One of the biggest and most profound changes in my business was brought about by a book. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor described the change in her worldview after a stroke.
While I luckily didn’t have a stroke, your book affirmed a similar change I experienced when I sold my house and most of my belongings and became an intentional nomad. That was the catalyst for my business coaching adventure. A wild and wonderful ride that I am still on!
That’s why reading widely is a great thing. You never know what great new idea will come to you when you read that Asterix comic or that biography of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Here are 5 books you’ll probably never read on a business book list. They are books that significantly changed my business for the better. They could do the same for you!
1. Transformational Speaking: If you want to change the world, tell a better story by Gail Larsen
Not your usual book on public speaking, Gail’s book is by no means a conventional how-to for improving PowerPoint slides or overcoming stage fright. She takes him on a journey that will help clarify his core message and the impact he wants to have. You can be a passionate visionary. When you articulate your message authentically, it will have much more impact after this deep inner exploration.
two. Time Warrior: How to Defeat Procrastination, People-Pleasing, Self-Doubt, Overcommitment, Broken Promises, and Chaos by Steve Chandler
Phew! That title is a tall order for a short book. This is not your usual time management book. His fresh approach takes you away from fear of the future. That thing you haven’t done. That topic that you’re really not sure how much to be scared of because you don’t even want to go there. Instead, Steve encourages you to not be linear, to take action, right now, in short chapters that elicit a quick response. That shift from thought to action will change your relationship with your time.
3. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the search for a fantastic future by Ashlee Vance
Okay, it’s true: Elon Musk is a business person and the book talks about his business. It’s also true: reading biographies of successful entrepreneurs is valuable.
For this list of out-of-the-box books though, and what makes this book unique, is hearing how this guy thinks. Calling it innovative doesn’t even begin to cover it. Elon makes connections you wouldn’t expect, something I hope reading these books will do for you!
More importantly, you are willing to take action on it. No brilliant idea of yours or mine will count if we don’t take action.
Finally, Elon thinks big. He tries to put people on Mars with the same practical problem solving that he does with solar tiles. He doesn’t stop for fears that the vision of him is ‘too big’.
Take a look at the book: you will never think of your business in the same way again.
Four. The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Toward Life’s Perfection by Michael Singer
Oprah’s Emmy Award-winning SuperSoul Sunday guest and also the author of The unattached soul, Michael Singer describes his experience of deep commitment to life. He decided to accept whatever got in his way and stop letting his life be dictated by fears or even desires.
Through this practical spirituality, he created the environment for spiritual freedom and outward success, creating a billion dollar company in the process. Reading this book, he may see his own life in a very different way.
5. The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wilderness by Lawrence Anthony
I feel a deep connection with elephants. Tears spontaneously run down my face when I see them in the wild. Elephants have an amazing ability to communicate and form connections.
In this book, the late animal conservationist Lawrence Anthony takes you on a moving, funny, and moving experience with elephants. When Lawrence died, the elephants in this book freely traveled to his house and kept an eye on him. They knew. They wanted to pay tribute. His connection to Lawrence ran deep.
The elephants made me rethink the way I connect with my community. Your business is built on connections. You can’t do without them. What you do with them is always open to innovation. This book will help you see connections and how to nurture them with fresh eyes.
Who you become as you reach your goals is crucial to helping you achieve them. I encourage you to read these books. They will provoke your thinking and can inspire you to grow in new ways and create something great in your business!