Justin Kan
From the bottom to the top & back again. Co-founded @twitch, now working on making videos, https://t.co/J6efUJHLn8 @fractalwagmi @rye
10+ Book Recommendations by Justin Kan
Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs)
Richard K. K. Morgan
@immad @amittm @ppyapali All Richard K Morgan books: Altered Carbon (and sequels), Thirteen, Thin Air
Dare to Lead
B. Brown
In her #1 NYT bestsellers, Brené Brown taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers and culture shifters, she's showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas, and developing that potential. This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead. When we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don't see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don't avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that's necessary to do good work. But daring leadership in a culture that's defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty requires building courage skills, which are uniquely human. The irony is that we're choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the same time we're scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines can't do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection and courage to start. Brené Brown spent the past two decades researching the emotions that give meaning to our lives. Over the past seven years, she found that leaders in organisations ranging from small entrepreneurial start-ups and family-owned businesses to non-profits, civic organisations and Fortune 50 companies, are asking the same questions: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? Dare to Lead answers these questions and gives us actionable strategies and real examples from her new research-based, courage-building programme. Brené writes, 'One of the most important findings of my career is that courage can be taught, developed and measured. Courage is a collection of four skill sets supported by twenty-eight behaviours. All it requires is a commitment to doing bold work, having tough conversations and showing up with our whole hearts. Easy? No. Choosing courage over comfort is not easy. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and work. It's why we're here.'8. 'Dare to Lead' (Brene Brown) One of the most important books in my business career, if you haven't seen her TedTalk about vulnerability go check it out Vulnerability = strength
Siddartha (Spanish Edition)
Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha es la historia del hijo de un brahmán que emprende su propio camino en la búsqueda del Atman. Entre los Samanas aprende que el conocimiento se puede trasmitir, la sabiduría no, se reconoce hombre entre los hombres, pasa de ser ermitaño a un rico comerciante, descubre los placeres de la carne, las pasiones de los hombres-niños y el juego, hasta llenarse del Sansara para nuevamente buscar el conocimiento en la soledad escuchando al río y al botero que le enseña que todo regresa. También es la historia de Govinda y su propio camino al mismo fin, el conocimiento. "Todo fluye y regresa, incluido tú" le dijo un día el botero a Siddhartha y él comprobaría esta enseñanza al separarse y encontrar en cada etapa a su amigo Govinda.6. 'Siddartha' (Hermann Hesse) A story about the quest for enlightenment, making mistakes, and the importance of learning things the hard way. This book has inspired me at multiple points in my life, especially to value the challenges I've faced.
Eastern Philosophy
Kevin Burns
'Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself.' This Golden Rule of morality espoused by Confucius is just one of the many maxims that originate from Eastern philosophy. From Daoism to Islam, and from The Buddha to Zoroaster, the Eastern world contains some of the most ancient and influential approaches to philosophy that exist to date. Spanning from 1200 BCE to the present day, this fascinating guide covers a wide breadth of Eastern thinkers including Muhammad, Lao Tzu and Gandhi. These individuals and their philosophical concepts are introduced in a lively and lucid narrative with fascinating biographical detail. Packed with wisdom spanning thousands of years, Eastern Philosophy introduces some unique approaches to some of life's great questions.6. 'Siddartha' (Hermann Hesse) A story about the quest for enlightenment, making mistakes, and the importance of learning things the hard way. This book has inspired me at multiple points in my life, especially to value the challenges I've faced.
