Let me talk about the top three books that have inspired me in recent times, I must set your expectations and let you know that books, like beauty, are in the eyes of the beholder. Just because a piece of writing inspires me does not mean it will do the same for you, it just depends on where you are in life, what challenges you are facing and what your hopes and aspirations are. I do have an interest in you clicking the links on this page to view the book on Amazon. Should you decide to buy any of these books with my links, I just might get a little commission from Amazon. However, I have been greatly impacted by these books and I would like to share my knowledge and excitement as I normally do.
My current top 3 impactful books are:
1. No Rules Rules; Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention – Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
Very few will argue with the fact that Netflix as a company has managed successfully to reinvent itself several times. From a DVD by mail company through video streaming subscription, to a successful producer of block buster movies and bagging Grammy awards along the way.
So, what has Netflix been doing right that others are not doing or not doing so well.
Reed Hastings the Co-founder and current CEO opened up the world of Netflix to Erin Meyer a professor at one of the world’s leading business schools.
To sum it up, the business culture at Netflix seeks to remove controls and thus create what it calls a culture of “Freedom and Responsibility”. This thus takes you “to a level of speed and innovation that most companies can’t match”.
Reed does not advocate removing controls all at once, but a three-stage iterative process that seeks to:
1. Increase talent density
2. Increase Candor
3. Reduce Controls
The culture of Freedom and Responsibility “F&R” as it is called on Netflix is not for the faint hearted, and it just may not work in your company or in your industry.
But I have to say that I like it and I am willing to give it a go at our own company.
Because to survive in the fast-changing world that we live in you need a firm that can rapidly adjust itself to take advantage of the changing opportunities that the business environment of today presents.
2. The Messy Middle – Scott Belsky
We talk a lot about the euphoria and the emotional high of starting a new venture. We also talk a lot about the relief and sigh of victory that accompanies our crossing the finish line, but very little is said about the gap in the middle. We want to quickly forget the wrong turns, the doubts, and the sleepless nights we had along the way. We want to forget the mistakes, the near misses and the feelings of inadequacy that plagued us along the way.
Scott Belsky describes the messy middle as “finding your way through the hardest and most crucial part of a bold venture”. Putting it another way, you have to make it through the ups and downs and the uncertainty of the middle to get to the success at the end.
With the benefit of hindsight, Scott talks about:
1. Leading Through The Anguish of the Unknown
2. Strengthening Your Resolve and
3. Embracing the long game
Scott gives you tools and strategies to help you:
1. Endure the middle years
2. Optimize yourself, your products and services
3. Reaching The final mile
According to Scott
It’s not about the start and finish, it’s about the journey in between.
So, what are you waiting for?
Get started, endure the journey, optimize by getting better at what you do or offer and then reach your goal which then becomes a new starting point for your next venture.
Get the Messy Middle.
3. So Good They Can’t Ignore You – Cal Newport
You may have heard it said to never judge a book by its cover. Well in the realm of humans, we tend to take a lot of things including books on face value.
If the title of your book is not so great, then there is a high probability that your book will make for not-so-great reading.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You is a title that greatly resonates with me.
We live in a world where we are made to give excuses for everything. You can’t get the job because of the colour of your skin or because of your accent at the interview. How about being so good that they can’t ignore you.
From the author of Deep Work (another favourite book by Cal Newport) Mr Newport starts by showing us the readers why the “Follow your passion” advice is a dangerous one.
Cal emphasises the need to take time to develop the right skills and this comes by loving what you do rather than doing what you love, this takes discipline rather than passion.
People love what they do not because they are doing what they love, but because they are committed and have set out on a path of mastery to become very good at what they do.
Four rules highlighted by Cal are:
Rule #1: Don’t follow your passion
Rule#2: Be so good at what you do that they can’t ignore you
Rule#3: Be in control of your future – Don’t jump at every opportunity
Rule#4: Think Small, Act Big
Well written and easy to read is filled with a lot of practical tips to make you so good at what you do that you are in full control of the jobs you accept.
So there you are, these are my top recommended books for insightful and impactful reading. Give them a try and let me know what you think!