12 books I read, or re-read, last year that you should put on your list for 2021
Learning is potential power. Reading (or listening to books) is one of my favorite things to do. I do it while I walk, while I run, and while I drive. Learning from others is an injection of thought diversity and can inspire new trajectories and build onto existing ones.
In any case, here are 12 that stand out to me that I’ve either read for the first time or re-read. Let me know what books you’d recommend for 2021. Here they are in no particular order:
Deep Survival: True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death by Laurence Gonzalez
One of my clients recommended this to me in the early days of the pandemic. While the stories Gonzalez tells are often about extreme survival situations, the practical advice applies to any disorienting experience. Specifically, the five stages of getting lost and finding yourself to survive.
My favorite quote from the book:
“To survive you must surrender without giving in, that is to say, fully accept the reality in all its horror and never give up the will to survive. That allows you to quickly adapt to the situation and dedicate yourself to the present moment rather than wallow in denial.”
Why I love it: It’s an eloquent way of saying, “It is what it is.” We can so easily dwell in the past, they way things should have went or could have been, and all of it inflicts greater pain and sorrow. Accept the current circumstances, reorient, and reengage.
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
This book was a bit of a deviation from my normal go-to but was incredibly valuable.
We expend so much energy resisting change, emotions, and fighting the invisible forces in our mind. If you’re like me, you experience fears and insecurities and they can snowball into unproductive emotions and the stories you make up. This book makes a great (and radical) case for leaning into your fears and fighting the urge to resist that which is different or uncomfortable. Many of the lessons served me greatly in 2020 and will do so moving forward.
My favorite quote from the book:
“Pain is not wrong. Reacting to pain as wrong initiates the trance of unworthiness. The moment we believe something is wrong, our world shrinks and we lose ourselves in the effort to combat the pain.”
Why I love it: Physiologically, pain is a biological requirement for growth. When a muscle is subjected to stress and resistance, it adapts by growing. We are the same.
Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When it Matters Most by Hendrie Weisinger & J.P. Pawliw-Fry
We are all under pressure. While different situations and different stakes, we all have our moments. This book has been a game-changer for some of my clients and has become an essential tool in my practice of seeking to make better emotional appraisals, more adequate threat perceptions, and reducing the distortion that leads to reactive and often regrettable actions.
My favorite quote from this book:
“Optimism helps you advance your life.”
We all know the dangers that come from looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. But who do you like working with and working for the most? The energy draining pessimist and know-it-all? Or the person that dwells in possibility and innovation? I know who I choose.
Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath
Most people and leaders get sucked into the trap of downstream reactivity. Dan Heath does a great job sharing the value and opportunity of working way upstream to get rid of the challenges you and your business face.
A quote I love from this book:
“A teacher’s job is to support their students, not appraise them.”
It stands out to me because we live in a world where our appraisals of others often end up stifling their progress, when really, perhaps the biggest upstream activity that can change the world, is the way we see it and the people in it.
Change Maker by John Berardi PhD
When I was a national team athlete, I sat in workshops as Dr. Berardi told us what we should and shouldn’t eat to optimize our performance. Who knew he’d go on to build the world’s largest nutrition certification company without ever having a brick and mortar location. This book breaks down wonderful tools like ‘Jobs To Be Done’, ruthless prioritization, and achieving work-life balance.
There are so many relevant tools and tips in this book for entrepreneurs and business leaders that Berardi delivers in a clear and simple fashion. You will definitely end up downloading the free resources he provides.
Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace
The turbulent and inspiring story of Pixar. A wonderful business story that captures the power of vision, trust, and determination. It is full of great examples of both activities that undermine performance as well as intentional activities that lead to creativity and fostering a powerful culture of performance.
My favorite quote from this book:
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
Why I love it: Get the right people on the bus and your destination just might exceed your vision.
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenburg, Alan Eagle
To a carpenter, the solution to everything is a hammer and a nail. I loved this book.
