5 Books I liked Reading in February
The following books have a lot of valuable information which can help our personal and professional lives. Here are 5 terrific books I liked reading in February.
Thinking in bets by Annie Duke – This was an informative read. If you have read Thinking Fast and Slow this might sound familiar. Basically, the thesis is the quality of your life comes down to the quality of your decisions and luck. Don’t assume that a bad outcome means it is a wrong decision. Involve others in decision making, create a decision matrix (for example never accept if someone says I am 100 percent certain), and finally say I am not sure. The basic point is uncertainty is the name of the game and you can never really know if your good decision will always lead to good outcomes. There are lots of examples like Pete Carroll the Seattle Seahawks coach making a decision for which the outcome didn't turn out as expected. However, the author successfully argues that the decision was correct even if the outcome didn't go in his favor. This is a crucial lesson for all of us sometimes we do everything right and still we don't get what we anticipated. It doesn't mean we are wrong it just means there is uncertainty in any decision we make. Life is more like a game of poker with uncertainties than chess which is more favorable to good resourcefulness.
Treat people well by Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard – The title says it all and I agree with the authors that treating people well makes an enormous difference in our lives. While we might hear about some leaders getting away with being obnoxious I don’t think that is a template to follow. Being nice and praising people is always good. A lot of excellent ideas here and it is a quick read.
The Power of Moments by Dan Heath and Chip Heath – I have enjoyed their books which range from marketing to decision making. They are thorough in their research and have some very practical advice. In this book they talk about creating moments in both your official and personal lives. For example, let’s say it is the first day in your company for a new employee you can try to make it memorable by doing a few things. You can become creative and have them remember it for the rest of their lives. For example, if you go to Disney you will remember the space mountain ride the most. They explain this with elevation, pride, insight and connection. You can also break the script by doing something surprising.
Endure by Alex Hutchinson– This is an informative read with a lot of focus on running but is applicable to everyone. The key is whatever limits we have is only in the mind and there is enough proof around that we can surpass the limits. One of the limits is to break the 2-hour marathon limit. Nike tried it with different shoes for the athlete but still didn’t break at least yet. However, this is a limit that will be broken and will be another triumph of the human spirit. Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile and after that everyone had hope. This is like the ignition concept in the book “The Talent Code.”
The Best Team Wins by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton - This is a well-written read and so many ideas in leading teams. There is a chapter on how to lead Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers. There are also 100 ideas on how to inspire teams. The main thing is to create safety for the team to speak up, engage in vigorous debate, give feedback, take ownership and give people the autonomy to do well.
There you have it the 5 books I really enjoyed reading recently. Please share your favorite books below. Thanks for reading this post. The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.
Thinking in bets by Annie Duke – This was an informative read. If you have read Thinking Fast and Slow this might sound familiar. Basically, the thesis is the quality of your life comes down to the quality of your decisions and luck. Don’t assume that a bad outcome means it is a wrong decision. Involve others in decision making, create a decision matrix (for example never accept if someone says I am 100 percent certain), and finally say I am not sure. The basic point is uncertainty is the name of the game and you can never really know if your good decision will always lead to good outcomes. There are lots of examples like Pete Carroll the Seattle Seahawks coach making a decision for which the outcome didn't turn out as expected. However, the author successfully argues that the decision was correct even if the outcome didn't go in his favor. This is a crucial lesson for all of us sometimes we do everything right and still we don't get what we anticipated. It doesn't mean we are wrong it just means there is uncertainty in any decision we make. Life is more like a game of poker with uncertainties than chess which is more favorable to good resourcefulness.
Treat people well by Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard – The title says it all and I agree with the authors that treating people well makes an enormous difference in our lives. While we might hear about some leaders getting away with being obnoxious I don’t think that is a template to follow. Being nice and praising people is always good. A lot of excellent ideas here and it is a quick read.
The Power of Moments by Dan Heath and Chip Heath – I have enjoyed their books which range from marketing to decision making. They are thorough in their research and have some very practical advice. In this book they talk about creating moments in both your official and personal lives. For example, let’s say it is the first day in your company for a new employee you can try to make it memorable by doing a few things. You can become creative and have them remember it for the rest of their lives. For example, if you go to Disney you will remember the space mountain ride the most. They explain this with elevation, pride, insight and connection. You can also break the script by doing something surprising.
Endure by Alex Hutchinson– This is an informative read with a lot of focus on running but is applicable to everyone. The key is whatever limits we have is only in the mind and there is enough proof around that we can surpass the limits. One of the limits is to break the 2-hour marathon limit. Nike tried it with different shoes for the athlete but still didn’t break at least yet. However, this is a limit that will be broken and will be another triumph of the human spirit. Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile and after that everyone had hope. This is like the ignition concept in the book “The Talent Code.”
The Best Team Wins by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton - This is a well-written read and so many ideas in leading teams. There is a chapter on how to lead Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers. There are also 100 ideas on how to inspire teams. The main thing is to create safety for the team to speak up, engage in vigorous debate, give feedback, take ownership and give people the autonomy to do well.
There you have it the 5 books I really enjoyed reading recently. Please share your favorite books below. Thanks for reading this post. The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.
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