Happy Holidays!
Last year, we put a list of reads recommended by our Admin Slayer team ahead of the holidays - but not too far ahead. You see, we wanted to give you a reading list that was for you, for your holidays, rather than gifts you can give someone else.
This year, we are at it again with a list, just for you. This time, we asked some of the very cool people we know to share with us their favourites and we are delighted (and honoured, quite honestly) that so many great folks decided to share their favourites with you.
Leadership gurus, champions of women in business, experts in art, tax, operations management, team building, law, marketing, investing, and so much more are giving you a little peek into the books that have made a difference to them. Whether those books are fiction, biography, philosophy, or business-focused, we know you will want to read each one (we do - that’s why we asked, to be honest).
Whether you speed-read them all throughout the holidays or use this as your 2021 library, we know you’ll be transformed and inspired throughout the year ahead by these amazing recommendations.
Recommended by JILL EARTHY @jearthy | WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE CENTER @businesswomenbc
The Overstory by Richard Powers
It is an epic tale about the power and symbolism of trees as it follows the lives of a diverse group of characters. The key themes are interconnectedness and impact, which greatly resonated with me.
Recommended by BONNIE FOLEY-WONG @BonnieOWong | PIQUE VENTURES @PiqueVC
Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
Each and every one of us is part of multiple systems and this book is particularly helpful for leaders and entrepreneurs in understanding their impact on others, and how other factors impact them. Meadows identifies leverage points that are useful for influencing change - whether that change is in decisions affecting your business model, customers, or supply chains, or decisions that are better for the planet and society.
Recommended by MICHÈLE SOREGAROLI @MSoregaroli | TRANSFORMATION CATALYST @msoregaroli
Scarcity by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir
This book is a game-changer for busy entrepreneurs - and anyone else who experiences “lack” in their lives, whether that lack is scarcity of money, time, relationships, or other resources. It draws on cutting-edge research in behavioural science and economics to highlight the scarcity mindset that affects almost all of us in one form or another (even when we don’t recognize it!). The best part is that the author concludes the book with easy and actionable strategies to help you create more circumstances of abundance in your life.
Recommended by HEATHER BARNHOUSE @HeatherBarnhou1 | DENTONS @Dentons
This is a great book about the things that differentiate “good” companies from “great” ones. While the examples are a bit dated (early 2000s), the messages are still relevant in this day and age. It encourages entrepreneurs to think differently about how to achieve excellence.
Recommended by CATHERINE DUCHARME @fluencyleadership | FLUENCY LEADERSHIP @fluencyleadership
The New Leadership Literacies by Bob Johansen
Written before the 2020 pandemic, futurist and author Bob Johansen’s prescient book outlines how companies and leaders need to adapt to thrive in a future of extreme disruption and distributed everything. This powerful book has shaped our key insights around how to build future-ready, human-centric leaders. Almost like a message from the future, it provides valuable insights on how we need to think and work differently in what is now our new reality.
Recommended by JANE IANNACONE @jisaw.performance | JIGSAW PERFORMANCE @jigsaw_perform
Playing to Win - How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin
The holiday season is a great time to step out of the day-to-day running of your company to reflect upon your existing business strategies. “Playing to Win” will help you to identify any shifts in strategy that are needed for your business to survive in these uncertain times.
Recommended by TRACEY McVICAR | CAI FUNDS @CaiCapitalPartners
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
A riveting exploration of the American fixation on race, Wilkerson’s novel makes an argument for caste as the true underpinning of a long history of racial oppression. A rare look through the lens that truly dives below the surface, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” is a must-read of the winter season!
Recommended by STEPHANIE SANG @grantedconsulting | GRANTED @grantedcanada
Tools of Titans By Timothy Ferriss
Being an owner of several businesses, it’s important for me to be continuously learning. This book provides best practices and lessons learned in areas of health, wealth, and general wisdom from international leaders. As a daily exercise for my teenage son, I’m having him read one profile a day and share a summary of how this relates to his life now or could relate to his needs in the future.
Recommended by CORY AMES @AmesCory | GROW ENSEMBLE @GrowEnsemble
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard
I love this book. Founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard distills his philosophies on business and life, and how the two have met to create Patagonia as the company it is today. Yvon is known as a “non-business” business person, and I’m most appreciative of the way in which he redefines what business “success” must look like. While I’m a big fan, I still don’t agree with him on everything, but I do appreciate his recommendations to identify your values, reflect on them, write them down, and use them as guiding principles for your business. I also wrote a full review of this book a while back!
