Three Books Worth Investing In

I found the following three books to be very informative and entertaining. If you’ve had a chance to read any, I’d be curious to get your thoughts on them?  If not, I highly recommend them.

1. The Halo Effect, by Phil Rosenzweig

Pundits are constantly pushing out “winning formulas” and business models that are almost always predicated on businesses that are highly profitable at the time of writing. Rosenzweig meticulously unpicks the human tendencies that lead far too many managers and business leaders to buy in to, and to be readily deceived by, such promises. This book was not on my MBA reading list but should have been!

2. Employees First, Customers Second, by Vineet Nayar

At first blush, recommending this book may seem contradictory to the above endorsement; is it valid to conclude that Nayar’s businesses were successful because of his recommended approach, or were other factors also at play (e.g. having a monopolistic advantage at the time)? That said, Nayar’s core tenet – that management’s remit should be to support and nurture the individual contributors who operate directly with customers in the “value zone” – resonates with the belief that employees should be the heart and soul of any company. It’s a view that I strongly believe in, regardless of “winning formulas” or what have you.

3. The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr

Impacts from the internet and social media on us humans are being increasingly considered and reported on. Ironically perhaps, one (well done!) documentary was recent aired on the streaming service Netflix (“The Social Dilemma”). Anyway, Carr’s compelling book, The Shallows, was one of the first well researched works to point out how internet-delivered business models effect the human brain. We may have limited abilities to control employees’ exposures to omnipresent technologies, but isn’t understanding half the battle and even small adjustments may enrich our working environments? Food for thought …