Reading List for a Special Year

As the year is closing, I'd like to recommend a list of books to read for this special year. Some of new publications and some are older but still very relevant for today's world.

1) Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio. The author aims to share the Big Picture of the Changing World Order and offers some Principles for Life and Work. Pretty straightforward right? I like his style of writing as he takes into account of history and puts into a very pragmatic context (hint: he writes positively about China, which is not the 'mainstream' thinking in U.S. The book is available for pre-order. If you can't wait for the actual book, you can read everything on his website. Not a bad way to share knowledge. I expect to see more publications done in this manner.

2) The Offer You Can't Refuse by Steven Van Belleghem. If you are a Godfather like me, you will remember this classic quote "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse...". This book is not about being a mob! Instead, the Belgian author is a customer centricity expert and speaks about how businesses can stay relevant for customers (summary: technology, personal involvement, and social commitment). The books is recommended to me by another Belgian Dirk Goovaerts (CEO Asia Pacific, dnata). If you follow my posts, you might have read my article on how he led his company to navigate the pandemic crisis.

3) Has China Won? by Kishore Mahbubani. The book title is rather provocative. The answer... well, you have to read it! The geopolitical contest between U.S. and China (who will be No. 1 in the world) will be a key determining factor for countries and companies to align their diplomacy approach and strategies. Professor Mahbubani is bold and pragmatic in his views. He offers a better approach to how to 'face up' to dragon that is awaken. I hope that the Western world will take note and have a more balanced view about China.

4) Fifty Secrets of Singapore Success by Tommy Koh. This book is a compilation of essays written by the who's who of Singapore. I'm a fortunate benefactor of Singapore's success (I'm born in Ipoh, Malaysia and came to Singapore since 1999 for education via the ASEAN Scholarship). It's worth reading and reflecting on how a small city state can emerge to be a key player in the world ("Tropical Davos" is taking place in Singapore!).

5) A Promised Land by Barack Obama. The previous POTUS have broken a ceiling and made history. He does not have a perfect track record while in office, but his path to become President shows that there is a true democracy in the country. Of course, democracy can bring out the worst in people as well. He is also a very good writer! So, this is surely a recommended book to end or start the year.

6) The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (aka the Heath brothers). They are known for their Switch book (one of my all time favorite), which talks about how to change things when things are tough; and Made to Stick, about why some ideas survive and others die. This book is about how certain experiences can have extraordinary impact on people. (Remember that dedicated teacher that fostered your interest in Math or Biology?) Somewhat commonsense, but hey, it's difficult to produce commonsense. Their writing style is easy to read and easy to understand. Dan Health also authored another book called Upstream, about how to solve problems before they happen. OK, that's 4 books from them (you can do a binge reading)! Thanks to Lisa Yeoh for this recommendation!

Want to read more? Here are more options:

1) Bill Gates: 5 good books for a lousy year. His reading list never fails to surprise me. He is probably one of the most learned man on Earth and able to do something to change the world in a big way.

2) WSJ: The 10 Best Books of 2020. The Wall Street Journal offers a distinguished list on fiction and nonfiction.

3) Organisation Development Network Singapore (ODNS) Portal. In this Google Site, you will find a list of books that we have compiled (I'm one of the Board Members) that are relevant for Leadership and Organisation Development Professionals.