My Summer 2019 Reading List

I always find the summer months are a great time to do some reading, especially if you are able to get away from the office and clear your head for a week or two. Here are a few books that really had an impact on me. They will make great gifts and wonderful additions to your personal libraries too. 

1. The Culture Code - Daniel Coyle 

Dan Coyle spent 4 years researching what makes the best groups tick. From businesses to sport and elite military teams, he has cracked the code on how to get the most out of a group of individuals that need to cooperate and work together. If you are a leader or manager this is a must read.

2. Deviate - Beau Lotto 

My recent fascination is with the brain, how it is wired and how we can understand it better. So much of running a great business is driving behavioural change: changing other people's behaviour and or own. The problem is that a lot of our own biases, buried deep in our minds, get in the way. Beau does a great job of showing us how the mind works and how we can use it to drive creativity and innovation. He takes a very complex topic and makes it super approachable. 

3. Path Between the Seas - David McCullough

OK, I confess, I would read anything that David McCullough writes. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and one of our greatest living historians. This is the story of the building of the Panama Canal. Written in 1977, it is still as readable and engrossing as I am sure it was 40 years ago. The similarities between the turn of the 20th century and current environment are incredible. It is a story of innovation, human determination and spirit. 

4. Real Artists Don't Starve - Jeff Goins

This book is for anyone who needs to get paid (so pretty much everyone) for the work they do. Not only artists, writers, and creators but everyone who may have a slight pang of anxiety before they hit the "send" button on their invoice. Your work is valuable and you deserve to get paid for it. This book will help you believe that and build a plan for realizing your true economic potential.

5. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers

No excuse not to read this brilliant business book. It's a measly 96 pages, but is packed with gems about launching, growing and bootstrapping your business. Derek is a very unique guy. Intentional and purposeful, he truly walks the talk when it comes to building the business and life that you want. He built one of the first online music stores, selling CDs (remember those). He sold it for $25 million and never second-guessed himself for that choice. After you read it send him a note and tell him what you think. He always responds. 

Are you reading anything interesting these days? Let me know!