Books

Notes on the books I am reading...including Audio books.

Sapiens - A brief history of mankind Yuval Noah Harari

This was a challenging book for me. It really made me questions many assumptions I have and where they may have came from

From Biology, history and maybe even theology it will get you thinking.
.
As with other books on this list i had heard it referred to by many founders and leaders.

It takes a sweeping perspective of what we think off and places it in a larger context.

It prompted this post. Click here

Like may of the books i am drawn to it did shed some light on why i may be the way I am, and also why those around me may be the way they are also.

I will be a better communicator because of this book.

Solid rating of 4.2 with over 11,000 reviews on good read...

Crush It! - Gary Veaynerchuck

I read this book after becoming intrigued by seeing Gary on Social Media.

This book is all about building Your Personal Brand.
It is a book that speaks to the changing possibilities in the new connected age.
Your ability more than ever to brand yourself, make you the product.
It could easily fall into the get rich quick camp, but he manages to avoid it by endlessly pointing out how much work it takes.
It is a few years old and already seems outdated given the nature of the space he is talking about (the digital space of apps and social media sites).

It is still a valuable read to gain perspective on what others are doing and what is actually capable even in a hybrid model of lifestyle design.

Mindset The new psychology of success - Carol Dweck Ph.D.

This book is a fantastic tool for any educator, trainer or anybody that wants to develop more meaningful relationships.

Written by Stanford professor Carol Dweck, it lays out two mindset, fixed mindset and growth mindset.
So much of our actions and reactions can stem from these mindsets it makes this an important read.

She lays out symptoms and paths to change, how to get out of one mindset and very practical steps.
If anything it gets a little repetitive when it makes the point, but over all it is worth it to reinforce the lessons.

I would put it on the list.,

Team of teams

Great read that brings relevance to today's dynamics...

General Stanley McChrystal lays out the difference between “complicated” and “complex.”

“We often use them interchangeably, and that’s a mistake,” he said.

Whereas a car is complicated, we know we can turn the key and it will do the same thing time and again. Weather pattern models, in which tiny changes in variables create completely different outcomes, are complex. The effect of these complex events, he said, cannot be predicted.
(Excerpts taken from full article here)

Check out the book here
(Or do what I did and get the audio here)

Elon Musk - Ashlee Vance

OK so this was a great book...
I cant figure out if it is an honest book or a piece of great propaganda.

Either way it is a great story about someone that will be our generations Ford or Wright brothers, maybe some combination of both.
If you like big dreamers or people dedicated to radical change, read this.
P.S. not sure I would survive long working for him, but he can really get's stuff done.

How Can I Capitalize on Social Media When My kid Has to Program My DVR

Dave Neslon

I had the opportunity to hear Dave speak and it was such a great experience filled with actionable direction, I bought the book.
Actually I bought 4 copies and had my team read it also.

For those that are just looking to understand the landscape better or if you are trying to create an entire digital marketing plan, this is the book for you.
Concise, well organized and very useful...my copy is well worn and filled with notes.

Derek Sivers - Anything You Want

So it is no secret that I am a raging Derek Sivers fan,

His work is elegant, honest and succinct. This book is no exception
Confession time...i did not read this book I used the audible app...
Hearing the author read it was great, i always enjoy that.

The material deals mostly with his start up CD baby and the journey that he went on .
It concludes with his thought process and decision to sell....and give all the millions away.

As a bonus here is a link to a great Podcast with Tim Ferriss that covers much of the same time period as well as so much more.
Hear the podcast here.

7 Habits...

What can be said about this one that has not been said already.
This one was great for me, definitely top 5.
I tried reading it when I was in my early 20's and it did not take.
I tried again in my 30's and it hit like a ton of truth.
It seemed so relevant.

A lot of what I read today seems to be some version of these principles

1. Be Pro-active
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think Win/Win
5. Seek first to understand, Then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw

Check out the link to Covey website here

Mans Search for Meaning

This is another one from the tip five.
It can be read in an afternoon and will stay with you for a lifetime.

I won't say too much as you should read it yourself.

So much of our life is out of our control and all we really have is the power to choose our response.

"Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for." —Victor Frankl
Buy it here

Start with Why

The Simon Sinek book on getting things in the right order.
Very easy read and illuminating.

Here is a the Ted talk he gave

Well worth a read, he ties the biology and development of the brain into the imperatives that drives us and why we are wired the way we are.

I started to think a little different after this.

Predictably Irrational

This was one of the first books I read on behavioral psychology and it blew my mind.

It was the as if a curtain was lifted and I got a sneak peek behind the scenes of our mind.

Basically we are not as smart as we think.
We are hardwired to respond in ways that we don't even perceive.

