No time for taking courses? Want to read more this year? Keen on learning? Take advantage of my review of the books I read in 2024.
Books are underrated. A vast universe is at your disposal to inhale.
Books allow you to learn, lead, and laugh.
They wait patiently for you to devour them in one sitting or peck at them, a few pages at a time. Your choice.
That’s why I make reading a priority.
Let’s celebrate all things books!
Here are my choice reads from 2024, part one. I’ll cover part two next week.
I’ve divided my top reads into the following categories (note: many books can fit under one category so don’t get hung up on the ‘classification’):
- Learning and Development
- Personal Development
- Health and Wellness
- Business Development
- DEI
Learning and Development
Critical thinking in a nutshell; how to become an independent thinker and make intelligent decisions by Thinknetic
- This was one of the books I read to prepare for a member-requested Learning and Development Roundtable on critical thinking
- It’s a quick read with some good overall points about critical thinking
HBR guide to critical thinking
- This was another book I read to prep for the Roundtable on critical thinking
- I loved it! So many concepts to learn and apply like WTF – wishful thinking forever (something to cut out) and conversational receptiveness (how to demonstrate you’re open and ready for a conversation)
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
- This was another book I read for research on the member-requested Roundtable on Emotional Intelligence (EI)
- I especially liked the EI elements to pay attention to: social skills, self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and empathy
Storytelling with data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
- This book is like getting a PhD in data visualization – you can take it bite by bite and use some of the basics or dive in very deep.
- The author is the former manager of the Google People Analytics team
- Everything is focused on storytelling using data, including her acknowledgments (see the screengrab above)
- A fabulous read. I highly recommend it if you want to save yourself (and your viewers) from among other things, death by PowerPoint
Presentations by HBR 20-Minute Manager Series by Harvard Business Review
- I really like the HBR 20-minute manager series as you can, as the title says, read these little spiffy booklets in about 20 minutes
- This is a good read if you want some basics for creating presentations
Difficult Conversations (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series): Craft a Clear Message, Manage Emotions, Focus on a Solution
- This is a total gem if you need some help with planning for, holding, and follow-up on those difficult conversations we all have to have from time to time
- I’ve used it for research for an upcoming Learning and Development Roundtable on the same topic
- I adapted some of the research to create my F.A.C.E. ‘s tool – a tool to help prepare for said difficult conversations. Check out the February Learning and Development Roundtable to learn more.
Personal Development
Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- While this focuses on family relationships, it’s chockablock full of tools and tips for the professional setting as well
- Nedra is an incredibly accomplished therapist who’s laid out all of her hard-earned knowledge and skills around stubborn conflict.
- Highly recommend it if you have some seemingly intractable conflict
The Miracle Morning (Updated and Expanded Edition): The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM) by Hal Elrod
- I’d heard of this book for ages and finally dug into it last year
- The title speaks of great promises …. which are well-founded
- I regularly start my day now with short ten-minute segments of meditation, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and journaling
- Highly recommend
Health and Wellness
Sweat Your Prayers: The Five Rhythms of the Soul — Movement as Spiritual Practice by Gabrielle Roth
- I’d had this book on my shelf for ages and finally dug into it
- It’s poetically written, evocative, and a testament to how we need to move our bodies. Way more.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: the New Translation by Marcus Aurelius
- My youngest kiddo gave this to me and while it’s dense text that requires concentration, it’s a beautiful insight into the life of a former Roman Emperor
- It’s remarkably relevant to today’s life
- I took away a number of insightful gems, such as “You have to know an awful lot before you can judge other people’s actions with real understanding.”
Business Development
Automate Your Busywork: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff by Aytekin Tank
- This was a great read focusing on the power of automating our work
- My biggest takeaway from the book was looking at the effort/impact matrix. In other words, when I’m planning my workload and my workflow, I now include examining what will have the biggest impact while examining how much effort those tasks and/or projects will take
Delegating Work – HBR 20-Minute Manager Series by Harvard Business Review
- A quick read on the importance of and how to delegate
Managing time- HBR 20-Minute Manager Series by Harvard Business Review
- Ditto
- Any time management book needs to include a focus on email. I liked how the authors talked about email potentially being a harbour to avoid other tasks!
Creating business plans – HBR 20-Minute Manager Series by Harvard Business Review
- Ditto – a quick read on the basics of business planning
Getting work done – HBR 20-Minute Manager Series by Harvard Business Review
- Ditto
- I liked how the authors included a section on rewarding yourself (high-five!) and that we spend about 25% of our time multi-taking!
- I also enjoyed reading about using your overall goals to prioritize your time and track your progress.
All In: How Great Leaders Build Unstoppable Teams by Mike Michalowicz
- The author and his writing are pretty bro’y (on his website he has some audio clips of what words his last name rhymes with and well, one, as a woman, is not very palatable. I sent an email about this and never heard back.
- Having said that, the content is fabulous. His concept of a P.O.M. (personal operating manual) for team members is a game changer. Essentially it’s a document that includes key information to get the most out of team members. I’ve adapted it and use it with my team and the teams I work with.
- Highly recommend
The Four Workarounds: Strategies from the World’s Scrappiest Organizations for Tackling Complex Problems by Paulo Savaget
- I love books that teach by example and this book was no exception. The author lays out four workarounds for complex problems (piggybacking, roundabout, next best, and loophole) and then shares super interesting examples of each from the real world.
- For example, piggybacking on Coca-Cola’s delivery system to deliver children’s diarrhea medication in the same crates. Simple, elegant, and highly impactful.
Launch (Updated & Expanded Edition): How to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams by Jeff Walker
- If you are thinking about launching an online membership this book is a must-read.
- Period.
- I highly recommend it.
2024 may have been a challenging year on many fronts but it was also a great year for books.
Above are short and sweet summaries of the first four categories (Learning and Development, Personal Development, Health and Wellness and Business Development). Next week I’ll share the other half of the books I read, namely DEI-focused books (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Stay tuned. And keep turning those pages.
Now go on and learn, laugh, and lead
Learn
- Heed the call of any of the above books that are calling your name and/or get inspired and make a list for your 2025 reads.
Laugh
- Need some inspiration? Check out these wee babes ‘reading.’
Lead
- Get reading!
Leave a Reply