02 Feb Continuous Improvement, Continually Learning: A Year of Reading

I love hearing what someone else is reading or has read, especially the titles that have stuck with them. I just may find a new favourite this way! There are just so many books out there and there are only so many hours in the day.

If you’re a reader, even if it’s just spits and spurts here and there, perhaps I can help you find your next read by sharing what I’ve read lately. The books listed are what I’ve read (or listened to via Audible) over the past year. They are listed in no particular order and I have zero affiliation with any of the authors nor publishers.

Looking for something quick that will help break out of that box your brain lives in:

• Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

For something a bit more in-depth that will help break out of that box:

• A Beautiful Constraint: How to Transform Your Limitations into Advantages, and Why It’s Everyone’s Business by Adam Morgan & Mark Barden
• The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander
• Stretch by Scott Sonenshein

Looking to be a better leader and/or a better employee:

• Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
• Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall
• The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin
• Tribes by Seth Godin

For some specific skill development:

• Ask for More: 10 Question to Negotiate Anything by Alexandra Carter
• Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky & Braden Kowitz
• Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur
• Atomic Habits by James Clear

And, a little smattering of random:

• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Conscious Luck by Gay Hendricks & Carol Kline
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

What are my top three? Which ones would I and do I recommend? My criteria for choosing are fairly simple. A book must be well written in that it’s easy to digest and remember. It also has to have real-life applicability. If I read something, it’s because I want to learn and, thereby, be better off for it. With that in mind, I HIGHLY recommend you read and re-read the following:

3. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

This is such a quick and easy read. I love it because it has given me permission to step out from the shadow of perfectionism and of originality. I used to think, “I can’t publish that. It’s too much like so-and-so’s.” Screw that! I give credit where credit is due and then riff and iterate to my heart’s content. I’m free to bring my own special sparkle.

2. Ask for More: 10 Question to Negotiate Anything by Alexandra Carter

This book humanized negotiating for me. In the past, I’d often heard the adage, “It’s just business.” It is and it isn’t. Its people doing business. The people component comes first. The first five questions are for yourself and the next five are for your counterpart. Most of the questions are about feelings and needs – not just the bottom line. I wonder if I can make this book homework for all involved in my next negotiation? A girl can dream.

1. The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier

This book is NUMBER ONE for me this year! It’s insightful. It’s practical. It’s short and easy to digest! Every manager, every team lead, heck, every individual contributor should read this book and keep it handy. I promise you will refer to it over and over again. Bring your highlighter, your sticky tabs and a pencil……you will need them to flag what grabs you.

I read non-fiction to learn, to grow. What have you read lately? What would you recommend and why?

If you found this post helpful and are interested in more like this, let me know. I’ve contemplated posting more detailed reviews of the books I read, as I read them. If this interests you, let me know.