Buffet, Gates and Zuckerberg have all agreed that reading is the key to success. Simply put that’s how knowledge works, it builds up like compound interest.
Exposing your mind to new ideas and ways of thinking are some of the most valuable practises an entrepreneur can have. So, if charging up your career game is a priority for you this year, then you’ve come to the right place.
In her ‘Start Me Up’ business series Sharon Hunneybell, CEO of the Gold Coast Innovation Hub shared her favourite business books to devour. So, if you haven’t yet got a leaning tower of books beside your bedside – you will now.
Here are all the most inspiring career books worth reading now according to our business guru.
1. The 5AM Club
By Robin Sharma
“What one skill could you learn right now that would have the biggest positive impact on your life and income?” For those who don’t know, the 5 AM club is a concept started by Robin Sharma where you wake up at 5 AM do twenty-minutes exercise, twenty-minutes planning and twenty-minutes study. This book is the ultimate guide to early rising habits and a little-known formula you can use instantly to wake up early feeling inspired, focused and flooded with a fiery drive to get the most out of each day.
2. The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
By Stephen R. Covey
Covey believes the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions. In order to change a given situation, we must change ourselves, and in order to change ourselves, we must be able to change our perceptions. Divulging over 200 years of literature on the concept of “success,” Covey identified a very important change in the way that humans have defined success over time. Sink your mitts into this one stat to learn more!
3. Stealing Fire
By Steven Kotler & Jamie Wheal
Plato described ecstasis as an altered state where our normal waking consciousness vanishes completely, replaced by an intense euphoria and a powerful connection to a greater intelligence.
As you may have guest this book is about ‘ecstasis’; their term borrowed from the Ancient Greek ἔκστασις, “to be or stand outside oneself, a removal to elsewhere” from ek- “out,” and stasis “a stand, or a standoff of forces”) is a term used in Ancient Greek, Christian and Existential philosophy. A highly addictive read, this is one you’ll want to tick off your 2020 bucket list.
4. Winging It
By Emma Isaacs
We get it. You’ve heard about this read one too many times but rest assured, she isn’t overrated.
CEO and entrepreneur Emma Isaacs forgot to draw up her life plan, and she doesn’t have a list of five-year goals. Written with all the wit and flair, she doesn’t believe in work/life balance – after all she has five children and heads up Business Chicks, Australia’s largest community for women.
“Emma Isaacs is a true force of nature and a role model all women can learn from” Diane von Furstenberg
“Emma’s energy and enthusiasm for business shine brightly” Sir Richard Branson
“Winging It will show you how to map out what’s important to you, stay focussed on achieving your goals and thrive” Arianna Huffington
5. How Emotions Are Made
By Lisa Feldman Barrett
Why do emotions feel automatic and uncontrollable? Does rational thought really control emotion? How does emotion affect disease? How can you make your children more emotionally intelligent? Answering these questions and a whole lot more Lisa reveals the latest research and intriguing practical applications of the new science of emotion, mind, and brain.
6. The 4-Hour Work Week
By Timothy Ferriss
Having spent years learning the secrets of the New Rich, Ferriss divulges the fast-growing subculture of those who have abandoned the “deferred-life plan” and instead mastered the new currencies-time and mobility-to create luxury lifestyles in the here and now. Whether you are an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, this book is the compass for a new and revolutionary world.
7. The Barefoot Investor
By Scott Pape
We love this one because it’s the only money guide you’ll ever need that will provide you with step-by-step formulas, Saving up a six-figure house deposit in 20 months, Finding a financial advisor who won’t rip you off, Double your income using the ‘Trapeze Strategy’ and a whole lot more stories from everyday Aussies who have applied the simple steps to achieved amazing, life-changing results.
8. Big Magic
By Elizabeth Gilbert
Lightning strikes twice. From the author who brought us “Eat, Pray, Love” Elizabeth Gilbert furthered her literary genius to writing “Big Magic”. Gilberts goal is for readers live more creatively, which does not necessarily mean “pursuing a life that is professionally or exclusively devoted to the arts,” but “living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.” If you want to write or act or paint, this book wants to help you do that. But if you want to take figure skating lessons, learn to draw or build model airplanes, this book wants to help you do that too.
9. Braving The Wilderness
By Brené Brown
“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. Changing the cultural conversation join Brown as she maps the clear path to true belonging.
10. Managers As Mentors
By Chip R. Bell & Marshall Goldsmith
A Mentor is a teacher, a guide, a sage, and foremost a person acting to the best of his or her ability in a whole and compassionate way in plain view of the protégé.
Chip R. Bell provides insights into the future of relationship building, covering the core aspects of mentoring and partnership. This book is the perfect tool for those teaching leaders to be the kind of confident coaches integral to learning organizations.
11. Radical Candor
By Kim Scott
This gem is a must read for anyone who aspires to be a great leader. Offering actionable insights based on Scott’s experiences building and leading successful teams at Google and Apple. Scott shares her advice in a practical and often humorous way so that it resonates and inspires you to apply her teachings to your own life.
12. User Friendly
By Cliff Kuang & Robert Fabricant
A must-read for those humans who get their feel goods from well-designed products—and for the innovators aspiring to make them. User Friendly guides readers through the hidden rules overriding how design shapes our behaviour, told through fascinating stories created our faith in social progress through better product design; and how a failed vision for Disney World yielded a new paradigm for designed experience was developed.
Ready for the next step in your startup founder journey? Make sure to check our upcoming events Startup Weekend and Startup Onramp – space are limited.
It’s now time to find a cosy nook, switch off, stop obsessing over endless emails and sink into the epic list of books to not only inspire and build your career but to take your business to new heights.
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