My “Year of Reading 2020” book list and an invitation to join me in reading one or more of them

This is the third year that I have compiled a book reading list to work through in a year.

The whole experience of compiling a list and then reading through the books on the list continues to be a productive experience and finally got me back into the routine of reading books.

I have failed thus far in getting lots of other people to read along with me for mutual accountability and learning. I am continuing to seek to address that by inviting anyone and everyone to join me.

For 2020 I have three lists as follows:-

1. The Main List
1. This is the main list comprising 12 books for each month of 2020.
2. I find it challenging to read a book a month but am seeking to improve so 12 books it is again this year.
3. These are the main books that I am looking to read during 2020 and find others to do likewise with me.
2. The Immunity to Change List
1. I am doing a 1:1 peer coaching group based on “Immunity To Change” with another person in at least Q1 of 2020.
2. I am listing the books that both of us or either of us will be reading as part of that in case anyone wants to read any of those books with us.
3. These would be relevant to anyone looking to address any deep-rooted change issues that you have been looking to address for a very long time including e.g. inner voice / critic, imposter syndrome, anxiety, self-esteem and other self-care issues.
4. The main driver for me doing this was my experience of facilitating one of John Stepper’s pilot Self-Care circles in Q4 2018 and Q1/2 2019.
3. The Sunday / Sabbath List
1. In 2020 I am intending to use Sundays as a rest day from The Main List and read books that are more specifically reflection orientated.
2. “Present Over Perfect” was my January 2019 selection. I never finished it but want to.
3. Again, these books would be helpful to a variety of people.

In 2019 I got into a new reading routine of reading books at the start of every working day before my working day began.

As I read I take notes and at the end of each chapter I devise some application questions for me and anyone else to answer. I then post my questions, my answers and my book notes into the relevant group in a Workplace by Facebook community that I am admin for. I would love you to join us and do the same. I have also posted videos of me talking to camera during this year.

I encourage you to look through the info on each book below and see if there are any you want to read.

Although I have assigned a month to each of the books on the main list, I am more than happy for anyone to read any of the books at any time during 2020 or later. Ideally, people would post some information in Workplace  on their journey through each book that they read so I know that you are reading along with me and what you are reading. All I need to add you to our community is a personal email address that has not ben used thus far to register with any Workplace by Facebook community. This is only used for the registration process and is not used by Facebook for any other process. Facebook does not access any Workplace by Facebook data that we post and there are no advertisements.

I intend to (try to) stick to the monthly schedule as I sequenced the list specifically for me. You may find this sequence helpful too!

One of the issues is around how much time we should give to each book. I have found so far that it is best not to set a time limit with start and end dates but you may want to set yourself a start date and end date to encourage your own progress.

As a learning junkie, I am also happy to do anything with anyone related to any of these books and am open to all and any suggestions.

Feel free to invite any other people

Happy to take any questions.

What do you think of my list(s)? Any of these intriguing you? Want to read along with me?

… and so on to my list of books for 2020 with some rationale, background and a video to introduce each book as follows:-

THE MAIN LIST

1. “Managing Oneself”; Peter Drucker

1. Recently recommended by Whitney Johnson.

2. Thought it was time I finally read a Peter Drucker book.

3. Managing myself is a priority as I know I could do so much better on a number of fronts – I have high standards and I am my own worst critic.
   
   

2. “Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with Or Like Or Trust”; Adam Kahane

1. Collaboration is a frequently-used word in business-speak these days.

2. I wanted to read about this subject to hear someone else’s take on this subject.

3. The emphasis in the book title of what sort of people you need to be able to work with was intriguing.
   
   
   

3. "Triggers: Creating Behaviour That Lasts - Becoming the Person You Want to Be"; Marshall Goldsmith

1. I stumbled over the video below while looking at habits content while reading James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” very recently.

2. The author is widely recognised as the best coach in the world.

3. This content will help me as I build on my habits and routines work.

4. The video is inspirational.
   
   

4. "Remote: Office Not Required"; Jason Fried

1. I am a fan of Jason’s work.

2. I have never read one of his books.

3. I have an ongoing and increasing interest in virtual teams as a majority of the teams I now lead or am a member of are virtual to a greater or lesser extent.

