I haven't really loved the execution of these reading reflections so far.
I haven't really been reflecting so much as reviewing and frankly I don't think I'm really qualified to provide meaningful reviews. I want to talk about how these books influenced my thinking - not whether or not they're 'good' based on my subjective point of view.
I think some of this is a result of the 'lightning round' catch up nature of these posts - but I think I can adjust things a bit to keep these catch-up posts brief and formulaic while developing a better focus on what I think is relevant.
Trying that formula for the first time this week as I catch-up on the books I read in May.
Meditations on First Philosophy - Rene Descartes
Why I read this: I had read this in college and found it fascinating at the time. I can't say exactly what motivated me to re-read this but it was calling to me from my shelf.
Reflection: Descartes meditations are like a case study in problem solving. Sure - Descartes is dealing with matters of existential importance, but the basic premise of removing ALL of the noise and slowly bringing signal back is such a fantastic process worth examining and trying to replicate.
Sabbath as Resistance - Walter Brueggemann
Why I read this: If I remember correctly - I became aware of this book because it was referenced in one of the books I read earlier this year. I often build my "Want to Read" list by going down reference rabbit holes in books that I like. Many of the books I've read this year were chosen because they were sources for other books I had read.
Reflections: I really liked this book for a lot of the same reasons I liked 4000 Weeks. The whole world is so focused on how to constantly fit more and more action into every minute of every hour of every day. Like 4000 Weeks; this book draws attention to the value and importance of inaction. Temperance is a virtue we could all aspire to practice more intentionally.
The Wisdom of Teams - Jon Katzenbach
Why I read this: This was another book that had been referenced in a prior read - it had a strong reputation and was in a topic area that I'm always trying to learn more about.
Reflections: I think if I had read this book in 1993 when it was published - it might have changed my life. In 2025 it's easy to appreciate why it has such a solid reputation; but the vast majority of the lessons and content have been refined, improved, and delivered in far more approachable and consumable literature.
Good to Great - Jim Collins
Why I read this: Jim Collins is always high on the list of authors worth reading if you have interest in pursuing an MBA. I think by the time I actually read this I had decided the MBA was not a direction worth investing in - but I owned the book and it's a 'classic' so I figured I may as well give it a read.
Reflections: There's no question why Collins is one of the kings of business literature - his writing is easily consumed and his research methods and case studies are strong. The hedgehog concept is a brilliantly simple framework for success and the evidence he presents make a strong case. Unfortunately - a not-significant number of the 'great' companies as defined by his team's criteria were later caught with a hand caught in the fraud cookie jar. The added fraud variable adds reasonable doubt to the accuracy of his arguments - but not enough so to invalidate the book or its findings.
Brave New Work - Aaron Dignan
Why I read this: This was the first book I read as a direct result of my AI fueled growth plan and was recommended to me by ChatGPT. During this time work was particularly stressful and I had a certain sense of despair at the thought that I might be enabling a never-ending series of crises that would inevitably end in disaster for my work, my colleagues, and ME! This book was recommended as the first step toward rethinking how I approached my work.
Reflections: Wow. Just wow. My opinion of this book may have been inflated by some combination of desperation and confirmation bias - but reading this book felt like waking up. Dignan confirms what I had been suspicious of - the solution to an organization hurtling off the tracks isn't to seize more control; but rather to relinquish it. Every single person in the organization needs to be motivated and empowered to prevent and fight fires. I don't know if every argument and assertion made in this book is accurate - but I know in my bones that an organization built on the foundations he proposes will be stronger and more successful than an organization built on classic top down command and control.
Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
Why I read this: Malcolm Gladwell is another one of those "have to read" sorts of authors - I picked up this book at a used book sale at my local library. It's not his most popular book - but I had seen it referenced in a few places in the past and figured it was worth a read.
Reflections: The case studies in this book are fascinating. Gladwell manages to put his finger on the mechanics of intuition and instinct; and how they can be learned and leveraged. This book is likely not as important or influential as "The Tipping Point" - but I found this topic to be wildly more interesting and more widely applicable.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson
Why I read this: I bought this book years ago. I made it a few chapters in at the time and really liked it, but then life happened and I never finished it and pretty much forgot about it. I ended up reading it because I was having trouble sleeping one night - I didn't want to wake up my wife, and I didn't have my headphones - so I did a quick scan of my eBook library and saw this one sitting at 10 or 15%. Figured I may as well pick it back up.
Reflections: If the title doesn't make it obvious - this book has a certain brashness and candor that makes it far more enjoyable to read than a lot of the dry and dense tomes I had read earlier in the year. In a roster of books on the topic of how to fix the world and make things suck less - Manson reminds us (as a comfort) that sometimes things just kind of suck and there's nothing we can do about. The whole book is like an extended (and vulgar) edition of the Serenity Prayer.
Skunk Works - Ben Rich
Why I read this: Former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin mentioned in a post on LinkedIn that this was one of his favorite 'must read' books. Beyond that - this book has the allure of being about one of the coolest organizations on the planet and it actually falls quite nicely into my research and examination into how you build stronger more functional organizations.
Reflections: This book is a perfect blend of history, case studies, leadership lessons, and personal memoir. I doubt that there is any better literature on how an organization can consistently accomplish seemingly impossible things over a period spanning decades. The stories in this book are strong evidence that an organization's culture is the cornerstone of its success - more confirmation that I'm headed in the right direction.
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