My Books of 2021...
While I don’t read much, I listen quite a lot, so my reading list is actually more of a listening list. And this year has been a particularly interesting one - I started a book club with friend and colleague Kerry in order to add a social element to what is normally an individual activity. This caused me to be more deliberate about my book choices and has been a real treat for me this year. I have marked the books we discussed with an asterisk (*).
And rather than my “reading” living mainly in my audible library, I thought it would be fun to write it down to share.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! What’s been your favourite book of 2021? What are you looking forward to reading in 2022?
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami
I loved this book, both because I run (well jog…) so enjoyed living vicariously through the author, but also because I found it fascinating to hear someone articulate how an activity became so integral to their life, becoming a real source of stability, a barometer of wellbeing, a giver of energy, a place of peace and so much more.
Just as with a marathon and with writing, running was not a “competition” for the author, but his own journey at his own pace.
https://www.harukimurakami.com/book/what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-a-memoir
The Courage To Be Disliked, Ichiro Kishini & Fumitake Koga*
This was the book that kicked off the book club, and what a corker - It got us all reacting strongly and wound up in different ways! The prose is at times turgid and the dialogue can be stilted. And it’s full of challenging and controversial assertions rooted in the Adlerian philosophy that it introduces so well.
Perhaps the book has lost some elegance in translation (alas my Japanese isn’t good enough to go back to the original to find out), but if you can get past that, it’s a read that can stretch and challenge you to the core, if you let it.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Courage-to-Be-Disliked/Ichiro-Kishimi/9781501197277
The Economist Guide To Investment Strategy, Peter Stanyer
I sold my home and so figured I needed to up my investment game. Enough said.
The Membership Economy, Robbie Kellman Baxter
Membership and subscription businesses are all the rage, and this book is an easy general introduction to the dynamics of this category of business, the different forms they can take, and some ideas and suggestions for adding membership elements to existing businesses.
The Tyranny of Merit, Michael Sandell*
I found the message contained in this book incredibly challenging as it dismantles many of the foundational assumptions and beliefs underpinning much of my career and education. While the book club discussion was somewhat frustrated at the lack of concrete answers and a suggested path forward, this actually serves to make this book even more powerful as a challenge to the way we do things currently and a provocation to think more deeply about the hidden effects of policies and behaviours that seem sensible on the surface.
I view see this as an incredibly important book for our times, particularly in its call for a greater moral dimension to our public discourse.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/313/313112/the-tyranny-of-merit/9780141991177.html
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sandel_the_tyranny_of_merit
A Whole New Mind, Dan Pink*
In typical Dan Pink style, this book gives an enthusiastic canter through the topic of right brain and left brain activity, bringing scientific research to life with entertaining examples from the real world.
While many of the examples are now dated (the book came out more than a decade ago), the overall thesis of the book is highly relevant today, moving us on from a fixation on “right brain vs. left brain” to what is possible when the two work together in symphony. Listening to the book brought home to me how this is an important element of the coaching work that I do - helping my clients see their situation in a “whole-brained” way and finding a path forward that makes logical sense AND feels emotionally / intuitively right.
The Power Of Not Thinking, Simon Roberts*
I had high hopes for this book. It contains some valuable nuggets and memorable anecdotes that serve to illustrate the importance of tapping into lived experience to really understand something (e.g. for product design or marketing) rather than relying on a merely intellectual understanding, and makes a valuable distinction between the classroom and practical learning that is widely relevant.
Ultimately, though, I ended up wishing the author had done much more with such a promising title and interesting topic.
The Art of War, Sun Tzu
A classic that mounted a strong defence the first time I tried to tackle it in paperback many years ago, but which yielded quickly when taken by surprise with a 1.5x speed audio assault. I enjoyed being transported to ancient china by the descriptions of warfare. And while there is a cottage industry built around applying passages of this book to various aspects of modern life, I found the structure of the work even more interesting - such clearly articulated and logically argued principles, some of which seem counter-intuitive and only make sense when considering 2nd and 3rd order effects of a particular course of action. Writing this short paragraph, I see some parallels with Ray Dalio’s Principles (see below)
The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
The audible algorithm threw up this suggestion for me following the art of war, and my playful side thought it might make a fun juxtaposition. This is a fiercely-made argument for committing to your art. If you take half measures then you’re not a professional but a hobbyist. The author could have chosen to generalise and talk about commitment and dedication more generally, but the case is even more powerful when applied specifically to this domain. While the book is very much assertion rather than fact or science, if you feel like you need a kick up the backside to get you moving, do consider this short, whatever your field.
Moby Dick (dramatisation) - Herman Melville
You may have noticed that my book diet skews somewhat to non-fiction. So I resolved to spice things up with a sprinkling of fiction. And when this dramatisation of Moby Dick appeared on Audible, I jumped right on it, in part because my mother had mentioned the book recently as giving a real insight into the lives of seamen of the era. I enjoyed the dramatisation (although not the casual racism of the era that is shocking to hear today), and listened to the whole thing during a trip to Riga for my work. It gave a surreal feeling to my trip as I felt accompanied by the characters as I moved through airports, ate my hotel breakfasts and walked around the city between my commitments.
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
This was a book that had been on my list for a long time since Gladwell brought “10,000 hours” to the mainstream. And the book was not what I expected. Far from an instruction book for success based on specialisation, it struck me as a celebration of our individualism, a recognition that we are unique products of our environments and those of our ancestors, and that many of the things that multiply up to make “success” are outside our control.
