2021 was a challenging year following hot on the heels of an even more challenging year. However, your 2021 went we still have 2022 to look forward to. I thought it would be appropriate to share some of the books I’m looking forward to reading in 2022 and why I’m looking forward to reading them. So this is not a list of books I’ve read but rather a list of books I want to read.
DeFi and the Future of Finance By Campbell Harvey, Ashwin Ramachandran, and Joey Santoro
As a person with a vested interest in finance, the idea of decentralised finance (defi) and how blockchain technology is being used to bring it to life will always interest me. I suggest it’s a good read if you want to understand these ideas as well.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
This book is said to give a deeper understanding of the reasons behind some ideas sticking in the minds and hearts of people, while other ideas fail to do so. I want to read it because in my various roles I sometimes have to determine how good business ideas are and where they can be fixed. If you have at any point had to do so or just want to I recommend it.
2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Would Collide and Reshape the Future for Everything By Mauro F. Guillén
In Zimbabwe, we have Vision 2030. The rest of the world is looking forward to 2030. The destination is the same but the details of the journey are certainly different. This book looks at the various technologies we have and how they are expected to progress towards 2030.
Impact players – Liz Wiseman
Your effectiveness in life is measured by your impact. It’s not how much or how long or how hard you work. What affects people is your impact. What people remember is your impact. With that in mind, a book about being an impact player in life and work sounds like a must-read to me.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable” by Patrick Lencioni
Teamwork makes the dream work but only if the team works. That’s the hard part about teams. We either want to or have to work in them but they are really difficult to manage. I’m looking forward to reading this one to understand how to lead teams and also be a better team member.
Get different – Mike Michalowicz
If the title didn’t give it away this book is about marketing that stands out and that is something we sorely need. Released in September 2021 it is a very recent take on new marketing ideas.
The long game – Dorie Clark
While I don’t entirely agree with the sentiment many people say we are living in a world that thinks more short term than ever. The Long Game is all about balancing long term thinking with the demands of the short term world we live in.
The cold start problem – Andrew Chen
Our whole idea here is to help people start businesses. That entails usually starting from scratch and for some starting completely new ideas. The cold start problem is about traversing that difficulty and is written by a former executive at Uber, one good example of using networks to scale in the modern world.
Twelve and a half – Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk can be described as maverick or even unique in his approach. One thing is certain, Gary gets social and people. In this book, he touches on the emotional ingredients involved in business success. This November 2021 release has very good reviews.
Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
I got interested in this book as it is said to talk about a different way of finding business success. It does away with the advice that is repeated again and again and drills down to the real critical elements of business success.
The Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with Less By Sahil Lavingia
The Minimalist entrepreneur is somewhat of a follow-up to Rework, at least in ideology. It captures some of the newer ideas of business success and being released in 2021 (11 years after Rework) should make it more relevant to our current circumstances.
Numbers Don’t Lie: 71 Things You Need to Know About the World By Vaclav Smil
What’s a book list without a bit of fun in it? Vaclav Smil writes some great books and in this one, we explore various topics in the world through numbers. Based on reviews I’ve read there will be some shocking numbers in there and I love numbers.
I had to keep the list to only 12 to accommodate those who may only be able to read one book per month. If you like this list and have a larger appetite for books you can get in touch for a much longer list of recommendations.
