Books We Wish We Had Written

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“Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character.”

― Author Unknown

Best of the Best

Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals The Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life

by Barbara Fredrickson

We often give this book to coaching clients who are working changing the inner narrative that drives their behavior. They discover how they can feel better and treat others around them better too.

I wish I had written this book because let’s face it, not many people say a book has changed their lives. And a bunch of people I’ve given this book say it’s changed theirs. So there’s that.

Back Of The Napkin: Solving Problems And Selling Ideas With Pictures

by Dan Roam

I’m always the worst artist in the room, but I have ideas stuck in my head that I want others to grasp. Dan Roam helped me see how to turn almost any words into simple, useful pictures.

I love this book because it helped transform my deep insecurity about my artistic limitations into a strength I use to turn light bulbs on almost every day.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook For Visionaries, Game Changers, And Challengers

by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur

Simple, useful, and engaging. This book fits the definition of “useful tools for busy people” but makes you smile at the same time. I pull it out on a regular basis as a reference and use the thinking regularly in my own business and with clients.

Six Simple Rules

by Yves Morieux and Peter Tollman

A client trying to figure out how to make a matrix organization work first pointed me to this book. It helps leaders figure out how to set up their organizations so that people have enough clarity to function while having every incentive to cooperate.

If you’re in an organization that has incessant arguments about reporting structures and endless reorganizations, you might want to check this one out.

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference And Why It Matters

by Richard Rumelt

As often as the word is used, it’s amazing how many of us have a hard time defining strategy, let alone recognizing when we have a good one. Rumelt moves you beyond formulaic views on strategy and helps you think more like a… well, strategist.

This book helped me clarify our current definition of strategy: coherent action, in response to a challenge, backed up by a rationale. Thanks Richard!