Recommended Books for Success

The Reading Stack.

At any one time I’m consuming at least 5 books. I call this my reading stack. A decade ago it would have been a physical stack of books that I would carry with me from desk to coffee table and eventually to my nightstand. I’m so glad that now I can carry (most of) them in my smartphone.

Some of the books in my reading stack are re-reads – books I’ve read before but am currently using to help me with a client or project or with personal development.

I’ve lost count of how many people have asked me to recommend a book for this or that issue. So I’ve decided to share a reading list with all readers.

The Recommended Reading List

These books are on my list because I not only read and enjoyed them, they continue to give me value. I refer to them again and again.

It may be crazy to re-read a book when there are so many books not yet read. The magic is that when I re-read one of these books, I am not the same person I was when I read it the first time. And because I have changed, my perspective has changed, and what I notice or learn will change.

Does Format Matter?

Another interesting thing to note. I had a conversation with a colleague a few weeks ago about how we read or consume books.

We each have a combination of hardcopy, ebook, and audio book formats. Each of these formats provides a different experience. The surprise came when we each realized we had learned something different from a book we were re-visiting in a different format.

What we don’t know for sure is whether the format helped us to see things in a new way, or if it was simply that we were different. Maybe both. I guess it really doesn’t matter, as long as we keep reading, learning, and growing as leaders and as humans.

What’s in your reading stack?