Steph's Business Bookshelf Podcast

Liked this? Subscribe to the bookmark newsletter to receive more book, podcast, music, and tech recommendations straight to your inbox every month. About the book The quality of your working relationships determines your success and your happiness. Stop leaving it all to chance. Build relationships that are safe, vital, and repairable. One essential conversation. Five powerful questions. Your chance to build the best possible relationships with all the people who matter Source: https://www.mbs.works/how-to-work-with-almost-anyone/ About Michael I’ve written books that have sold about a million copies all told, including The Coaching Habit, a self-published book that’s become the best-selling book on coaching this century. I founded a training and development company, Box of Crayons, that has taught coaching skills to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. I love that it’s a human-centered place to work, and that it practices what it preaches. But wait! There’s more! I’ve been happily married for 30 years or so; I was a Rhodes Scholar; I’ve created a book in partnership with Seth Godin that raised $400,000 for Malaria No More; I’ve been named #1 Thought Leader in Coaching and a Coaching Guru; I’ve launched several podcasts; I’ve spoken live and virtually to crowds of thousands… Source: https://www.mbs.works/about/ Listen to Michael talk to Brené Brown about the Advice Trap Big ideas Let's connect LinkedIn Instagram Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's April, and it's been a funny month of starting books, not finishing books, and desperately trying to squeeze books in so that I did finish them. So here we are; two books read, two books retired, and two books in progress. This month I'm talking about... Books I read 📚 Before and Laughter by Jimmy Carr (audiobook) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📚 How to Work With (Almost) Anyone by Michael Bungay Stanier (pre-release) Books I didn't finish 📚 Superforecasting by Philip Tetlock (DNF) 📚 The Persuaders by Anand Giridharadas (DNF, TBC) Books I'm still in the middle of reading 📚 Future Normal by Henry Coutinho-Mason and Rohit Bhargava (WIP) 📚 Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (WIP) Tell me what's on your reading list LinkedIn Instagram Hey, have you subscribed to the bookmark newsletter? If you liked this, you might like my monthly email with book reviews and ideas of what you should be reading, and listening to, next. Click here to subscribe. Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm back telling you about what I read last month, and what's worth reading. This month's books include... no rating as this was an early draft copy If you liked this, you might like my monthly email with book reviews and ideas of what you should be reading, and listening to, next. Click here to subscribe. Let’s connect LinkedIn Instagram Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sign up for the bookmark newsletter here ICYMI, this year I'm experimenting with a slightly different style of episode, featuring reviews of what I read over the last month. There'll still be occasional 'three big idea' episodes popping up throughout the year, and the four years and 197 other book based episodes will still be in the back catalogue to be enjoyed. February might be the shortest month, but I managed to read four books, including a big chunky 500+ pager! This month I'm talking about... I'd love to hear what you think of these new episodes, and what you're reading at the moment. Drop me a message and say hi on... LinkedIn Instagram Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sign up for the bookmark newsletter here Welcome to 2023 and to 'season two' of Steph's Business Bookshelf. ICYMI, this year I'm experimenting with a slightly different style of episode, featuring reviews of what I read over the last month. There'll still be occasional 'three big idea' episodes popping up throughout the year, and the four years and 197 other book based episodes will still be in the back catalogue to be enjoyed. January is always a more book-heavy month, and this one was no exception. This month I'm talking about... I'd love to hear what you think of these new episodes, and what you're reading at the moment. Drop me a message and say hi on... LinkedIn Instagram Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sign up to get the bookmark newsletter in your inbox Hi friends, as we roll into 2023 I wanted to share some of the reading I'm planning on doing in 2023, some experiments I'm playing with, my word of the year, and a few changes to the schedule that are coming up. Here's Madeleine's newsletter that I mention in this episode. Let's talk books on... LinkedIn Instagram Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want more book recommendations? Get the bookmark newsletter in your inbox. It's time for the wrap that's not quite as good as the Spotify wrap, but still one of my favourite bits of the year; looking back at the books I've spent my year reading. This year I read 52 books, 29% were ebooks, 42% were physical books, and 29% were audiobooks. I use the StoryGraph app to track my reading. Here's some of the books that get a mention... The Top 3 Listen to the three big ideas hereListen to the three big ideas hereListen to the three big ideas here Honourable Mentions Listen to the three big ideas hereListen to the three big ideas hereListen to the three big ideas here What were your reading highlights this year? Let me know by connecting on Instagram or LinkedIn. Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get the bookmark newsletter in your inbox and don't miss the best stuff of the year wrap. About the authors Liz Fosslien is the co-author and illustrator of the WSJ bestseller No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotion at Work and Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. She leads the content and communications teams at Humu, where she helps leaders and their teams take small steps towards profound improvement. Prior to joining Humu, Liz designed and led workshops for executives at Google, Facebook, and Nike on how to create inclusive cultures. Her writing and data visualization projects have appeared in CNN, The Economist, The Financial Times, and NPR. Liz starts every day by eating plain Greek yogurt and reading academic abstracts. Mollie West Duffy is the co-author of the WSJ bestseller No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotion at Work and Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. She was previously an Organizational Design Lead at global innovation firm IDEO, and a research associate for the Dean of Harvard Business School. She has worked with companies of all sizes on organizational development, leadership development, and workplace culture. Her writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur, and she’s taught design courses at Stanford and USC. Mollie loves personality tests. Source: https://www.lizandmollie.com/bios About the book Uncertainty. Anger. Despair. Envy. When you’re overwhelmed by big feelings, it can seem like you’re the only one who is struggling. But having difficult emotions doesn’t mean you’re malfunctioning. It means you’re human. Weaving surprising science with personal stories and original illustrations, each chapter examines one uncomfortable feeling—like envy, burnout, and anxiety—and lays out strategies for making it manageable. You’ll learn: How to use regret as a compass for making decisions How to identify what’s behind your anger and communicate it productively Why you might be suffering perfectionism, and how to detach your self-worth from what you do Big Feelings helps us understand that difficult emotions are not abnormal, and that we can emerge from them with a deeper sense of meaning. Source: https://www.lizandmollie.com/big-feelings Three big ideas Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the book Great Ideas. Methods, not Magic. Innovation is not an event; it’s a practice. Don’t leave the big ideas to the creatives. Revolutionize your creative process by mastering Ideaflow: the proven strategy that anyone can use to routinely generate and commercialize innovative ideas. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, student, C-suite leader, or anything in between, this book will teach you how to unleash creativity and innovation to magnify and accelerate all your other efforts, by simply building it into your daily routine About the authors Jeremy is the Director of Executive Education at Stanford d.school and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford's School of Engineering. He is the co-host of the d.school’s widely popular program “Stanford’s Masters of Creativity.” Perry is a seasoned teacher, entrepreneur, product designer, chief executive and co-founding member of the Stanford d.school's faculty with over 20 years of experience. Find out more about the book and authors here. Big ideas 1) All problems are idea problems 2) You're not testing enough 3) Elevate Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the author Pat is one of the founders of The Table Group and is the pioneer of the organizational health movement. He is the author of 13 books, which have sold over 6 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. As President of the Table Group, Pat spends his time speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, and organizational health and consulting with executives and their teams. Prior to founding the firm in 1997, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase. Pat lives in the Bay Area with his wife and four boys. Source: https://www.tablegroup.com/pat/#pat About the book Pat's new book, The Six Types of Working Genius, is on track to be his biggest and most impactful book yet. In classic Lencioni fashion, Pat brings his model to life in a page-turning fable that is as relatable as it is compelling. He tells the story of Bull Brooks, an entreprhttps://www.stephsbusinessbookshelf.com/the-five-dysfunctions-of-a-team-by-patrick-lencioni-why-you-need-to-embrace-conflict/eneur, husband, and father who sets out to solve his own frustration at work and stumbles into a new way of thinking that revolutionizes the way he sees his work, his team, and even his marriage. Bull's story is indicative of every man and woman who is striving to avoid burnout and find fulfillment, dignity and success in their work. Beyond the personal discovery and instant relief that Working Genius provides, the model also gives teams a remarkably simple and practical framework for tapping into one another's natural gifts, which increases productivity and reduces unnecessary judgment. Whether you're a team leader or entrepreneur, a front-line employee or executive, or a school teacher or stay-at-home parent, this book will help you find more joy, fulfillment and success in your work and your life. Source: https://www.workinggenius.com/book Three big ideas Other books of Pat's I've talked about Five Dysfunctions of a Team (my favourite) The Ideal Team Player Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to the bookmark newsletter for twice-monthly book and listening tips in your inbox. This week's episode is a little different as I wanted to tell you about some of the books I'm looking forward to reading, rather than about a book I've read. Here's the books on my TBR at the moment... Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the author Hi, I'm Tiago Forte, I’m the founder of Forte Labs, and the question that drives me is, “How can humans reach their creative potential?” To answer that question, I teach and write about new ways for you to thrive in our connected, digital world. Over the last decade, I’ve helped thousands of people build a Second Brain. It’s a trusted place outside your head where you can collect and organize your most important ideas and insights, and use them to do your best work. The ultimate goal of building a Second Brain is to help you lead a more fulfilling life with more ease and less stress. Source: https://fortelabs.com/ About the book How many times have you tried to remember something important and felt it slip through your grasp? How often have you struggled to recall even one useful takeaway from a book or article you read? How much time have you wasted looking for a document or file you were sure you saved? If your first thought was, “This happened to me today!” then you’re not alone. The sheer amount of information flooding our brains every day is overwhelming. Information Overload has long since become Information Exhaustion, taxing our mental resources and leaving us constantly anxious that we’re forgetting something. Yet, information is the fundamental building block of everything we do. Anything you want to accomplish, from executing a project at work to getting a new job, learning a new skill, and starting a business, requires finding and putting the right information to use. Your professional success and quality of life directly depend on your ability to manage the information around you Now, it’s time to acknowledge that we can’t “use our head” to store everything we need to know, and outsource the job of remembering to technology. This is where a Second Brain comes in. To make effective use of information, we need to package it up and make it accessible for our future self. Building a Second Brain is a way to cultivate a growing body of knowledge that is uniquely your own… So when the opportunity arises — whether that’s giving a big presentation, launching a new product, or starting a business or a family… You’ll have access to the wisdom you need to make sound decisions and take the most effective action. Source: https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/ Big ideas 1) Empty your head 2) Projects not topics 3) The CODE Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the author Associate Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is a scientific futurist, speaker, advisor, author, founder, executive producer, executive director and company director working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to create businesses and champion movements, collaborate with peers, and advise game-changers. A sought-after voice across the start-up, futurist and tech world, Catherine works globally across a wide range of projects from creating documentaries and world leading conferences and events, to advising on the use of novel approaches (e.g. drones) across environmental and humanitarian projects. Catherine is a proponent of community engagement with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and likes to demystify emerging tech. Source: https://www.drcatherineball.com/about About the book As we face challenges globally on multiple fronts, it’s refreshing to hear the positive voice of scientific futurist Dr Catherine Ball. In Converge she presents insights into how technology and science are providing answers to many of the challenges the world is facing today – food shortages, war and conflict, the decline in local manufacturing, health and ageing, and global warming – and asks why we are not embracing these technologies more widely.​ The answer in many cases is, ‘Because we don’t know about them!’ Well, now we do. Dr Catherine opens our eyes to the amazing, wide world of technological advancements and explores the role we all have in learning more, owning the conversations, and determining what we want technology to be. Source: https://www.drcatherineball.com/books Three big ideas Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

