2020 Reading List For Leaders Part 1
The past year has produced some great books and provided us more time to read them. We decided to take a look back at some of the books we found interesting and compiled a list of eight books as part of our 2020 reading list for leaders. We chose four books that focus on wellbeing and four books on how to deal with a changing business environment. In our first installment, we’ll look at the four books that focus on well being.
Tiny Habits
By Author BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits shows how small changes can have a big impact on your life. Our lifestyles have created health epidemics like obesity and anxiety. There is a widening gap between our desired state and our actual state. But creating positive change is easier than you think. Tiny Habits provides a new look and process for change based on research and application with tens of thousands of people.
In Praise of Paths
In a time where we have seen limited options for exercising, In Praise of Paths by Torbjørn Ekelun is a great read on the joys of walking. He combines his personal stories with literature and history of paths. He looks not only at trails, but also urban streets and walking barefoot or with shoes. “If we still “understand ourselves in relation to the landscape,” Ekelund asks, then what do we lose in an era of car travel and navigation apps? And what will we gain from taking to paths once again?”
Joy at Work
For those of you familiar with Marie Kondo and her organizing and decluttering expertise, you may enjoy her new book, Joy at Work. Especially if you have had to create a home office this year. Marie collaborated with professor Scott Sonenshein, a doctor of organizational psychology and author of the bestselling book “Stretch.” Marie combined her real-world experience with Scott’s data to show, “conclusive evidence that clutter reduces productivity and can lower self-esteem.”
Designing Your Work Life
Bill Burnett and Dave Evans demonstrate that design thinking…creativity, action bias, awareness, reframing, radical collaboration, and mindset…can help you grow beyond your current role. According to Mr. Burnett, “These days, you’re responsible for your own career path. Companies aren’t in a position to invest in the long-term career growth of individuals like they used to be. Many of today’s jobs will be non-existent in 10 years, and many new careers we don’t know about yet will have emerged.”
If there are other books you have found beneficial in maintaining your well being, let us know. We’re interested in hearing what you found interesting and how they have helped you over the past few months. And maybe they’ll make our next list.