Having many other avenues of entertainment removed in 2020 was, in my case, conducive to reading more. A silver lining to an otherwise challenging year, although I’ll be OK with seeing other human beings in person again.
Below are some highlights of books I found to be especially enlightening, and in a couple of cases, very entertaining too. Here’s hoping that 2021 brings you all some great reads, whether they be from this list or otherwise. And I’m always in the market for good recommendations if there are any you particularly enjoyed!
- Leonardo da Vinci. I’ve been working my way through Walter Isaacson’s biographies and have enjoyed them all so far. This one provides insight into an intensely creative mind, but also a very messy one! Seriously, the guy was all over the place, which was in many ways inextricably entwined with his genius. A good lesson in how creativity isn’t always neat and orderly, a lesson that the more orderly folks such as myself need from time to time.
- In the Kingdom of Ice. Something about this year made a tale of a journey of exploration lost in the Arctic and cut off from civilization very fitting. I’ve got more books by Hampton Sides on my to-read list and I’m even more excited to get to them after finishing this book.
- The Third Chimpanzee. Really going into the back catalog here, but this was a fascinating read. Jared Diamond (of Guns, Germs, and Steel fame), explores the many subtle factors that come together to make humans unique. I came away with a richer appreciation of why we are the way we are, both at a macro and micro level.
- The Great Influenza. Added this one to the list courtesy of Bill Gates having it on his recommended list, and of course it’s a natural choice for this year. It provides not only insight into that pandemic (including as a case study in how viruses and pandemics function), but also a perspective on how far we’ve come since then.
- Factfulness. Similar to some other works like Enlightenment Now, this explores how much the world has changed, in many ways for the better. His central thesis is that the binary mental model of the developed/developing world is outdated. It mostly worked in the 1960s, but now it does not. He uses a 4-tier model, with the corollary that people on each tier are more similar to each other than they are to people on other tiers. E.g., if you’re on Level 4 (likely if you’re reading this), then you’re more similar to other people on Level 4 in other countries than you are to people on other tiers in your own country. I’ve already made use of this model in a professional context, although I was surprised by how sticky the two-tier model is; it’s very hard for people to move away from it.
- Principles: Life and Work. This has been on my shelf for a couple of years, possibly suffering from appearing “too big to read”. Once I cracked it open however, it was a page-turner. The central point was one I found, like many great ideas, completely obvious once it’s been articulated. Namely, many leaders and people generally don’t write down fundamental elements of how they would like their teams and organizations to operate, dooming them to operating at sub-scale and being victim to uncertainty. Ray Dalio asks the obvious question of why not articulate these principles so as to operate more effectively. Of course, it’s hard work and means you have to be accountable (yikes), but well worth the effort. I’ve already leveraged the concept in how I approach my own work and leadership and have found doing so to be incredibly helpful, and from what I can tell, my team does too. It’s not “one in done” by a long shot, and it requires the writer to have the humility to be willing to edit along the way (read: admit to being imperfect and willing to change), but that’s the whole point. I encourage you all to put in the work of documenting your principles and evaluating how to best incorporate them into your life. And, very importantly, being willing to adjust them in light of new data and feedback.
- No Rules Rules. One the topic of principles, I enjoyed getting insight into Reed’s a lot. While I don’t necessarily agree with all of his 100% (they certainly wouldn’t fit all organizations, as he readily admits), they were all thought-provoking. And I’d go so far to say that almost all organizations would benefit from being more like Netflix rather than less. In particular, his philosophy around empowerment is well worth emulating.
- Let my People go Surfing. More good principles material here. This one covers the founder of Patagonia (Yvon Chouinard) expounding on his company’s philosophies. They are often surprisingly hard-nosed for a very values-oriented firm, which I took as a sign of the credibility of his message. He’s not all sunshine and rainbows, he’s about recognizing the realities you confront, making hard choices, and always looking for new ways to improve. Chouinard treats his business like a craft, you can see him and his team honing their approach to a topic (like sustainable fabrics) over decades, using data. And in his case improvement means better living their values and being a more effective business. Very inspirational! Especially if Patagonia, the outdoors, or case studies in organizational culture resonate with you, you’ll enjoy this.
- Ride of a Lifetime. I usually have some initial skepticism of CEO autobiographies, but this one over-delivered. A real master class in navigating some incredibly complex organizational challenges gracefully. When you look back on what Disney has accomplished over the last decade in terms of integrating some very unique cultures successfully, they’ve done a great job and Bob Iger surely deserves much of the credit for it. His ability to find win-win outcomes for people is really a gift.
- Born a Crime. First off, an incredible life story which I didn’t know before but am glad I do now. And Trevor Noah’s insight into living during Apartheid and beyond in South Africa is also thought-provoking. And there are, amidst the very serious settings, also moments of profound humor. I recommend the audiobook which is read by Trevor himself, a real treat.
Honorable mentions: