The Business Leader Daily Reading List - February '24
As the saying goes, read, read, read. Lots of great ones to share from February to help with your leadership learning.
The year is off to a great start, with new books and articles to read to help you grow as a business leader. Here are some of the most interesting articles and books I found helpful over the last month.
Around the Web
What Is Common Sense? - A research effort into what exactly is common sense and is it really common?
How Quora Died - a retrospective of what happened to a thriving community and what led to its downfall.
How Will AI Reshape Our World? It’s Really Up to Us - Change is coming but what happens next?
How to Stay Grounded Through Organizational Chaos - Advice on how to stay focused on what you can control when things are out of control.
Reading Income Statements - Even if you aren’t in a finance role, as a leader, you should have a competent understanding of finance basics.
AI, and everything else - Technology analyst Benedict Evan’s annual presentation of all the current trends and their potential impacts.
It’s About Time - a lovely piece on the importance of staying focused on long term objectves.
Books
Your Strategy Needs a Strategy: How to Choose and Execute the Right Approach - when it comes to strategy, there is no such thing as a one size fits all approach. This book aims to help you determine which strategy approach is best for your challenges.
The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder - an exploration of how leaders can leverage friction to streamline processes, prioritize, and drive organizational success by making the right decisions easier and the wrong ones more challenging.
No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results - tactical advice on how to keep your team focused by creating a culture of accountability and respect.
7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - a reread of a classic strategy book that focuses on how to build a plan that can deliver ‘persistent differential returns’ by leveraging sources of competitive advantage. A highly recommended book.
Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow - an enjoyable vacation read about the history of skiing, the culture of ski towns, and how environmental changes and economic dynamics will impact the future.
And to wrap up the list, here is a quote that I have spent some time thinking about:
What are your favorite reads from February ‘24?
In case you missed it, here are my favorite business books from last year:
15 Best Business Leadership Books of 2023
For the last twenty-plus years, I have been an avid reader of business books. It always seemed that if, for $20, you could get an idea or two to help you become a better leader, it was money well spent. Great leaders never stop learning, and there is always more to learn.
Common sense isn’t so common….its uniquely common…