Sapiens - A brief history of mankind Yuval Noah Harari
Crush It! - Gary Veaynerchuck
Mindset The new psychology of success - Carol Dweck Ph.D.
Team of teamsGreat read that brings relevance to today's dynamics...
Elon Musk - Ashlee Vance
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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. |
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 |
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 |
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. |
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 :) |
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 |
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:
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“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. |
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. |
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 :) |
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. |
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. |