Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, there are two things you must do: read a lot and write a lot. This is about the “read a lot” part. I include reading lists and book reviews that will help you do business more effectively and write better for business.

In this post, I point you to reviews of What Tech Calls Thinking, The Phoenix Encounter Method, Time to Lead, Everyone Knows You Suck, and The Leader’s Brain. Plus Michael McKinney’s list of leadership books scheduled for release in December 2020.

From City Journal: Big Tech’s Big Ideas

“Apple headquarters is located five blocks down from the front door of the high school Steve Jobs attended as a teenager. Its $5 billion, donut-shaped flagship is home to a company that today is worth more than $2 trillion, arguably the most successful American company ever. It all started in a garage at 2066 Crist Drive, an eight-minute drive from CEO Tim Cook’s office. A story like this will not happen again in this place. Silicon Valley—its ethos, its creative fires, its ideas—lives on only in the surviving four or five mega-corporations that have come to dominate the headlines and the stock market. All the rest of it—the garages, the coffee shop pitches, the ‘change the world’ missionary zeal—has guttered out.”

From Sameer Hasija: Four Steps to Business Model Innovation

“In the current era of disruption, recently accelerated by the pandemic, firms must be in command of cutting-edge technologies; otherwise, they face potentially mortal danger. That is why I counsel corporate leaders to imagine how an agile, digital start-up could completely destroy their business, and to formulate defensive strategies to pre-empt such an attack. My co-authors Ian C. Woodward, V. ‘Paddy. Padmanabhan, Ram Charan and I provide detailed advice on how to design such wargaming sessions in our new book The Phoenix Encounter Method. One of our book’s key takeaways is that success in this new era requires a holistic approach to technology.”

From Skip Prichard: Lessons for Leaders from Decisions that Changed History

“In sixteen historical studies, Jan-Benedict Steenkamp reveals lessons for today’s leaders from decisions that changed history. After reading Time to Lead: Lessons for Today’s Leaders from Bold Decisions that Changed History, I reached out to Jan-Benedict Steenkamp to share more about his research. Each of his lessons presents a fresh examination of history-making leaders by holding a magnifying glass up to a life-changing dilemma each of them faced. What we learn is how powerful the personalities of leaders and their decision-making processes can be in determining the course of human events—and the fates of millions of people.”

From Doug Fine: D.FINED Engagement BookCast – with Trish Tagle, Author of Everyone knows…

“Here is my latest D.FINED Engagement BookCast. Trish Tagle is my guest author. She is a speaker, business efficiency expert, author, and consultant… and is a straight-shooter in all of those roles. In our first discussion about her book, Everyone Knows You Suck: Bad Boss Stories: A Succinct Guide, you will learn why she wrote the book and how it can benefit a manager at any stage in their career development. This episode we discuss a few things that fall under the first pillar, Truth. The concepts of ‘Fairness’ as well as ‘Saying I Don’t Know’ are discussed. You will note the depth of Trish’s experience in helping leaders perform better. I hope you will invest in the time to get to know about Trish’s thinking and approach to business relationships that lead to winning performance.”

From Wharton: Neuroscience Can Help You Become a Better Leader

“But the good news for anyone who’s not is that those abilities can be developed. This is part of the message that Wharton Neuroscience Initiative director Michael Platt has been communicating in his teaching, research, and now a new book: The Leader’s Brain: Enhance Your Leadership, Build Stronger Teams, Make Better Decisions, and Inspire Greater Innovation with Neuroscience.”

From Michael McKinney: First Look: Leadership Books for December 2020

“Here’s a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in December 2020. Don’t miss out on other great new and future releases not listed here.”

Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Monday is “Book Day.” Come back for book reviews, reading lists and other reading-related posts.