As you’d expect from a Gladwell book, this makes for a great listen, full of fascinating stories and examples from around the world. It’s also easy to get carried away with the narrative around complex and nuanced topics that are highly relevant to society. Rather than taking this at face value, I wanted to read around the subjects and this podcast juxtaposing it with Range (next on my list) was a great place to start.
https://www.gladwellbooks.com/titles/malcolm-gladwell/outliers/9780316040341/
Range, David Epstein*
Turning the narrative of focus and specialisation on its head, this book is a fascinating read that opened my mind up to different types of learning, learning environments and problems. Life is not chess, so you can’t necessarily become “good” at life in the same way you get good at chess. The rules aren’t clear. There are not clear signal about whether a choice was right or not. And what is “winning” or “success” in life anyway?
Epstein is careful not to dismiss specialists, although it can sometimes seem that he is. He is rather championing diversity of experience and ambiguous learning environments as a way to nurture the skills and abilities that are hardest to acquire. These just so happen to be what is needed to navigate complex, fast-moving environments where the rules, such as there are any, are unclear and change without notice.
Sound at all familiar?
Exponential, Azeem Azhar*
Some things change in straight lines. Others in curves. A few curves are exponential. And the human brain is not wired to intuitively grasp the consequences of exponential curves. This book (the next one for the book club) describes the “exponential age” that is a consequence of several technologies developing exponentially and interacting with each other. The pace of change is such that societal norms and institutions are not keeping up, creating an “exponential gap” that we’re already feeling in the form of inequality, populism, the tech-lash and more.
Most importantly, where most authors stick to either technology or society, Azhar takes on the complex interaction between the two. This is messy, mind-bending, impossible to forecast and absolutely essential to wrestle with if we are to engage positively with the challenges our societies face. Bravo!
Mission Unstoppable, Dan Gutman
I found this wacky, hilarious and very American story free on the audible plus catalogue and tried it out on my children (aged 8 and 6) as an alternative to watching something on Netflix. They LOVED it! In a nutshell, tween twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald (don’t ask!) are recruited into the highly classified genius files program, which makes secret agents out of high-IQ children. While on a cross-continental road-trip with their unsuspecting parents, that have to complete a secret mission to foil a terrorist attack at the site of the largest ball of twine in the world, while being pursued by a whole cast of highly creative assassins intent on stopping them dead!!
Go figure.
^^ Above this break are the books I have listened to on audible. vv Below are the books I’m working through at a much slower pace in print. I started all of these this year, but I doubt I will finish any of them until next year.
Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi
The title and subtitle strike me as click-bait and are somewhat misleading. Reading beneath this, I took away a deeply human message: Relationships are hugely valuable, but if you don’t build them until you need them then you are too late. And if you build relationships because of what they can do for you then it’s manipulation. Instead, work on finding people you would like to have in your life and who would like to have you in theirs. Stay in touch because you value the other person as a human being and because they value you. If you can help them, then do so without expectation.
A few genuine relationships like that is far more enriching than a whole rolodex of business contacts or a gazillion followers on LinkedIn. And this book provides inspiration, ideas and examples to get started.
Hear your heart whisper from the stillness, Nancy Smyth
As well as mentoring and supervising coaches (including me), Nancy specialises in relationships. This, her latest book, is really about the relationship with yourself. About finding peace and stillness. And then listening from that place of quietness.
Now this is easier said than done. But finding a quiet spot, 15 minutes of time without pressure, and dipping into this book is a great way to start. And the work is worthwhile, as our relationships with other people begin with our relationship with ourselves.
https://www.amazon.com/Hear-Your-Heart-Whisper-Stillness/dp/1951943635/
1587 A Year of No Significance, Ray Huang
When I complained to my Chinese friend and classmate, Monica, about so much of my reading being filtered through the lens of Anglo-Saxon authors (typically white and male and middle-aged), she suggested this book as a starting point to better understand China.
Now, I’m no history buff. And even though I was force-fed the Tudors in school, I still wouldn’t recommend a book on the 16th century as a way to understand modern Britain. So this recommendation really piqued my interest.
And it’s fascinating. A rich and forensic look at a single year of no great significance in itself, and yet around which the destiny of the Ming dynasty pivoted.
The book is old, I got my hands on a second hand copy. Grab one if you can, suspend your judgement, and dive into this work of pre-modern Chinese history. I for one have found it incredibly enriching!
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300028843/1587-year-no-significance
Principles, Ray Dalio
Part autobiography, part instruction book, I had dismissed this book when it came out as the much-hyped writings of a plutocrat heading into retirement and wanting to re-position their personal narrative.
And yet, it’s actually rather good.
True, it is highly opinionated, US-centric and heavily focused on the finance industry. AND it contains deep reflections from an individual who has built a remarkable organisation that is at the bleeding edge of how people interact with each other, and with technology, in the workplace.
The book is intended to provoke and challenge, rather than be taken as the truth. And it certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
Finally, a big thank you to friends and colleagues who have been generous with their book recommendations and with their time and opinions in discussing them. Reading / listening is quite an individual activity, and it is often in the discussion that the topics really come to life!
Have you enjoyed this blog? I would love to hear from you … Tales of your own setting forth, what you’re learning along the way, suggestions for future blogs or anything else you feel like sharing… click below to find a time that suits for us to chat over a virtual coffee.
Richard Smith, December 2021
Richard is an executive coach who works with founders, CEOs, senior leaders and professionals in career transition. You can subscribe to his newsletter here: https://www.setforth.pro/newsletter