Can you guess what all of these books have in common (other than the fact that I read them all this year)?

Can you guess what all of these books have in common (other than the fact that I read them all this year)?

I'll tell you in a minute. But first...

Those of you who know me may be aware that I have a habit of reading around one business book per week, as I've been doing since 1998. If you do the math (and I will happily let you do the math, as I was an English major), and if my calculations are correct, that works out to approximately 1,100 business books read over the past 22 years.

And, as I often do at year’s end, I was just about to put out my list of favorites, my "Top 20 Business Books of 2020"…when I decided to do something just a little bit different this year:

Which brings me to my original question: "What do all these books have in common…other than the fact that I read them all this year?"

The answer is: I am proud to be able to say that I know each and every one of the authors on this year’s list personally! (*See full list below.)

While some of them I've known for years (e.g., Marshall Goldsmith and Scott Osman, Nancy Duarte, Seth Godin, Helena Escalante, Sandra Long, Michael Schein, and Sharon Holand Gelfand), every other author on this list I just met and developed a relationship with OVER THIS PAST YEAR – via Zoom and social media…even though it feels as if we are already old friends!

And this includes four of my all-time favorite authors whose brilliant work I have ben a fan of for so many years (and all of whom, I am so glad to be able to say, turned out to be amazing humans!): John Baldoni; Chester Elton & Adrian Gostick; and Dorie Clark (who, as some of you may know, inadvertently "Ruined My Weekend" way back in July).

With that, I am happy to introduce this list of terrific books and wonderful authors to you while acknowledging that, despite all of the absolute insanity of this past year, if not for the circumstances resulting from the pandemic, I would not have met any of these amazing people.

And special thanks must go out to my good friends Ayse Birsel (author of “Design the Life You Love”), Peter Winick & Bill Sherman, and Mike Roderick – without whom most of the aforementioned introductions never would have occurred.

Lastly, if I am being completely honest, I have to admit that of all the books that were published in 2020, the one that personally made the greatest difference in my life, was… (drumroll please…): “VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life,” written by, yes, me. ??

In all seriousness, when the pandemic broke out here in NYC back in March -- in addition to the awful issues related to the disease itself -- I was devastated by the realization that my book, that I had worked so hard on for so many years, would be launched in the middle of all this chaos, resulting in the cancellation of all of my scheduled book launch events, keynotes, and corporate workshops. The silver lining, however, turned out to be that between Zoom, LinkedIn, Facebook, and the 40-plus podcast interviews I've done over the past nine months, I actually ended up getting more global visibility (from New York to Vancouver, and London to Denmark to Italy, and Asia to Australia and New Zealand) than I ever would have received by doing one local, in-person book event at a time. So...lemons to lemonade.

And, to top things off, I was incredibly honored and proud to learn that “VisuaLeadership” was just named by Thinkers360 as one of their “Top 50 Business Books to Read in 2021.”

So, if you have not read it already, I hope you’ll consider adding it to your 2021 reading list!

With that, I wish you and yours the best of health, happiness…and many good books in the coming year,

Todd

*For more info on my book or my services, please visit my website at: www.toddcherches.com, and feel free to download my list of “Top 52 Books Recommendations to Help You Become a More Visual Leader.”

Here’s the list (in alphabetical order by author’s first name):

Andy Lopata: Connected Leadership: How Professional Relationships Underpin Executive Success

Adrian Gostick & Chester Elston – Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results

Andi Simon – On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights 

Andi Simon – Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business 

Chris Palmore – Dear Gratitude: An Anthology

Chris Schembra – Gratitude and Pasta: The Secret Sauce for Human Connection

Claus Raasted – The Innovation Cycle:

Dan Janal – Write Your Book in a Flash: The Paint-by-Numbers System to Write the Book of Your Dreams—Fast!

Dorie Clark – Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, And Thrive

Dorie Clark – Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future

Dorie Clark – Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It

Elia Gourgouris – 7 Paths to Happiness

Elia Gourgouris & Konstantinos Apostolopoulos – 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis

Helena Escalante – The Quickest Guide to Content Creation

Jack Killion – Network All the Time, Everywhere With Everybody: Master Your Life & Career

Janice Litvin – Banish Burnout Toolkit

James M. Kerr – Indispensable: Build and Lead a Company Customers Can’t Live Without

John Baldoni – Grace: A Leaders Guide to a Better Us

Kimberly Butler – The Art of Fear: A Photographic Memoir

Marshall Goldsmith & Scott Osman – Leadership in a Time of Crisis: The Way Forward in a Changed World

Michael Schein – The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers

Nancy Duarte – DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story

Rob Thomas – Who Do You Need to Meet?

Sandra Long – Linkedin for Personal Branding: The Ultimate Guide (2021 Edition)

Seth Godin – The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

Scott Gould – The Shape of Engagement: The Art of Building Enduring Connections with Your Customers, Employees and Communities

Shannon Huffman Polson – The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World

Sharon Holand Gelfand – The G.U.T. Method: Secrets Beyond Your Plate for a Healthier, More Energetic Life

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