Tom Cuthbert

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2019 Book of the Year

2019 Book of the Year

I read (and listened) to 24 fantastic books in 2019.  Most of them were business related, personal growth or pure entertainment.  I rate books based on impact to me and add bonus points if I reread it. The 2019 nominees are:

Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt

This is the story of Bill Campbell, the executive coach to many tech CEOs and executives.  As a CEO coach I found this book fascinating. I admire Campbell’s courage and love for those he coached.  While the results of the companies are amazing, it was the personal growth of the individual and the legacy he left that was most inspiring.

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

This was a surprise entry.  It turns out 1 in 25 people have sociopathic tendencies.  The book is a fascinating look at the makeup of these people who are in our companies, neighborhoods and even our families.  Learning to recognize the traits and ways to deal with them was valuable and interesting. 

Apollo 8 by Jeffery Kluger

A fascinating story of the first mission to send men behind the moon.  I grew up with the Apollo program and loved reliving the excitement and adventure of our country’s greatest technological accomplishment of my lifetime.

Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins

An excellent monograph focused on the Flywheel from the iconic Good to Great.  I heard Collins speak in January of this year and it inspired me to build my own flywheel.  It was one of the most impactful exercises I did in 2019 and a fantastic little book.

Brain Rules John Medina

Really interesting approach to understanding our brains and therefore, our actions.  Medina uses science and research to make a case for his 12 Principles to thrive in life and work.  The stories and information apply to people of all ages. It helped me understand how others think as well and ways to challenge them to become better at whatever they are passionate about. 

Runner up:  Indistractable by Nir Eyal

Nir Eyal did a masterful job of creating a practical approach to mitigating distractions.  This book builds perfectly on Atomic Habits by James Clear (2018 book of the year). I loved the language and stories.  They were simple and easy to apply approaches to make our lives indistractable. An outstanding read and highly impactful!

The “Tommy” Award goes to…

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

I reread this book twice!  Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiator.  His tactics are somewhat counterintuitive to conventional negotiation.  His results prove the pint that they work. I love negotiation and Voss did a masterful job of providing tangible techniques against a backdrop of real life drama.

Previous Winners

2018 Atomic Habits, James Clear

2017 Give and Take, Adam Grant

2016 Leadership and Self Deception, The Arbinger Institute

2015 Hyper Sales Growth, Jack Daly

2014 The Power of a Positive No, William Ury

2013 Conversational Capacity, Criag Weber

2012 Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell

2011 Start with Why, Simon Sinek


More book reviews at www.tomcuthbert.com/books