☀️ Get in before 21 October to join this year's Steph's Business Bookshelf Summer Book Club: https://www.itsyesand.co/sbbsbc 📚 About the book For a dozen years as one of the world’s most admired CEOs, Indra Nooyi redefined what it means to be an exceptional leader. The first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company — and one of the foremost strategic thinkers of our time — she transformed PepsiCo with a unique vision, a vigorous pursuit of excellence, and a deep sense of purpose. Now, in a rich memoir brimming with grace, grit, and good humor, My Life in Full offers a firsthand view of Indra’s legendary career and the sacrifices it so often demanded. Source: https://www.indranooyi.com/thebook About the author Indra Nooyi is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo (2006-2019); a Fortune 50 company with operations in more than 180 countries. In this role, Ms Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around it. As part of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo was focused on delivering sustained growth by expanding its portfolio to include more nutritious products, limiting its environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves. During her tenure, PepsiCo grew net revenue more than 80%, and PepsiCo’s total shareholder return was 162% beating the S&P over the same period. Source: https://www.indranooyi.com/meetindra Three big ideas 1) Find unselfish mentors 2) Learn, learn, learn 3) Purpose Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's quarterly review time with a recap of the best books I read between 1 July and 30 September this year. Best books I read listen to the episode about this book herelisten to the episode about this book herelisten to the episode about this book herelisten to the episode about this book here Best audiobook I listened to Honourable mentions listen to the episode about this book herelisten to the episode about this book hereSupport my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the book The performance evaluation at work; the parenting advice from your mother-in-law; the lecture by the cop who just pulled you over. We get feedback every day of our lives, from friends and family, colleagues, customers, and bosses, teachers, doctors, and strangers. We’re assessed, coached, and criticized about our performance, personalities, and appearance. We know that feedback is essential for professional development and healthy relationships—but we dread it and often dismiss it. That’s because receiving feedback sits at the junction of two conflicting human desires. We want to learn and grow, but we also want to be accepted and respected just as we are now. Thanks for the Feedback is the first book to address this tension head on. It explains why getting feedback is so crucial yet so challenging and offers a simple framework and powerful tools to help us take on life’s blizzard of offhand comments, annual evaluations, and unsolicited advice with curiosity and grace. Source: https://www.stoneandheen.com/thanks-feedback About the authors Doug Stone is a Founder of Triad Consulting and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. He has also written screenplays, and is determined to play guitar better than his friends. Sheila is a Founder of Triad Consulting Group and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Her husband teaches negotiation at MIT, and they are both schooled regularly in negotiation by their three kids. Source: https://www.stoneandheen.com/authors Three big ideas 1) The gift and the colonoscopy 2) The three types of feedback 3) Know your triggers Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the book You know that well-connected friend who only exists in the movies? The one who throws the best parties and can set up any introduction you need? Everyone wants to know someone magical like this who brings people together. The secret is: you can be that person. You should be that person. The 2-Hour Cocktail Party will show you how. Discover a simple party-hosting formula with step-by-step instructions that help you meet new people, strengthen your existing relationships, and make you the person everyone wants to know. You’ll learn which days are the best to throw events (probably not the ones you think!) and what to say to the first people who arrive. Learn how to ensure your invitations get responses and your guests show up excited to mingle. Plus, get helpful pre-party checklists and a breakdown of activities to encourage new connections. With The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, you’ll make new friends, boost your career, and leave everyone asking. “When’s your next party?” Source: https://party.pro/book/ About the author Howdy 👋🏼 I’m Nick Gray. I just launched a new book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. Most people know me as the Founder of Museum Hack. I hate museums. That’s why I started Museum Hack. It was featured in a popular TEDx talk. Then I grew it to a multi-million dollar business. In 2019, I sold Museum Hack in an interesting way. It starts with a juicy takeover; read the story here. I just turned 40. For my birthday, I rented out an entire indoor water park. That was fun. Source: https://nickgray.net/about/ Three big ideas 1) Build momentum 2) Nights, nametags, nibbles 3) Icebreakers Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the book Consumers have changed, and the businesses that form around them are principled, purposeful and creative. The next generation of entrepreneurs thinks differently, and Cult Status will show you how you can too. Enough has been written about huge cult brands founded last century – Nike, Apple, Red Bull. What will the cult companies of tomorrow look like? Who is amassing the kind of passionate community that gives them the best chance of getting through difficult times to build long-term, sustainable success? Source: http://cultstatus.com/book/cult-status/ About the author Tim Duggan is an author, advisor and optimist who firmly believes in the power of business to do good. Tim has co-founded several digital media ventures, most notably Junkee Media, the leading digital publisher for young Australians, which was acquired by ASX-listed oOh!media His first book, Cult Status: How To Build A Business People Adore, was named the Best Entrepreneurship and Small Business Book at the 2021 Australian Business Book Awards. His second book on creativity in the workplace, Killer Thinking: How To Turn Good Ideas Into Brilliant Ones, is out now. He’s also the Chairman of the Digital Publishers Alliance, a group representing over 100 titles from the leading independent publishers in the country, as well as working with a range of businesses that he’s passionate about. Source: https://timduggan.com.au/about/ ICYMI - here's the episode where I talked about Tim's latest book, Killer Thinking. Big idea #1 - Refine & define, the seven steps to cult status Big idea #2 - Be an untrepreneur Big idea #3 - Know your enemy Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the book What's stopping us from doing the best work of our lives? It's the way we work. Bureaucracy. Hierarchy. Compliance. Everything that slows us down and makes us feel less human. Our organizations are broken. And we can fix them. Aaron Dignan helps teams around the world completely reinvent their operating systems—the fundamental principles and practices that shape their culture—with extraordinary success. He helps them see that organizations aren't machines to be predicted and controlled. They're complex human systems full of potential waiting to be released. In Brave New Work, you'll learn exactly how to reinvent the way you work, not through top-down mandates, but through a groundswell of autonomy, trust, and transparency. Source: https://www.bravenewwork.com/ About the author Aaron Dignan sees the same phenomenon everywhere he looks. Our most trusted and important institutions—in business, healthcare, government, philanthropy, and beyond – are struggling. They’re confronted with the fact that the scale and bureaucracy that once made them strong are liabilities in an era of constant change. For the past ten years, he has studied organizations and teams with a new way of working that prioritizes adaptivity and autonomy over efficiency and control. Aaron contends that teams everywhere need to join them in the future of work. As the founder of The Ready—a global organizational transformation and coaching practice—he helps companies large and small adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. Dignan is an active angel investor and helps build partnerships between the startups and end-ups he advises. He has sat on advisory boards for GE, American Express, PepsiCo, and Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, as well as the board of directors for Smashburger. Source: http://www.aarondignan.com/#intro Big ideas Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the book Fully revised and updated, the definitive guide for leaders on how to create lasting organisational change. Do you remember the last major initiative you watched die in your organisation? Did it go down with a loud crash? Or was it slowly and quietly suffocated by other competing priorities? By the time it finally disappeared, it’s quite likely noone even noticed. Almost every company struggles with making change happen. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated is meant to help you reach the goals you’ve always dreamed of with a simple, repeatable, and proven formula. In this updated edition of the business bestseller, you’ll learn the 4 Disciplines of Execution and how to make them work for your organisation. This proven set of practices have been tested and refined by hundreds of organisations and thousands of teams over many years. When a company or an individual adheres to these principles, they achieve superb results, regardless of the goal. These 4 Disciplines of Execution represent a new way to work and think that is essential to creating lasting organisational change and thriving in today’s competitive climate. It’s the one book that no leader can afford to miss. Source: Amazon, see more on https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/ About the authors Sean Covey is the President of FranklinCovey Education and the original architect of the 4 Disciplines methodology. A Harvard MBA and former Brigham Young University quarterback, Sean is also a New York Times bestselling author and has written numerous books, including The Leader in Me and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Chris McChesney the Global Practice Leader of Execution for FranklinCovey and has led the ongoing development of the 4 Dis­ciplines for more than fifteen years, impacting thousands of organizations. Known for his high-energy and engaging message, Chris has become one of the most requested speakers within the Franklin Covey Organization, regularly delivering keynote speeches and executive presentations to leaders in audiences ranging from the hundreds to several thousand. Source: Amazon, see more on https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/ Big idea #1 - Accountability is key Big idea #2 - The four disciplines Big idea #3 - The whirlwind Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.