It governs the way we spend money (or not), how we make decisions and how we may feel about certain things.
Here is his much better website and Blog :)

Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach PhD

As with most of these books I read it after hearing it recommended. I also had the opportunity to hear a podcast where Tara was a guest.

For me it was a good message. As a highly driven person who does not generally cut myself a lot of slack, I needed to hear some of this message.

To be able to treat yourself as you would a dear and trusted friend, is a powerful idea.

In general the idea of "mindfulness" is a good message for me to slow down.
I have struggled with this area for may years and as I learn more, I look forward to improvement for years to come.

“Learning to pause is the first step in the practice of Radical Acceptance. A pause is a suspension of activity, a time of temporary disengagement when we are no longer moving toward any goal. . . . The pause can occur in the midst of almost any activity and can last for an instant, for hours or for seasons of our life. . . . We may pause in the midst of meditation to let go of thoughts and reawaken our attention to the breath. We may pause by stepping out of daily life to go on a retreat or to spend time in nature or to take a sabbatical. . . . You might try it now: Stop reading and sit there, doing "no thing," and simply notice what you are experiencing.”
― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

“Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”

So this one is also a classic.

It is not uncommon for this to be talked about by founders, CEO's and sales alike.

It refers to the science of compliance. It does a really good job at unpacking the reason and programming behind why we do some of the things we do. It does not get as esoteric as some.
Here are the 6 main principles explored in this book:

Reciprocity
Commitment & Consistency
Social Proof (this is huge)
Authority
Liking
Scarcity

You'll want to read this. Buy it here

The power of Myth - Joseph Campell

“We need myths that will identify the individual not with his local group but with the planet.”
― Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

For me this book(actually a series of interviews) is critical to understanding ourselves.
The more we understand the need for stories the more we will be able to communicate with our tribes.
Understanding that stories are the vehicle we have for processing, retaining and recalling information.

If you are looking to move a group, change an idea or educate this one is a good one.

The Black Swan

This book was a bit of a slog and got quiet technical at times but was fabulously interesting.

It will have you questioning the beliefs you hold.

It will challenge your current thought process.
There are thoughts around predictability that you my take for granted...not after reading this.
Just because you have not seen a black swan does not prove there are no black swans...
Crash course from wiki here

Also Nassim Taleb is a very interesting mind and you should be aware of his thinking.

Thinking Fast and Slow

This book was very much a link between "Predictably Irrational" and "Black Swan."

A Nobel winner, Kahneman delves into much of the same material as the other books but also covers his own thoughts.

Here is a little 2 minute video of the author sharing

We are not really as rational as we think :)

On the Origin of Species

I have a rule about books.
If everybody is talking about it and they have a lot to say, I try and make my own opinion about it.

To do that I have to read it myself, synthesis the information and draw my own conclusion.

This one is a classic. It is a great read and I connect with the scientific process driving the questions.

If you remove all the cultural baggage, there are many takeaways that you can use in the business world.

What the dog saw - Malcolm Gladwell

This is actually the fourth of Gladwell's book.

For me it is a great place to start, it is a compilation of his published articles.

Gladwell represents a clear articulate voice driven by simply interesting narrative.

This allows him to cover a lot of ground and go places that a dryer voice would struggle with.

He breaks the subjects into categories and it makes for great reading.
You can read this book in bits or listen to this one on a drive.
It will give you the biggest bang for the buck and get your appetite wet for some of his books that cover subjects in more detail.

Here is a link to the wiki synopsis if you like

A lot has been written and said about this book...

The value for me is in what it has to say about structure and systems.
Not just for business owners but for managers also.

regardless if you seek to be an entrepreneur or an intrepreneur there are solid takeaways.

I had the chance to hear the author share and it was interesting to hear his conviction long after the first auditioned rolled of the presses.
This books is worth the read precisely due to the fact that the principles it lays out have stood the test of time and been proven by so many.
Perhaps not quite the magic potion that some would claim it to be there are solid takeaways you can implement straight away.

Another great piece by Gladwell...

An interesting thing happens as you read or listen to Gladwell...it can seem to be a continuation of his last work.
This despite that it is clearly a standalone work. Perhaps it is his distinctive narrative or clarity of insight, but he has a consistent tone to both his thinking and writing.

This goes a long way to dispel a lot of common beliefs about what we think of “big”.
Big companies, or big teams and how things must be for them and consequently what it means to be small or smaller.

The book helps shake up paradigms that are surprisingly rooted in our society and also unpacking how and why we pick up these ideas.
In doing so allows us to ask the questions that will be helpful, like “what if”?

Any chance a can to read Gladwell I will, but this was very easy and quite interesting.