It was a great inside look at how the leadership team at Google works. It captures many lessons from trusted advisor Bill Campbell, an executive coach who led from behind the scenes to influence success. Often, in my industry, capturing the quantitative impact of coaching and great leadership can be elusive. Along with great leadership examples, this book highlights some eye-opening data on the impact of coaching. For example, many organizations overlook management culture and the impact of improving performance. It references a study of companies who raise their market value by $18,000 per employee through leveraging great coaches. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Measure What Matters by John Doerr
This book is widely considered the bible for OKRs (a popular goal-setting method originating in the tech industry that has spread with wild popularity). Many of our clients use OKRs and at Level 52, we do too. This book does a great job of taking you through the OKR framework with real stories of implementation and barriers.
A quote I love from it:
“When people understand your priorities and constraints, they’re more likely to trust you when things go sideways.”
Things did go sideways in a big way in 2020 and will likely do so again. What’s your method for priorities and constraints?
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Earlier this year, when I was in the later stages of writing my manuscript for The Science Behind Success, the saboteur voices kicked in and progress halted. I felt stuck and uninspired.
My publisher sent me this book and asked me to read it. A short read and very insightful. It’ a great perspective-shifter when you are lost in the gap between your vision and your current reality.
My favorite quote:
“Love is a verb.”
I love this quote because we tell the participants in our programs the same thing regarding success. It’s an action, not a destination; and through the commitment towards quality, intentional, and continuous action, you realize something far greater than the mind can conceive.
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
There have been several books on how executives micro-dose psychedelics to remove cognitive blinders and see around corners to drive innovation. This book is a fascinating read that creates a compelling case to changing the stigmas around psychedelics from a recreational drug into an essential tool of rehabilitation and performance optimization.
A quote I loved from this book:
“One good way to understand a complex system is to disturb it.”
We are surrounded by so many complex systems, including our brain. Deviance breeds innovation and there are those who react to deviance and there are those who create it intentionally to deliver their mission further into the world.
The Buddha and the Badass: The Secret Spiritual Art of Succeeding at Work by Vishen Lakhiani
A book by the founder of the learning company, Mindvalley, Lakhiani writes about practical tools and guiding principles that have led to the exponential growth of his business.
It was inspiring because he started his business with very little. Embraced rapid innovation and a value-based culture and that is what has fueled his growth.
My favorite quote from this book:
“Transformation involves experiencing a deep structural shift in the basic premises of thought, feelings and actions. It is a shift in consciousness that dramatically and irreversibly alters our way of being in the world.”
Why I love it: Transformation generally comes in one of two packages; we go through the discomfort of facilitating our own transformation, or it takes a nightmare to wake you up into the next version of yourself. One is longer and intentional, the other more acute and disorienting.
The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife by Dr. James Hollis
I’ve just passed my 44th birthday and get hit from time to time with existential dilemmas. Am I doing enough? What do I truly want? What am I here to do? What do I want to create next?
I was so fascinated by this book, I read it immediately again after I finished it the first time and I’ll probably read it again in 2021. It’s deep, it’s rich, and it invites you to reflect on your passage, wherever that may be.
My favorite quote:
“One of the most powerful shocks of the Middle Passage is the collapse of our tacit contract with the universe-the assumption that if we act correctly, if we are of good heart and good intentions, things will work out. We assume a reciprocity with the universe. If we do our part, the universe will comply. Many ancient stories, including the Book of Job, painfully reveal the fact that there is no such contract, and everyone who goes through the Middle Passage is made aware of it.”
Why I love it: Life doesn’t owe us anything. Do your best. Be your best and when life knocks you down. Remind yourself why you can get through it and get up. Keep walking the meaningful and right path to you.
Books can be personal, but given the uncertainty and opportunity in our world, I think you’ll get value from these – I did.
I’ll add one more to your list. My new book: The Science Behind Success – What Every Leader Needs to Know About Mindset, Influence, Culture and Performance. I’m biased, but it’s edgy, practical and filled with real challenges from leaders I’ve worked with from Singapore to Silicon Valley.
I’ve got a list for 2021, but I’d love to know… what’s on your list?
