Finding a nook for the book – High Growth Scotland with Kim McAllister

16/02/2018

Reading used to be a huge part of my life – and then I had kids.

Now, with a three and six year old, I feel like time to read is time stolen, squirreled away, guiltily used and judiciously doled out to only the most worthy paperbacks. I mean, I have a Kindle, but it’s just not the same.

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Reading foreign language or business books seems somehow more worthy and nutritious to the spirit, so alongside my all time favourite La Casa de Los Espiritus are currently sitting ReWork, Crossing the Chasm and The Chimp Paradox.

I highly recommend all four (there’s an English-language movie starring Meryl Streep, Antonio Banderas and Winona Ryder if you’re lazy – or monolingual) – but enough about me.

When I interviewed Sir Tom Hunter he recommended The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson; and both Banker to the Poor and Building Social Business by Muhammad Yunus.

Interestingly, when I reached out to my network for recommendations, most of them chose a book that focused on mindset.

“Most people in business know what to do, and they’ve got access to all the information to help them solve any problem they have. However, the one major element that holds business people back from achieving their dreams is their mindset,” Chris Marr, chief exec of Content Marketing Academy, told me.

He recommends The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield.

Jo-Anne Chidley, CEO of The Beauty Kitchen, agrees with Chris, although she turns to a different title, Mindset: How you can fulfil your potential by Carol Dweck.

“It’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success-but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset … It gets you to understand that you are not born with talent, you work hard and make mistakes,” she said.

Craig McGill is a big fan of Ricardo Semler’s work – the most famous of which is The Seven Day Weekend – claiming he returns to them annually, while Mike Scott of Hydrogen suggests What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School is a great read for the softer side of business.

I wasn’t surprised to see Lean In by Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg pop up – one of Bad Dinosaur’s reading list – while Nudge by Richard Thaler was suggested by Graham Harker at Learning and Competence Services Limited.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the time to read all these titles? One of my business-owning friends pointed out he reads more blogs and articles than books. I’m probably the same – relying on my network to point me in the direction of eye-opening testimony or inspiring storytelling.

So tell me – which book should we all make the time for?

Kim McAllister is a Journalist & Communications Consultant and director of Impact Online


Other articles by Kim McAllister

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“Scotland is the envy of many countries” – High Growth Scotland with Kim McAllister

Would you bank on it? – High Growth Scotland with Kim McAllister

EXCLUSIVE – Advocate turned coder set to disrupt the courtroom – The Weekly Scaleup with Kim McAllister

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