Here are my notes from books I've read to help me become a better professional and a better human. Taking notes while reading and then trying to extract the big concepts afterwards has made it easier for me to apply the book's most important ideas in my business and in my life.
Click on the book title to view a summary and detailed book notes.
Life
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie10/10 An absolute gem. The book provides a simple (although not easy) framework for interacting with other people and for navigating the social world.
Writing
Everybody Writes by Ann Handley10/10 A fantastic guide to writing copy for marketers. I loved this book because it was unpretentious, tactical and written for people who are not necessarily professional writers but are looking to improve their written work.
Marketing
This is Marketing by Seth Godin10/10 Seth Godin's "This is Marketing" is not really a book about marketing. It's a deep study of human culture, organizational behavior and human psychology. All of which is critical to understanding marketing.
Marketing
Obviously Awesome by April Dunford10/10 A brilliant deep dive into how to talk about your product to prospects (i.e. positioning). It's amazing how the labels and descriptors we use for our products and services dictate customer expectations about pricing and value.
Business
Good to Great by James C. Collins10/10 Good to great defines a conceptual model which can be applied in any business, from startup to enterprise, in order to ensure consistent success. Immensely valuable for founders or executives looking to bring focus and clarity to their organizations.
Learning
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool10/10 The big takeaway from this book is that most people do not know how to practice effectively and believe in a lot of myths about natural talent. It gives great tactical advice on how to practice better to build skill mastery.
Decision Making
The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb10/10 The Black Swan is a study of low probability, high impact events and how human behavior, business, and science generally do a very poor job of accounting for their effects.
Life
Waking Up: A guide to Spirituality without Religion by Sam Harris10/10 Sam Harris' Waking Up is a rigorous, scientific exploration of consciousness as it relates to the human experience and spirituality.
Marketing
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Reis & Jack Trout9/10 The most interesting idea in Reis & Trout's laws of marketing is the idea that fundamentally marketing is all about the perceptions of a prospect and very little with the actual quality of features of the product.
Entrepreneurship
The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber9/10 The E-Myth is a toolkit to help founders and small business owners reimagine their businesses independent of themselves as self sustaining organizations.