Books
Lessons from years of disruption.
Ideas shaped by markets, people, judgement and the operating decisions that matter most through disruption and change.
Beneath the Surface
Built for Change
This page collects the books and ideas that sit close to the work: leadership under pressure, durable companies, culture, resilience and the moments when markets force clearer thinking.
Recommended Books
Books that shaped how I think.
These are some of the books that shaped how I think about leadership, business, strategy, technology, decision-making and personal growth. No affiliate links are included.
Teams
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
A practical leadership fable on trust, conflict, commitment, accountability and the work required to build a genuinely cohesive team.
Performance
Good to Great
Collins explores how disciplined people, disciplined thought and disciplined action help some companies make the leap from good to enduringly great.
Endurance
Built to Last
A study of visionary companies and the habits, values and operating choices that help organisations compound over decades.
Possibility
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
A deceptively simple reminder about agency, uncertainty, waiting places and the optimism needed to keep moving.
Resilience
The Stress Code
Sutton frames stress through a performance and health lens, moving from survival responses toward recovery, resilience and better adaptation.
Reset
Shift Happens
A toolkit for responding differently under pressure, with practical shifts for calm, clarity, resilience and personal transformation.
Culture
Delivering Happiness
A founder story about Zappos, customer obsession, company culture and the belief that values can become an operating advantage.
Leadership
Straight from the Gut
Welch's memoir of GE leadership, candour, intensity and the management ideas that shaped a generation of business thinking.
Purpose
Start with Why
Sinek argues that enduring leadership and communication start with purpose: the reason people believe, follow and act.
From reading to practice
Explore the ideas in my own writing
For the people side of building a business, read why culture matters to business success and the importance of trust in your business.
Continue with five essential qualities of a good leader, or explore the wider leadership collection.