We covered 50 titles in my no-reading-required book club for busy leaders in 2024.
With a nod to the likelihood of some recency bias here…I have chosen my favourites based largely on which books have come up in conversation most often since I read them. Here are my six standout titles that I read in 2024 and what I loved about them:
How to Know a Person — This book argues that our social skills are not as good as we think they are. It offers a solid analysis of why truly seeing someone else is hard for us, and practical skills to get better at it. It’s full of powerful questions that have stayed with me (such as “What is the ’no’ you keep postponing?” and “How have you contributed to the problem you’re trying to solve?”) It’s quite similar to Charles Duhigg’s Supercommunicators that came out around the same time, if you’re looking for another title like this one.
Anatomy of a Breakthrough — The subtitle of this book is “How to get unstuck when it matters most,” so I don’t need to sell you on the relevance of this one. I found myself nodding all the way through, and there’s a lot here. There’s a cheat sheet at the end containing 100 ways to get unstuck. Thanks to Gwyn Wansbrough for this recommendation.
Revenge of the Tipping Point — I love how Malcolm Gladwell’s brain works. And I admire his willingness to publicly admit his mistakes. This book revisits The Tipping Point 25 years later, checking the original for the accuracy of its assertions and exploring how social epidemics spread. He argues that epidemics can be shaperd by identifiable people using identifiable tools, so pick up those tools and use them for good, because the stakes are very high.
The Art and Science of Connection and You’re Invited — These two have to go together, because they are very similar and both very good. They focus on boosting our social health, which in turn boosts our mental and physical health. They offer a solid blend of science and practical advice, and when asked which I’d recommend, I couldn’t choose — so they both made the shortlist.
Life is in the Transitions — I have mixed feelings about the way this book generalizes based on 200 undescribed Americans’ experience, but it may be the book I’ve referenced most frequently this year. Bruce Feiler’s assertions that “lifequakes” last an average of five years and occupy roughly half of our adult lives have been very helpful reminders to clients coming to me for transitions coaching. It is a book that normalizes feeling unsettled much of the time.”
For those of you that joined me in 2024, I’d love to hear which titles stood out for you.
And if you’d like to join me in 2025, registration for the winter session is open. Conversations will take place January 17, February 21 and March 14 at two times each day so you can choose the one that’s most convenient for you: 7:30-8:30 a.m. or 12-1 p.m. Eastern Time.
If you’re a past participant of my book club, you’ve automatically been registered for the winter session so you’ll receive a reminder message before each conversation and a link to the recording after it’s taken place. If you’re new to the book club, or if you have a friend or colleague that would enjoy it, please spread the word that registration is now open and it’s free — my gift to you!
I hope that you have a happy and restful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing many of you for the winter session of Wiser by Choice!