Reading List

What a book! Not only does it teach you how to rethink your approach to work, to bring more laughter to your daily drudge, but the authors arm the reader with the tools to do it. As the authors explain finding humour at work isn't about trying to be funny, but it's giving permission to yourself and others to laugh more. A joyous, career changing book. Here's my interview with the authors here:

Reading a book about loneliness might seem either desperately unappealing or a little triggering right now, but Hertz ensures that this is nothing of the sort. A joyful celebration of why we should avoid loneliness and the most comprehensive examination of the evidence at our disposal. From workplace conflict to populist politics - the dangers of unchecked loneliness are all around us.

A computer science professor shouldn't be our main provocateur challenging us to rethink our 9-6 jobs but Cal Newport consistently invites us to ask questions that others avoid. Here he's trying to get us to be honest if we really need to spend so much time on email and Zoom. Once you listen to his argument it's hard to disagree. Listen to my discussion with him here:

Oliver Burkeman realised that work hacks, productivity tools were trivial but his immersion in them suddenly delivered him an epiphany. Managing time wasn't unimportant, it was possibly the most important question facing all of us.

Is this about workplace culture? No, not so much but it is about humans, how we relate to each other and our motivations in life. All of which impacts how we work.

My single favourite book here. It starts out as an insight into depression but really dwells on the need for humans to feel connected to each other - which is an essential part of understanding work culture. If you're unsure start with his TED Talk about depression.

'We've got a diversity of thought in our cabinet'. So says Matt Hancock, but what does diverse thinking genuinely look like? Matthew Syed goes deep on how we can better understand inventive thinking, and how it sometimes gets lost. Hear my discussion with Matthew Syed here:

Almost two decades ago a smart cookie of the computer games world set out to explain how to make compelling games. So astute was Raph Koster's perspective that A Theory of Fun has been a bestseller ever since. Why is this relevant to work? Well Koster says something that I think we miss. He explains that when it comes to games you need to understand how to keep someone intrinsically motivated, and that ultimately involves not leaving them bored. The applications of this for work are vivid. Read more about my take on this iconic title here:

A wonderful reminder of how we achieve motivation in our work - and where it can take us. A fast, fun read that leaves you wanting to reinvigorate your workplace.

Susan Cain's book is essential for understanding how half of us prefer to work. In the remote work era it explains the benefit that many have gained from escaping the scrum of open plan offices.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. A operations professor from MIT surely shouldn't write a book that teaches you about good workplace culture? But in fact by showing that conscious choices directly impact the lived experience of workers Ton demonstrates clearly that good culture is part of system thinking. Listen to my discussion with Zeynep Ton here:

A wonderful exploration into our favourite distraction, by the late Robert Provine. Provine explains why we laugh and as a consequence allows us to understand the benefit it has in the workplace. Before he passed away I was so honoured to record an interview with him. Hear it here:

The overdue reappraisal (and celebration) of sleep.

Need to come up with better ideas? James Webb Young's 60 year old book is such a simple (and effective) formula that firstly you wonder why schools don't teach it - then you reflect on what his third stage (do nothing!) unlocks when it comes to comprehending our cognition. The book is a low priced wonder.

A wonderful study of how being happy at work leads to us doing a better job.

Teresa is an icon of the organisational psychology world. A good day's work is when we make progress is something meaningful, she taught us. Her she elaborates on that work.

Dan Pink's classic taught us valuable insight into motivation - and how we can tap into this science to improve our workplaces.

A roadmap of how to bring about a 4 day week at your work. Or a 6 hour day. Or or or. Lots of stimulus and practical advice.

A fascinating use of data to try to interpret how collective intelligence is played out. This is the book that I've cited most in the last 5 years.

A clear articulation of the toxicity of modern work. When you find yourself heart racing with stress and anxious about the pressures coming at you from all angles, Pfeffer reminds us of the clear toll that those experiences have on our bodies.

While the scrum methodology has seen it's core story misappropriated and blamed for a lot of things in the last few years, this original articulation of it is essential reading.

A good friend of mine is studying to be a neurosurgeon. I chatted to him about my lay person's interest in neuroscience and asked him who I should read next. His recommendation of Lisa Feldman Barrett didn't disappoint.

Adam Grant's books are frustrating. He's the Daniel Kahneman of organisational psychology and he's not yet written his Thinking Fast and Slow. While he gets round to that, Give and Take has moments of being satisfying.

Extraordinarily successful for the simple root to productivity it proposes.

A stark jolt for the optimists amongst us, Pfeffer makes it clear that the dreamy reverie that many of us drift into bears little relation to the lessons of history.

The simple power of a checklist as a transformational contributor to your company culture.

A page turning dissection of the Uber culture. An intriguing enigma - could Uber have succeeded if they'd set out to be the good guys?

A book about creating memorable moments might not feel work related but there's an interesting section about new hire inductions.

As people become richer they don't become happier. So what does cause happiness? How can we reach it?