Summer Business & Marketing To-Read List

Late last year, CMO.com asked for a list of business related books I was reading over the summer. Nearing the end of December in retail, my mindset was firmly set on brain numbing activities including cricket, swimming and some sneaky beverages. However, some serious reading did start to creep in.

CMO.com published 10 Books APAC Marketers Are Reading This Summer which has some great recommendations from other marketers including Andy Lark and Mark Reinke - my to read list is now longer! One of my (nerdier) recommendations, How To Measure Anything, also made the cut.

A few people asked what else was on my list, so here it is as sent to CMO (we were asked for title, what we hope to learn and who else should read it).

1. Spin Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff by Neil Rackham

Recommended to me from a mentor, this is apparently the book that revolutionised how to sell (and of course, binds it all together with an obligatory acronym). While I am not in the direct sales game, most of us in business are selling in one way or another - whether this be a product, a service, an idea or their career. For me, this is a book that can add more tools to the pitching and selling belt.

I would recommend it for anyone who is looking to refresh their approach to winning people over and getting their point across.

2. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull

I’m a long time Pixar fan, so the idea of a book that combines one of my favourite companies with creative business thinking was always going to be on the top of my list. I’m a big believer in a data / creativity balance, however, creativity is often the first element to be dismissed when the going gets tough. This will hopefully act as my creative conscience!

I would recommend it for traditional businesses and managers who are in need of a spark to pull them out of the way “we have always done things”.

3. How To Measure Anything by Douglas W. Hubbard

Complementing the creative focus, there is increasing pressure to analyse everything regardless of how fleeting or intangible it is. Written pre “big data” this book leaves the in-vogue tools at the door and explains the steps needed to create frameworks to start measuring the important but often overlooked business metrics.

I would recommend this book for those who have started diving into the big data tools and come out with a fuzzy head. This book looks like it will help the reader identify and simplify the important metrics to measure.

4. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

While not strictly a business book, Chris Hadfield’s stories from space literally gives a completely different view on the world. Col. Hadfield has skipped the biography path and has written about experiences which have shaped his attitude to problem solving and success.

I would recommend this book for anyone keen to explore new ways of looking at their world.

(Other non-business, guilty pleasure book I've got my nose in are Eat & Run by Scott Jurek, The Shining by Stephen King and Adam Gilchrist's biography).

What books are on your summer reading list?

PS. Connect with me on Goodreads if you want to keep swapping book recommendations!

Photo Credit: Ari Bakker