I have read over 200 self-development books – and most of them are drivel. For example, ‘Pig Wrestling’. It’s billed as a ‘brilliantly simple way to solve any problem’ – except how to understand the book! Not a great read. And in fact it is not worth wasting your time on 99% of these ‘self-development’ books.
As we say in the learning & development world: “Information without application is just entertainment.” In other words, unless you actually do something with that one-day training course when you’re back at the office, you may as well have gone and seen Cirque du Soleil instead (excellent, by the way). Books are the same.
Each self-development book is about 60,000 words. Given an average reading speed of 225 words per minute, a book will take just under five hours to read. So it had better be worth it. And only a few will actually change behaviours. These are my top 10 recommendations because they actually improve what you do at work:
- Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy: Second to none in the time management stakes. A short book that changed my life 20-plus years ago.
- Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath: Understand why some things get traction and some don’t. It will improve how you influence people at work.
- The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters: “You are not responsible for the nature of your chimp, but you are responsible for managing it.”
- MindStore by Jack Black: Black (not the actor) delivered one of the most inspiring speeches at a Sainsbury’s conference in about 2000. He was the reason I left corporate life to start my own business.
- 78 Persuasion Techniques by Darren A Smith: A shameless plug for my own book. Sorry! (Available on Amazon for 99p.)
- Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson: This will help you to navigate your mental health.
- Bare Knuckle Negotiating by Simon Hazeldine: Simon tells us how it’s really done.
- Managing with Carrots by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton: How to be a much better people manager and be able to motivate your team.
- Fairness for All by Mark Price: Lord Mark Price, the ex-chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, is all about happiness, and his business measures it in companies. Fascinating. A wonderful guy, too.
- The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson: Great insights into how to be a better people manager.
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