BOOKS I LOVE
Here are some of my favourite books; books which have helped me learn and which I have relied on to provide guidance through my career.I continue to read and find new content which shapes my learning; I will keep adding to this page so check in often.
I hope you find this resource valuable.
INFLUENCE - SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
by Robert B. Cialdini
We are constantly and consistently under the influence of others. Today's marketing targets our emotions and creates behaviour in us that we may not be aware of.
Influence introduces "The Weapons of Influence"; the psychological approaches that are used against us to create compliance. If we learn about these and apply them in an ethical way, we can help ourselves and others achieve their goals in life.
Influence takes us through 6 key psychologies, introducing how they are applied and how we can defend ourselves against them. With this new knowledge, we can choose to use some of them ourselves. This has consequences in our personal and professional lives, helping us to consider the actions we take and the environment we create as a result.
Influence is one of the best negotiation skills books there is - I highly recommend it.
INFONOMICS
by Doug Laney; Gartner VP & Distinguished Analyst
In "Infonomics", Doug Laney introduces the concepts around the monetisation of information. In other words, how do we as organisations better understand how to make the mass of data & information that we create, collect, store, process, anayse and use, on a day-to-day basis, do something new for us.
Doug takes us through the principles of thinking in a new way; how to manage the information we have, measure the opportunity it creates and ultimately monetise information to create new revenues that weren't possible before now.
Infonomics is full of examples of what monetisation means; revenue gains, cost savings, risk reduction, customer experience improvement, market adoption and contains practical advice about the thinking needed to attribute the value information has to play in the success of business within the digital economy.
SPARK: THE REVOLUTIONARY NEW SCIENCE OF EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN
by John J. Ratey, MD
Spark delivers the undeniable evidence to support the connection between physical health and mental health; that the point of exercise is to build and condition the brain.
The book is full of the results of working with people to discover how exercise positively impacts our ability to learn, enable our brains to create new pathways which increase memory capacity, reduces stress and anxiety without relying solely on medication, and treat depression, addiction and attention deficit.
If you ever wondered why you should get off the couch and take a 30 minute walk, this book will certainly motivate you to make that change.
Spark will help you understand the impact of exercise on the brain and as a result create strategies which will influence how well you can perform daily tasks or create the focus needed for specific tasks.