4. I am confident I will learn many things from reading and applying this book.
   
   

5. “Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation”; Rebecca Sutherns

1. In career planning work I have been doing recently, facilitation and coaching are things that bring me joy.

2. I have not had any formal input on these 2 subjects for a very long time.

3. Nadja Petranovskaja recently recommended it on LinkedIn.

4. Even while I was compiling the book list, I have already had one person express an interest in reading this book with me and that person does a lot of content creation and service delivery in the fields of facilitation.
   
   

6. “Mastery”: Robert Greene

1. I am intrigued by the whole idea of mastery.

2. I am increasingly a generalist with a wide range of interest and skills areas.

3. I would love to master more the services I deliver and would love to deliver.

4. I have had some exposure to Robert on some podcasts this year.
   
   

7. “Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace)”; Chade-Meng Tan

1. I stumbled over this content via tweets from Rebekka Manos and after a DM exchange with Rebekka I added this book to my list.

2. The book is further content in areas that are hot topics to me.
   
   

8. “21 Letters on Life and Its Challenges”; Charles Handy

1. I used Charles’ content during my first business degree in the early 1980s.

2. Stumbled over this book while back-channelling on Twitter  at the recent Global Peter Drucker Forum and finding an amazing interview that Andrew Hill of the FT did with Charles.

3. I wanted to learn from this giant of organisational thought.
   
   (not directly related to this book but an example of a Charles talk)
   
   

9. “Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone”; Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw, Jill Tracie Nichols

1. I find Satya an interesting leader to find out more about it.

2. I should have read this book when it first came out.

3. I am interested in the different style of leadership that Satya demonstrates.

4. I am interested in the impact of technology on our daily lives.
   
   

10. “The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery”;  Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

1. I got to the point where I was hearing “enneagram” being talked about from a number of my favourite communicators on a number of my must-listen-to podcasts.

2. Ian appears to be one of the world’s leading authorities on the enneagram.

3. In a sense, I want to understand what all the fuss is about.
   
   

11. “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World”; David Epstein

1. I have an ongoing and increasing interest in generalists vs specialists.

2. I would love to understand which of these I am in my core versus what I am currently doing work-wise.

3. I have heard some podcasts with David talking about this book.
   
   

12. “Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World”; Marcus Buckingham, Ashley Goodall

1. I am a big fan of Marcus and his strengths work which fundamentally changed how I viewed strengths and weaknesses.

2. I have heard the 2 co-authors talking about this book on a number of podcasts.

3. A number of lies in the book go against what I currently believe and I love to be challenged and stretched.

4. The section on “red threads” is amazingly powerful and emotional.
   
   

THE IMMUNITY TO CHANGE LIST

1. “Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization”; Lisa Laskow Lahey and Robert Kegan
1. This was the core text in the Immunity To Change MOOC that I did a few years ago. That MOOC was the most deeply personally challenging of any learning that I have ever done thus far.
2. I want to reread this book to tackle other self-care issues as listed earlier.
   
   
2. “The 5 Second Rule Transform Your Life, Work and Confidence with Everyday Courage”; Mel Robbins
1. Over the past 3 years I have been far more spontaneous in doing and saying things IRL and online far more than at any other time in my life.
2. This has led me to some amazing online learning adventures and occasionally spilling over into real life.
3. The subject of this book is what I suspect I have been doing over this period.
4. I want to learn more about this trait and put it into practice more.
   
   
3. “Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining your Self-Esteem”; Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning
1. This book was one of the recommended resources listed in the Working Out Loud Self-Care circles.
2. I am specifically interested in the inner voice / critic and confidence content.
   
   
4. “Anxiety Relief: Self Help (With Heart) For Anxiety, Panic Attacks, And Stress Management”; John Crawford
1. This is a book that the other person in the 1:1 peer coaching work will be working through.
2. I may review the content for my own development as well as simply understanding these subjects.
   
   (not directly related to this book)
   
   

THE SUNDAY / SABBATH LIST

1. “Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way”; Shauna Niequist
1. I stumbled over a video resource for this book a long time ago and it appealed to me back then.
2. This is part of my concerted effort to do more self-care for me.
3. There is a Brene Brown connection; they are mates and she wrote the foreword.
4. I have started this so there are already lots of my notes in the book group that I will add to as I read the remaining chapters.
   
   
2. “Falling Upward: A Spirituality For The Two Halves Of Life”; Richard Rohr
1. Richard has been referenced in lots of content I have consumed but I have yet to read any of his books.
2. As I am getting older, this book’s themes caught my eye.
3. As far as I am aware, I have never read anything about these subjects.
4. This may be an ideal book to prompt some deep life self-reflection.