These are some of my favourite non-fiction books, which I found either inspiring or helpful for everyday life.
This book is full of insights about vulnerability and how embracing it will help you live a wholehearted life. There’s also a TED talk which summarises the ideas from the book if you want to start there.
Radical Candor: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean by Kim Scott
I haven’t read the full book, only done a workshop. However, one really useful tip I picked up was using the Situation, Behaviour Impact (SBI) framework for giving actionable and specific feedback. In summary:
Situation - describe the specific time or event you are referring to.
Behaviour - describe the specific behaviour you are addressing, which can be positive or negative.
Impact - describe the impact this behaviour had on yourself, others, the team etc.
Also, in general it is better to give positive feedback out in the open to boost team morale, whereas negative feedback is better shared privately so individuals do not feel shame or resentment and can also discuss how they might improve.
How to Learn Almost Anything in 48 Hours
These two books written by 4x Australian Memory Champion Tansel Ali contain lots of useful little tricks and tips for memorising and learning new things. Personally I find them really helpful for remembering everyday things like shopping lists, credit card numbers etc and also when learning new skills such as algorithms for solving a Rubik’s cube or party tricks like recalling the order of shuffled decks of cards. I organised Tansel to speak for us at Google twice and he is a super friendly and humble guy.
Crucial Conversations, Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
I’ve completed training and refresher courses on Crucial Conversations and found there are several nuggets of gold in there despite some of the material possibly being a bit old school. Some of my favourite concepts from this book/course are:
Stopping to think about what you really, really want as a way to stop an amygdala hijack.
Victim vs villain, stories we tell ourselves to justify our behaviour.
The sucker’s choice and coming up with a third option instead of being silent or violent.
Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman
To be honest, I haven’t finished this book yet. The back cover says to buy it fast and read it slowly which I’m taking literally. However, the parts I’ve read so far really do make you think about how your brain works and your decisions are made.
The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50 by Jonathan Rauch
I was entering my 40s when I read this book and found it particularly relevant. However, I believe the concepts and ideas covered in this book are well worth reading no matter your age as it gives you some insight into your past or future.