My Top 6 Books of 2018. Giving me biggest impact.

Reading gives us the ability to learn anything we desire. It’s essentially our superpower as humans!

With all the new challenges I faced in 2018, I had to learn a lot. Here are my 6 top impact books that helped me along the way.

"Contagious, Why Things Catch On." by Jonah Berger

Berger spent over 15 years studying how things catch on. From content, products to ideas. He outlines it through a process called 'STEPPS'; written loudly on my office wall for my team and I reference after every new idea.

Social currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical values and Stories. Easy to understand and so important, Contagious is a classic.

A must for anyone creating anything!

I'm currently reading Berger’s "Invisible Influence".

"Radical Candor: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean" by Kim Malone Scott

This one changed my "work" life completely. What I thought a leader should be or how they should be is completely revisited and humanized by Scott, a former leader at Apple, Google, Dropbox and Twitter.

Getting personal with your team has never been more important and relevant. Didn't think so, heh?

If you're working with people and depend on culture to achieve goals - this one is an essential read. I even spread the word with my office peers.

"Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth" by Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares.

Everyone I know has a great idea. These ideas are sometimes even better than what's out there. But if nobody is using the product, does the product even exist? Weinberg and Mares zone in on the importance of traction - consistent growth!

This one is full of amazing growth stories and practical applications for almost any product.

Launching a never used product into the market and growing it 10 times in a span of only months took some deep traction. I had to go back and referenced this book a few times.

Your genius idea is only as good as the traction you build around it. Now go!

“Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” by Nir Eyal

Eyal illustrates a very relevant 4-step Hooked Model on how to influence behaviour within a product. For a while I kept this book a secret - you really don’t want your competitors reading it! The model gives you an understanding of consumer behaviour and how to influence it by embedding the Hook model.

The Hook: Trigger -> Action -> Reward -> Investment -> ...

A quote from Eyal himself on my Linkedin page; “Habit-forming products can be very helpful to people's lives per the case studies in the book.”

If you’re into product and haven’t read this, you’re behind!

“The Headspace Guide to Meditation & Mindfulness” by Andy Puddicombe.

This one changed my life. I dabbled with mediation my whole life (religion, karate, philosophy), but 2018 was the year where I felt I was getting back from the efforts I was putting in. Thanks to getting a better understanding of mindfulness.

Puddicombe is the soothing voice behind the essential Headspace app and shares insights of a misunderstood and unrated practice that can transform the way to see and interact with the modern world.

If you don't have to time for meditation, you definitely need this book in your life. At least check out the app!

“12 Rules for Life, an Antidote to Chaos” by Jordan B. Peterson

Between my father’s daily lectures and Baz Lurhman’s “Everyone has the right to wear sunscreen.” I felt I was equipped enough to have decent “rules for life”. But now that I’m raising a kid who’s learning at hyperloop speeds, I really thinking about our life values. I came across controversial Canadian Jordan B. Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life, an Antidote to Chaos”.

12 simple to understand rules of life for the world we live in today. Like comparing yourself to your past self vs. someone else, standing up straight or simply not to lie. The stories and references behind each can be quite controversial. Not everything should be agreed with, but it’s important to reflect on. While standing up straight is a fine rule, his opinions around the sexes can be odd to understand given our current climate. He can be quite dangerous, apparently. In the end, maybe Baz has the best advice after all. But we shouldn't blind ourselves from the words of modern philosophers. Another interview.

It was hard putting only 6 books together so I went with the ones that had the biggest impact to my life professionally and personally in 2018. I hope you enjoy them and happy 2019!

- Na’eem Adam