Recommended by LEAH GOARD @leah.goard | LEAH GOARD @LeahGoard
Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis
Most business books and mainstream messaging conveys that bigger is better. Jarvis challenges this idea and invites you to deeply consider whether you are designing your business based on your values and definition of success. Given the unpredictable landscape of business in 2020, now is an important time to truly anchor in what matters the most to you so that you can design a sustainable business model to support you.
Recommended by TARA LANDES @BellrockSays | BELLROCK @bellrocksays
Start With No: The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don’t Want You to Know by Jim Camp
This easy read is full of counter-intuitive concepts and methods with which everyone (because we are all negotiators at home and at work) should be fluent. For example, “win-win” is the wrong approach. Good negotiators start with “no”.
Recommended by JAY PALTER @Jaypalter | JAY PALTER SOCIAL ADVISORY @jaypalter
The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway
Finding satisfaction and happiness in life is not easy, but it does follow some basic rules which Galloway presents in such an entertaining manner. This is perfect for high-performing younger entrepreneurs – or older ones who suddenly find themselves wondering why the hell they do this for a living. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but he does have a common-sense intelligence that, unfortunately, isn't that common these days. If you're not sure, check out The Algebra of Happiness video on YouTube and if you like it, read the book!
Recommended by KEITH BROWN @KeithBrown | FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE ADVISORS @financialconfidenceadvisors
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
This book is a brilliant illustration of how our minds work and how our natural and learned decision-making instincts direct us. It’s a fun, informative read that will help you learn how to improve your decisions about health, wealth, and happiness.
Recommended by IAN MACNAUGHTON @IanMacnaughton | TRANSITION POINT CONSULTING
Clear Leadership: Sustaining Real Collaboration and Partnership at Work by Dr. Gervase R. Bushe
I like this book as it provides clear principles, guidelines, and examples of how to develop solid relationships around work in any context. Based on many years of teaching and consulting, Dr. Bushe’s guidance is easy to follow and apply.
Recommended by FRED FEISTMANN | FEISTMANN WEALTH
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal
This book is an example of transformative leadership in action, with actionable ideas and concepts that are accessible to any person in business interested in elevating their leadership and teamwork. With content and narratives that range from the battlefield, operating rooms, through to organizations such as NASA, there is a multitude of support material that helps bring ideas to life.
Recommended by GINA LUPINO @GinaLupino | VOYER LAW @VoyerLaw
No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald
It’s not exactly uplifting or entertaining, but it’s interesting and contains information everyone should know about unauthorized government surveillance on personal communications.
Recommended by JESSICA VENTURI @jessicaventuri_ | JESSICA VENTURI PHOTOGRAPHY @jessicaventuri
I love this series because the author takes you entirely into the magical world of a small boy, with such vivid descriptions that flow gently between his imagination and reality. Ben Okri blends these two worlds so sweetly that the reader moves seamlessly between the two, never quite certain which is which. It transported me into a world I knew little about. Beautifully written and rich with symbolism.
Recommended by JAMIE MUNRO @jamiemuns | WHISPER MEDIA
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
I highly recommend this first book for anyone who is pregnant and frustrated with simply being told: “Don’t eat sushi,” without a full explanation. Emily Oster uses her background in economics to dive into the research around the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy, demystifying many long-held beliefs around what is considered acceptable (and safe) while pregnant.
Recommended by STEVE IVANCKO @SteveIvacko | CV TRUSTCO @CVTrustCo
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith & Mark Reiter
Many successful people rest on their laurels, feeling that because they’ve been successful to this point, they have what it takes to continue succeeding. Whether continuing on your current journey or starting a new venture after the conclusion of the last one, this book reminds us that new and different skills are always needed, that we can’t fully rely on what we currently know, and that helps us get out of our own way!
Recommended by SIJIA WANG @sifrconsulting | SIFR CONSULTING @SiFrConsulting
The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice by Christopher Hitchens
Is the title funny? It is… and as the back cover of the book says, “Hilariously mean”. This book is classic Hitchens. It’s short, concise, and immediately breaks down the mythical aura around Mother Teresa. The Missionary Position makes you rethink what you know about the popular figure of charity, forces you to challenge your own beliefs, and rationally consider the source of those beliefs. It’s a must-read for anyone who is a fan of Christopher Hitchens, or currently a fan of Mother Teresa.
Recommended by LINDA DESSAU @lindadessau | CONTENT MASTERY GUIDE @lindadessau
The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar
There was a lot that I loved about this captivating story of psychologist Maggie and her patient Lakshmi, a young Indian woman. What excited me the most was seeing Lakshmi become a businesswoman, and how that helped her gain both independence and respect from her husband.