/17/obliquity/) is one of Britain’s
leading economists. His interests focus on the relationships between economics and
business. His career has spanned academic work and think tanks, business schools,
company directorships, consultancies and investment companies. For twenty years,
he wrote a regular column for the _Financial Times. _He was awarded a knighthood
in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours List for services to economics, business and
finance.

## Watch: John Kay on Obliquity

Why our goals are best achieved indirectly (6 April 2010)