Readings in 2021, Jan-Jun: From Being Vulnerable to Meeting Erik Reid

It's winter here in Sydney, and as I type this on the 4th of July, it's 9°c outside and we are half way into a two week lockdown to ensure the current wave of the virus doesnt spread any further. My thoughts and wishes go out to the patients and to all the frontline teams who are fighting to keep us safe.

When I think of winter, I am reminded of cold, lazy days as a child in Kolkata during our winter vacations from school. I have fond memories of sitting in the morning sun in our apartment's balcony and reading - with the sounds of daily life in the streets outside and smells of lunch being prepared in the kitchen forming the backdrop to the memory. I am not really sure how many of those occasions occured, but just thinking of them makes me smile.

Today, while I am in a different place, different time and different stage in life, I still enjoy the little pleasure of reading in the winter sun on the weekends when time permits. Over the last few weeks I have started an exciting new role in IBM that has kept me busier than usual as I settle into a new rhythm and connect with a wonderful new team. Yet, thankfully for the sake of my sanity I have managed to continue my regular reading habit.

The readings in the first six months of the year have been exceptionally wonderful for me. I have been very lucky to have picked twelve books that have been inspirational, thoughtful, informative and energizing. I am a better person to have spent the time with each of the authors, their stories and their characters in some form - including meeting the curious Erik Reid.

The 12 books in order of reading are:

1. Peak: How to Master Almost Anything by Ericsson, K. Anders
2. The Midnight Library by?Haig, Matt
3. Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era by Wagner, Tony
4. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dweck, Carol S.
5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Owens, Delia
6. No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Hastings, Reed
7. The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness by Cuylenburg, Hugh van
8. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Harari, Yuval Noah
9. Dare to Lead by Brown, Brené
10. The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Kim, Gene
11. A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by Attenborough, David
12. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Grant, Adam M

I would recommend all the books above without hesitation. Each book has surprised me in some way or the other - Some more than the rest.

The top five reading experiences I would like to call out are:

The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Kim, Gene

(to Bill) "Until you gain a better understanding of what work is, any conversation we have about controlling work will be totally lost on you. It would be like talking about acrobatics to someone who doesn't believe in gravity yet." - Erik Reid, character, The Phoenix Project

I will start by admitting that I did not think I would like this book. Ever since I made my many new friends at Red Hat, they have all been talking about the book - but I was skeptical, and oh so wrong!

The book starts with Bill Palmer getting promoted from his role of Director as Midrange Technology Ops to becoming VP of IT Ops of "Parts Unlimited". His job is to fix the unit and a key failing project in 90 days otherwise the entire department gets outsourced.

I am so glad I started reading it, because it is a gripping page-turner, and I learnt so much from it at the same time. When you read it - and if you are in the technology industry, I do hope you read it - you will meet Erik Reid, the yoda-like character who makes cryptic suggestions to Bill Palmer guiding him on his journey of discovery of "The Three Ways".

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dweck, Carol S.

“Becoming is better than being”

―?Carol Dweck,?Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

This is one book I have seen referenced again, and again, and again. From references in other books, to popular quotes in social media to even seeing a "Growth mindset" wall in my son's school. You have probably been taken through courses at work on "Growth Mindset" and we even "hire for mindset" today instead of only skills.

It all started with this book published first in 2006 by world renowned Stanford University psychologist Carl S. Dweck. She writes about People with a?fixed mindset?— those who believe that abilities are fixed and are less likely to flourish than those with a?growth mindset?— those who believe that abilities can be developed.

Over the last few years, I have read books like Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Peak by Andres Ericsson which talk to the fact that greatness comes from sheer hard work and repetition. I have also read books like Drive by Daniel Pink which talks to what makes people tick. What I was missing was why.

Why do some people put in that massive effort to achieve greatness and most of us don't. For me Dweck's book answers that question to a large extent. A growth mindset is a foundation required for anyone to be driven to put in 10,000 hours needed to be the expert that Ericsson and Gladwell talk about. If you haven't read it yet - please do.

A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by Attenborough, David

“We often talk of saving the planet, but the truth is that we must do these things to save ourselves. With or without us, the wild will return.”

- David Attenborough,?A Life on Our Planet

What a privilege it is to read this book. Attenborough recounts the 90 years of his life and the destruction he has seen happen to Earth's biodiversity, and his vision for all of us to make it better - together.

The book is beautifully written. I could almost hear his famous voice narrating the words to me as I soaked in the reality of the planet today.

The message needs to be heard. If you would rather watch the Netflix movie based on the book , please do so, and get your family and loved ones to watch it with you.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Owens, Delia

“Sometimes she heard night-sounds she didn’t know or jumped from lightning too close, but whenever she stumbled, it was the land who caught her. Until at last, at some unclaimed moment, the heart-pain seeped away like water into sand. Still there, but deep. Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother.”

―?Delia Owens,?Where the Crawdads Sing

It is unusual for me to read two works of fiction and have it listed in my top recommendations, and what a happy shift from the regular this is.

Without giving too much away, the story is set in 1950's North Carolina and it weaves us through the life of Kya Clark from childhood to adulthood.

It is a story of resiliency, discovering strength, survival, love, loss, loneliness and doing it all on one's own.

Dare to Lead by Brown, Brené

“The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.”

―?Brené Brown,?Dare to Lead

"When we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don't see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don't avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that’s necessary to do good work."

I copied the above from a part of a larger description of the book, as I think it captures a large essence of the book. I loved this book as it brings to front many of the misguided concepts of leadership in business and guides the reader with her research into being more "daring leaders" through a collection of skills and behaviours. She spends time discussing vulnerability, shame, fear, courage, empathy, trust and more. It's a must read for anyone who will be open to choosing courage over comfort to bring out the best in oneself and their teams around them.

To cap my recommendations, I would like to make a special callout to The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness by Cuylenburg, Hugh van . During his time teaching in India, Cuylenburg is inspired by underprivileged children who seemed to have remarkable resilience and positivity when children back at home in Australia are struggling with multiple mental illnesses. Since then, he has devoted his time setting up the "Resilience Project" that look at bringing tools to students across Australia to lead happier lives. He uses the acronym of GEM - Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. It is not an incredible piece of research or a deep literary triumph, but it is a simple, strong message that I am hoping will resonate with the youth of today.

That's it for now my fellow readers. Please stay safe - and keep growing!

Footnote: If you are curious about my prior readings, you will find them at: 2018 ,?2019 , 2020 (January - June) , and 2020 (July - December) .