Created: November 2, 2021 11:19 PM
Originally published: July 21, 2020
Radical Candor, Shoe Dog… Broken Down For A Lighter Read.
The days seem to just get shorter as each passing sip of coffee fuels my productivity in quarantine. Or at least that’s what I tell myself to justify my monthly coffee spend.
Let’s face it, we may not be that busy, but we are too predisposed to read the latest hot book by “so and so” on leadership and business. Whether that’s because I’m “busy finishing that manuscript” or binging that new Netflix series — eh. Who’s to say.
So, to save you some money and time, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about the five top leadership/business books in one concise sentence. By the end, it’ll be as if you had actually read them yourself. Not buying it? Well, at least you’ll walk away with some great outtakes and some reasonable insight.
“Politely — Tell Your Boss To Shove It.”
Radical Candor by Kim Scott (2019 [Revised])
Especially in the “business bro” circles, this book is almost always characterized as a must-read. These bros who “so bro are” usually spin some variant of this headline at each other in the name of the self-titled book: “Radical Candor.”
Snark aside, this book details how effective and crucial, professional communication is in the workplace. Mainly aimed at leaders communicating down the bureaucratic tree, this book is an excellent how-to on giving empathetic feedback that doesn’t make you or your boss regret saying anything at all.
If you have ever said: “I hate my boss” with a frustrating lack of follow up, then read this book. If you have ever said: “How am I going to tell Person X to ‘step up’ without being an ass?” Then read this book. If you haven’t had trouble giving advice that didn’t put you in the “timeout” box, save your thirty bucks and move along. Holy shit, this book is thirty bucks?
Amazon | Audible (Affiliate Links)
“Everything in Business Comes Down To Satisfying: Supply Minus Demand”
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (2017)
Phil Knight is a Stanford alum graduating with a master’s degree in accounting. While it’s mainly written as a memoir about his struggles and success in growing Nike, it contains some refreshingly practical business principles.
If Supply is lower than your Demand, then your business is in trouble. Is Demand is higher than Demand? Then your business is also in trouble. It’s only by satisfying both heads on the hydra that you’ll “bear fruit in your garden” and have a successful business. Good advice that often gets skewed by the intricacies of everyday business.
If Nike as a Brand or Company interests you, then you’ve already read this book — so move along.
Amazon | Audible (Affiliate Links)
“Stories Are Built. Not Discovered”
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull (2014)
Creative work is hard. Not because doing something creative is hard, but because it’s excruciatingly painful to go from nothing to something you’re proud of that doesn’t terrify you to publish it. This book should lay those thoughts to rest, knowing that even Pixar movies are: “Ugly Babies” initially.
But it’s how you go from “Ugly Baby” to “100% Audience And Critic Score,” which is the secret sauce of Pixar. Lucky for us, that secret sauce is pretty simple. Stop thinking that your creative work is out there waiting to be discovered, instead appreciate the truth. You’re building something from scratch, and it’s not always clear when something is going to turn out. Especially when you have rigid expectations on the product.
If you’re in the Entertainment or an adjacent Industry; and you haven’t read this, then read it. If you struggle with being productive, then smack it on the top of the reading list.
Amazon | Audible (Affiliate Links)
“Be the Rabbit — Yet Another Animal Metaphor”
On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis (2018)
Have you read the Art Of War or War And Peace? Good neither have I. (That’s what I tell myself to forget the painful memories of lugging through them). Lucky for us, those books about Strategy everyone keeps harping on you to read about are summed up nicely in this one.
This book takes you through leaders spanning over two thousand years. Some expected, like Caesar and Abraham Lincoln. And some less expected, like Queen Elizebeth and Augustus. Similar to Phil Knight’s book, ‘Grand Strategy’ (both the book and the topic) is staked on two fundamentally opposing ideas. In this case, it’s the need to satisfy short term stakes, with long term desires. He illustrates this difference using the animal metaphors of “The Hedgehog And The Groundhog” and “The Rabbit And The Hare”.
I’d only recommend this book to the more pursuant reader since it’s top critics poke at it’s dry and lecturing nature. However, in its defense, the books it’s compiling are perhaps some of the most sterile and cryptic books around. And it’s written by a Yale professor, so know what you’re getting yourself into before reading it.
Amazon | Audible (Affiliate Links)
“Born Into It”
Outliers by Malcom Gladwell (2011)
This book breaks down the lives of various successful people. Of course, you have Bill Gates and The Beatles broken down in this book, but some welcome surprises are Oppenheimer and Joseph Flom. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for an inspiring takeaway, you’re “up the creek…” and “… a dollar short” with this book.
Malcolm looks into the lives of these success stories and looks for the defining moments that make them outliers. In every case, he finds that some event or early opportunity combined with the subject’s insight to take advantage of it leads to successful people. In other words, be born into and get lucky.
If you like happy endings… Sniffles Skip this one.
Amazon | Audible (Affiliate Links)
“The End”
There you have it — some of the most popular books on business and leadership around with the main takeaway from each. And, more importantly, a better understanding of whom each of these books is aimed at. This article was inspired by the lack of context we tend to have when recommending these popular books. Each has an appropriate audience that will actually benefit from reading them.
Next time you hear someone recommend one of these books, feel free to send them this article.
