Quarterly Book Review

Well another quarter has passed and I’ve managed to read 6 books. Here they are in no particular order along with some of my thoughts:

• Tribal Leadership - This books shows how companies are really groups of various tribes. These tribe then have different levels. Those in the lower levels and generally more unhappy and less successful but as you go up things get better. I did find myself seeing the various tribes at my office and a few other places. It was a helpful read
• Between the World and Me - Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates as a letter to his son about the perils of being a black man and how to navigate this landscape. Highly recommend taking the time to read this book.
• Reporter - This is an autobiography my Seymour Hersh who is well known for his reporting on the Vietnam war. It was interesting to read how the relationship between reporters, governments, and politicians in North America are not much different not as they were then. The internet has just made is a much faster and public cycle. If you are having any anxiety reading the news this book might help.
• Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography - Sometimes you need to take a break and read different things. I love art and I’m a big fan of Keith Haring but I didn’t really know his full story. This was a heart breaking but fascinating read. Keith died in 1990 of AIDS at the age of 31 but during his life he created some of the most amazing art and was key in help making street art acceptable in the stodgy art world.
• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products - This was an interesting book on how to get people to return to your app, essentially how to get them “hooked” but in an ethical way. They show you each step of their suggested process with pros and cons as well as examples from industry. Great read!
• Coaching for Performance - I found this book a difficult read and maybe not the best entry point into the coaching concept. I think if you had some prior knowledge it might have been easier. I finished it feeling like coaching is something I should be doing as a leader but not sure really how I would do that.