First published in Management today
Which books have had the biggest impact on the way you approach business and leadership? What is each book about? Why have they been so influential?
“How will you measure your life” by Clay Christensen
Christensen shows how proven business theories can be applied to the rest of your life, with great effect. The book has three parts:
- How you ensure you’re successful and happy in your career.
- How you enjoy happy and lasting personal relationships.
- How to live with integrity.
It’s an unusual combination from a globally recognised author, who manages to live a balanced life. There’s no shortage of good business books by incredibly successful people whose personal lives are far from enviable. I aim to have the same balanced approach in my life. This book was a welcome challenge to what I really hold as important.
“Never split the difference: negotiating as if your life depended on it” by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
This book is about how to become a better negotiator. It’s written by a former FBI hostage negotiator so it’s fair to say the author comes with a fair degree of credibility on the topic. As you become more senior in business, the need for sharp negotiation skills only increases (the same can be said for having children too!). The approaches in this book are powerfully effective – you would be crazy not to read this.
“Working with SDI” by Scudder et al
This was a gamechanger for me. It forced me to re-think every significant relationship in my life, through the lens of SDI (Strength Deployment Inventory). We typically try and read people through our own lens. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn’t. This book explores the different motivations people have and what behaviours they exhibit when things go well and at times of conflict. To get the very best out of your team, you need to understand their motivations and preferences. By rolling out SDI in our business, I can say it has fundamentally changed how we relate to each other and to our stakeholders.
Which one book would you recommend that all business leaders read? Why?
SDI. It changed everything for me. The power in this is not just reading it, understanding it and then keeping it to yourself, but in weaving it into your own organisation so it is used on a daily basis, all with a view to delivering increased performance.
Are there any other books/magazines/podcasts are you reading/listening to? Why are they good?
I’m a big fan of podcasts as I travel a lot and they help your brain recharge. I recommend:
- “Serial, Series 1”. The most addictive thing I’ve ever listened to. If you have a lot of travel time, fill it with this. Don’t just do more emails!
- “Heavyweight”. This is a serious but often comical listen by Gimlet media that goes back to when people’s lives went wrong. For an hour, you step into a pivotal point in someone else’s life but in a non-intrusive way.
- “The Dropout”. This covers the story of Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos and the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. Worth a listen to reflect on what or who you may be taken in by.