My Top 5 Books of 2016

2016 was an interesting year, some would say a cataclysmic one. Nigeria slipping into a recession, high profile deaths, Brexit, Trump and all what not. On the personal front I transited to the life of an entrepreneur 100%. A year of big bets.

 Through all that madness, I tried to squeeze in some essential reading with varying levels of success. These profiled books came to me from varying sources?—?some of the books came off mild critique of my 2015 list (too many ‘serious books’, not enough fiction), some came my way from the recommendations of friends and associates while some were actively sought out for the perspective they could help with my new endeavors. My co-conspirator Oje Ojeaga has recommend dibs on 5, 3 and 2.

P.S - All the books were eBooks, helps to read more than one book at a time.

Let us dive in, Enjoy.

#5 – Agency: Starting A Creative Firm by Rick Webb

There was no way we could try building a differentiated agency without reading this book Oje said, he told no lies.

Rick broke down the building blocks of boot strapping a creative agency to its most essential pieces. Defining a culture and vision, how to bill for work, how and who to hire, how to set up your operational playbook and most important of all, how to stay calm when money is not coming in (ESSENTIAL), this book went in hard. The surprising thing is how hard it was to get a copy of this book. It should be essential reading if you want to start an agency.

I recommend it highly

#4 – The Everything Store by Brad Stone

Reading this book was a no brainer, it was a matter of when, not if. Our first client as an agency was Konga.com. Their ambitions are not small, we love clients with Big Hairy Audacious Goals. I calmly dove in to study the biggest online retailer on the planet. To see how Amazon has kept reinventing itself was pure delight. You must be committed to a maniacal focus on customer delight and a lean operation.

I gained some perspective on how a CEO can be focused on what is important but also ignore what is important. It is essential to understand that culture cannot be limited to how it helps create winning products and solutions but also how it must remain true to those who build it – People. Jeff Bezos has been growing since this book was published, those reading it now will need to forgive his early days’ shenanigans.

Never stand still, become better every day.

#3 – Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (Real name James Olive Rigney Jnr)

This is a 13-book panorama of incredible breath taking fiction. As 2016 ended, I was just reading the final page of Book 5 of the series. Going back to the creative industries, I think my brain needed a fiction reset. These books did just that. Robert Jordan created perhaps the most expansive fictional world known to fiction readers – he makes George RR Martin look like a learner.

Channeling the True Source, Ta’vaeren, Aes Sedai, Trollocs, The Breaking of the World, The Forsaken and so many other moving parts dominate this world he built. The heroic interplay between forces of light and darkness but told with the most aware incorporation of metaphysical cause and effects I have ever seen.

 Jordan was way ahead of his time, creating sub plots and arcane powers that moved the story line in amazing ways. I initially thought he was one of those writers too squeamish to neutralize his central characters by the hasty contraption we call death. Unlike George R. R. Martins (Game of Thrones), he doesn’t swiftly kill them off, he lures you in and systematically builds their death in ways that mirror real life.

I recommend this series highly if you want to deepen your story telling and appreciation skills. Books 1-5 are The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven. I have gone and started reading the prequel book – New Spring.

As the yankees say, Robert Jordan got me sprung!

#2 – Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni

If my number 1 book wasn’t just too badass, this would have been number 1. I am naturally a story teller and go into business presentations using stories to sell facts. I loved this book because Patrick Lencioni told some hard-hitting facts about the life of consultants through a story (fable).

If you work in, work for or run a professional services firm you should put money aside to go buy this book today. Using the fictional story of a consulting firm that was about to be bought over by its close competitor, this book showed some clear path ways to differentiate your consulting practice.

One of the nuggets I will share here is the idea of ‘Entering the Danger’ – an almost Zen like move when you introduce the elephant in the room to your clients. It seems so obvious but so few consultants are willing to do this consistently and with forthrightness. At Up In The Sky we have built this into our very core, entering the danger is many times how we have gotten new clients.

Go and buy this book. Now

#1 – Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

I got to know about this book from a business publication listing it as one book on the reading list of many global CEO’s for summer 2016. Our very own Keem Belo Osagie was on that list. I respect the Chairman’s hustle, so ‘Shoe Dog’ got copped.

Nike is every brand marketers dream, it is a marketing wonder that’s truly authentic. Imagine my shock reading how the company we know now as Nike started first as the nebulous project thesis of a jock American guy. Phil Knight took his dreams and literally ran with it. This book is required reading if you want to build a business and sustainable global brand. Nike almost died on several occasions but for the passionate commitment of people who were connected by a simple love for running.

This book showed how much you need a dream team to succeed. Now a dream team isn’t necessarily one chock full of MBA’s, Phd’s or whiz kids. A dream team is one where every skillset compliments every other skill set. Where you subordinate your need to look great to the larger purpose of letting the company flourish. An alignment must exist on creating masterpieces and not just making money.

2016 was not the best year to start a business in Nigeria but this book was a helpful mast on the swaying storm. From time to time I just go back to read chapters that gave off that most essential currency of venturing – Hope.

I do hope you pick a few of these books up in 2016, a book can help you navigate many life jams or enter new ventures. Lets get reading folks, cheers to a great 2017.