Book List

What is it about?

What did I enjoy about it?

“Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion.”

Such a gripping read/listen! Every chapter starts with an illustrative “war story” based upon Chris takes you on a learning journey. Great lessons for negotiating a new contract or screen-time with your kids.

“Complex problem solving is the core skill for twenty-first century teams. It’s the only way to keep up with rapid change. Winning organizations now rely on nimble, iterative problem solving, rather than traditional planning processes. In this book you’ll learn the seven-step systematic approach to creative problem solving that will work in any field or industry.“

Its a practical guide above all. 30 cases are plenty to help you get your head around this structured approach.

A must read for everybody who wants to find solutions to complex issues!

Since it was first introduced in the multi-million-copy bestseller The Goal, Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints (TOC) has emerged as one of the most flexible and effective approaches to management and problem solving in the corporate world.

A real classic and despite how long his principles have been around they are relevant to every industry.

I found it fascinating how, with a bit of practical thinking, you can apply holistic lessons from one industry to a very different one.

“In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Listeners will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they’ll never view IT the same.“

This book felt like therapy to me. Hearing how everybody is struggling with the same issues in running a large IT organisation but how relatively straight forward it can be to get your ship in order once you understand some underlying issues.

“Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan – there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.”

Do you ever dream about a nice retirement on a boat, sailing the world? Just forget about it! Get over the american-ism of this book and think outside the box on how to “retire” now!

“This isn’t a book about meeting developmental milestones, training your child to have enviable manners or how to get the much idealised ‘perfect’ family; it’s about creating functional relationships with your children so that they grow up feeling secure, knowing who they are and what they want – giving both them and you a shot at real happiness.”

Tricky one to read as it confronts you with some uncomfortable topics of your own past and how you can manage the process of passing unwanted “things” on to your children.

Made me reflect a lot and I hope had some significant impact in my parenting.

“Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn’t – about life on and off the hospital ward.”

I literally sat in my car driving back home from London and was crying at the end, it was that funny!

“The main reason people struggle financially is because they have spent years in school but learned nothing about money. The result is that people learn to work for money… but never learn to have money work for them.”

I’ve never learned how money works! So I did what everybody else did and started to work for money…

This is for people who can’t say with certainty that they are financially literate.

“Access your full potential through the strategies, tips and techniques that are easily explained and remembered and learn the true value of what it means to be a sincere, rational and open-minded person.”

This must have been my first management book and I still read it once every year.

A true guide to being a better person, having greater effect on other people and the generally all things you do.

“In this, his first book, Steve shares his phenomenally successful mind-management programme that has been used to help elite athletes and senior managers alike to conquer their fears and operate with greater control, focus and confidence.”

Long time partners or parents will know, we all get irritated by the smallest things!

Guess what, there is a chimp in your head that you simply cannot control, but good news; you can exercise it instead.

“What valuable company is nobody building? The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.”

Tempted to follow the pack, get 1% of a $1b market? Generally, not a very good idea if you want or need to aim high!

Super inspirational to listen to somebody who’s been incredibly successful and willing to share his principles!

“Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His 35 years of rigorous, evidence-based research, along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior, has resulted in this highly acclaimed book.”

I’ve never known but people have tricked me so easily into compliance! I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do but still chose not to follow my gut…

Want to find out what the psychology behind e.g. the Hari Krishna Collectors is and find out how you can capitalise or protect yourself on/from it? Start reading!

“While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he’s gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies.”

Business it tough! And that’s good for a number of important reasons but don’t get into it blindly. Ben has learned things the hard way so you can be better prepared for what’s to come your way!

“Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud’dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.”

What a fascinating story?! Gripping and so full of inspiration and lessons if you are looking for a novel about leadership qualities.

“The novel shows how the path to enlightenment cannot be conferred to another person because it is different for everyone and will likely never be achieved simply by listening to or obeying an enlightened one. Words and teachings may describe the truth but are not the Truth itself; being concepts, they trap you, since enlightenment means release from concepts.”

Can’t say no to a German classic. I found it gripping and filled with amazing imagery that made me listen to the end without stopping!

“We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us sapiens?
In this bold and provocative audiobook, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here, and where we’re going.”

Apart from the fascinating new thoughts I had never dreamt of before (as well as my teachers steering clear from this revelation) what an amazing sense of humor!

We should have all stayed back in the caves where we belonged!

“Tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus, an electrifying moral defense of capitalism and free enterprise which launched an ideological movement and gained millions of loyal fans around the world.”

Who’s not read this (and has a spare 60+ hours for the audio book) will find it quite controversial.

Ayn Rand is a brilliant philosopher who found the best way  to communicate her perspectives are through gripping novels.

“Who does produce shall be rewarded”