Standout Virtual Events. How to create an experience an audience will love. David Meerman Scott. 2020. A very timely book. What these authors do is give you the psychology behind why to do these events a certain way.   The book is short in length but deep in content. Essentially these are lessons learned this year during the pandemic.   If you desire to be better at your virtual events, read this book.  Don’t just try to do the same old stuff as before – It will not work.

Read This Before Our Next Meeting. How we can get more done. Al Pittampalli. 2015.  ISBN 9780698409033.   A very short but impactful book.   The author blows a hole in our propensity to “have a meeting”.  I laughed as he described various tedious meetings, having lived through all that and more.   The actions to remedy this are simple and compelling.   Today, with online meetings being the norma, his mantra that meetings are for decisions is very apt.  I recently tried this out with an organization and the participants came back with a resounding yes to the format.  I recommend this book to all who meet with others.

Play Bigger. How pirates, dreamers, and innovators create and dominate markets. Alan Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead.   2016.  ISBN 9780062407610.   This book was referenced in Traversing the Traction Gap so I had to read it.  It is very good and specifically addresses category creation, which is something that wildly successful companies do over and over. The authors take you through a proven  methodology of becoming a category kind. ( For many types to organizations and individuals). You will appreciate the highly specific and recognizable examples used by the authors.  Unlike other books in this genre , it has the benefits of depth and thought coming from the experiences of four individuals.  It could be a life changing book for executives and individuals.  But you need to want to be more than better, you want to be recognized as different  ( Apple is not just better, it is different)

Beauty in Red

Rebel Talent. Why it pays to break the rules at work and in life. Francesca Gino. 2018. ISBN 9780062694638.  The author is a Harvard business professor who researches the psychological, cultural and business structures which lead to growth, innovation and success. Since she uses the case study method, the book is a collection of case studies that she has collected in the  the course of her career. The studies are diverse and often ones you will not have read before. She has  knack of pulling out the inner stories of widely variable subjects like Napoleon, Houdini, Hot dogs, Italian high end cuisine, Landing a jet on the Hudson, Pixel and more. She has a tidy and compelling writing style . A good book for a summer read or a four hour flight. I read it almost non stop.

Mindware. Tools for smart thinking. Richard E. Nisbett.  2015 ISBN 9780385680998.  A thoroughly useful book for today’s flood of “information”.  From simple tools from statistics, logic (East and West) to study and experimental results,  and economics Nisbett allows you to really understand how to make sense of what is coming down the pipe at you.  Plus you will be better  able to resist the daily misinformation spewed by the FOX network.  Should be required reading for all high school seniors.

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Thomas Nast. Political cartoonist. Lynda Pflueger. 2014. ISBN  The life of a very influential cartoonist during the time of Tammany Hall, President Grant and many others. Thomas Nast was extremely popular and influential in his day. As most people could not read, cartoons made a huge impact. I learned that he rally stood his ground on principles to create a better place and rid public life of the corrupt influences endemic in his times.  AN east quick read, It is non the less informative and illustrative of the times.  I think  democracies still need people like Nast to point out the human foibles as fewer people read for substance and mostly get drowned in information.  Hopefully there are people like Nast able to work in countries like China, Myanamar, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq as well as the US.

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Don’t Be Such a Scientist. Talking substance in an age of style. Randy Olsen. 2009. ISBN  The author, a PhD in marine biology , left his professorship after 20 years to learn to be a filmmaker. In doing so he discovered the gulf between what scientists did wrto communication and what the public needed in order to understand science. Unfortunately, there are very few Carl Sagans. If you are analytical and literal minded you might enjoy this book as you experience the vast gulf between story and science.  This book is very important as the antiscience , gut feeling decisions are being made by what you would expect to be educated people .   Its an easy read that does the job quite well.

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How to Be a Rockstar WordPress Designer. Chris Garrett & Leo Babauta.  2008.   A soup to nuts guide for those freelancers who wish to develop their own WordPress themes as well as how to use WordPress in a multitude of ways ( eg RSS aggregator, Music site, Design gallery, Podcasting , Social Network, Job Board, Video portal, Twitter clone, News aggregator, magazine site, and more.  For the serious web developer who wishes to really dig into the tool.

10 Rules of Writing. Elmore Leonard.  2007.  A very short book by a prolific US writer of American cowboys, crime fighters and numerous others  He is as  terse as Hemingway and yet his points are useful for whatever fiction you write, long or short story

Destress To Success. Solving stress and winning big in relationships, wealth and life itself. Leo Willcocks. 2013.  This book surprised me. It was well written, clear with a delightful non judgmental tone to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it  to the point that I read it in two sittings. The author is able to take any example and make a very clear learning point out of it.

Lately I am measuring authors how much depth they bring to the topic,  how clearly they articulate their points and the applicability to real issues.  I am just tired of convoluted prose that in the end makes me feel stupid.

This book is a real star and one I highly recommend.  Its useful in your personal and professional life.  I just wish I had read it 35 years ago.  Great for a 3 hr plane ride – read it twice – ire also on the return trip.

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