The LeadTech Diet - Issue #13
Here comes 2023 | Best reads of 2022
…and just like that, it’s 2023. The last 3 years have felt like such a blur. Between Covid, Big Tech™ layoffs, never ending Crypto scandals and a looming recession, maybe a fresh start is just what we need!
I used to post about my favourite books of the year in my old blog so I thought I’d give that a crack here also. Let’s get to my top reads of 2022:
3. Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
Interesting book about economics, currencies, war and politics. There’s a lot in there and potentially something I’ll re-read in the future.
Did you know the first ever stock exchange was created in Amsterdam? And that the first company to ever trade publicly was The Dutch East India Company?
If you are interested in such facts, want to understand economic cycles and are fascinated by how politics and war influence the economy as a whole, this is worth a read.
2. The Art of Action
This book was published in 2011 and looks at how the Prussian (and later, the German) army got things done. As it takes us through the 19th century, you’d be surprised to learn the similarities between how they operated then and how high-performing organisations operate today using agile practices.
The language may be different and even feel dated, but make no mistake: this is a book that advocates for less command-and-control and more context setting and sharing, being adaptable and empowering people.
In hindsight, this makes sense. After all you couldn’t radio your commanding officer to ask what you should do when things didn’t go according to plan — radios didn’t get used by the military until the mid-20th century during World War I (28 July 1914 – 11 Nov 1918).
1. The Coddling of the American Mind
Following on from the original article by the same title, this book looks at what’s been going wrong in many colleges - and life in general - that have lead to speakers being uninvited from guest lectures, students and professors feeling they are walking on eggshells, the issues with trigger warnings and much more.
One key element that is looked at is the role parenting plays in all this. There is a quote in the book that primes the reader for what’s to come:
“prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.”
This isn’t a book for parents though - I don’t have kids and still found it immensely useful in understanding contemporary customs and behaviours of the iGeneration both in schools and, for the older ones, the workforce.
I hope you find these useful and if you’re curious, here’s the full list of what I’ve read in 2022.
Happy 2023!
Let’s get this party started!
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