Influence
Robert B. Cialdini
Praised for enjoyable writing, practical suggestions, and scientifically documented material, previous editions of this title have been widely read by business professionals, fundraisers, and those interested in psychology. This new edition includes morefirsthand accounts of how principles presented in the book apply to personal lives; updated coverage of popular culture and new technology; and more on how compliance principles work in other cultures.--From publisher description.3. 'Influence' This is an esp. important one for entrepreneurs: Outlines psychological ways to influence people to use your product, or your team to move towards specific goals. Lots of great anecdotes highlighting the intricate social dimensions of exchange
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
Jim Dethmer
You'll never see leadership the same way again after reading this book. These fifteen commitments are a distillation of decades of work with CEOs and other leaders. They are radical or provocative for many. They have been game changers for us and for our clients. We trust that they will be for you too. Our experience is that unconscious leadership is not sustainable. It won't work for you, your team or your organization in the long term. Unconscious leadership can deliver short term results, but the costs of living and leading unconsciously are great. Fear drives most leaders to make choices that are at odds with healthy relationships, vitality and balance. This fear leaves a toxic residue that won't be as easily tolerated in an increasingly complex business environment. Conscious leadership offers the antidote to fear. These pages contain a comprehensive road map to guide you to shift from fear-based to trust-based leadership. Once you learn and start practicing conscious leadership you'll get results in the form of more energy, clarity, focus and healthier relationships. You'll do more and more of what you are passionate about, and less of what you do out of obligation. You'll have more fun, be happier, experience less drama and be more on purpose. Your team will get results as well. They'll be more collaborative, creative, energized and engaged. They'll solve issues faster, and once resolved the issues won't resurface. Drama and gossip will all but disappear, and the energy and resources that fueled them will be redirected towards innovation and creativity. Any one of these commitments will change your life. All of them together are revolutionary. Leaders who practice the 15 commitments: - End blame and criticism - Speak candidly, openly and honestly, in a way that invites others to do the same - Find their unique genius - Let go of taking everything-especially themselves and their problems-so seriously - Create win for all solutions - Experience a new relationship to time and money where there is always enough What do you need to bring to the table? Be curious. Sounds so simple, and yet in our experience it's a skill few have mastered. Most of us are far more interested in being right and proving it, than we are in learning, growing and shifting out of our old patterns. By default we gravitate towards the familiar. We're asking you to take a chance and explore the unfamiliar. You'll get scared and reactive. We all do. So what? Just stay curious and let us introduce you to a whole new world of leadership.1. 'The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership' Taught me how to reframe responsibility to take agency, and approac things with an open and curious mindset. It also allowed me to bring emotional vulnerability to work (cont.)
Atomic Habits
James Clear
________________________________ 'A supremely practical and useful book. James Clear distils the most fundamental information about habit formation, so you can accomplish more by focusing on less.' Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck ________________________________ A revolutionary system to get 1 per cent better every day People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions - doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call. He calls them atomic habits. In this ground-breaking book, Clears reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy. These small changes will have a revolutionary effect on your career, your relationships, and your life. ________________________________ 'James Clear has spent years honing the art and studying the science of habits. This engaging, hands-on book is the guide you need to break bad routines and make good ones.' Adam Grant, author of Originals 'A special book that will change how you approach your day and live your life.' Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the WayI learned how to hack habits with help from @JamesClear’s book Atomic Habits. He breaks it down into a science: Rule #1: don't rely on motivation. It's a finite resource and unpredictable for long-term change.
Can't Hurt Me
David Goggins
For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare - poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him The Fittest (Real) Man in America. In this curse-word-free edition of Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.@Austen My favorite book of 2018
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
@msuster @kalvepuri @orangebook_ Excited for you, Mark. Siddhartha is one of two books I’ve lived my life by since I read 20 years ago!
- Matt Mochary coaches the CEOs of many of the fastest-scaling technology companies in Silicon Valley. With The Great CEO Within, he shares his highly effective leadership and business-operating tools with any CEO or manager in the world. Learn how to efficiently scale your business from startup to corporation by implementing a system of accountability, effective problem-solving, and transparent feedback. Becoming a great CEO requires training. For a founding CEO, there is precious little time to complete that training, especially at the helm of a rapidly growing company. Now you have the guidance you need in one book.
This book opened my eyes on how to scale a company. Nice work @mattmochary and @maccaw :) https://t.co/dWoGSFig4K
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
Jim Dethmer
You'll never see leadership the same way again after reading this book. These fifteen commitments are a distillation of decades of work with CEOs and other leaders. They are radical or provocative for many. They have been game changers for us and for our clients. We trust that they will be for you too. Our experience is that unconscious leadership is not sustainable. It won't work for you, your team or your organization in the long term. Unconscious leadership can deliver short term results, but the costs of living and leading unconsciously are great. Fear drives most leaders to make choices that are at odds with healthy relationships, vitality and balance. This fear leaves a toxic residue that won't be as easily tolerated in an increasingly complex business environment. Conscious leadership offers the antidote to fear. These pages contain a comprehensive road map to guide you to shift from fear-based to trust-based leadership. Once you learn and start practicing conscious leadership you'll get results in the form of more energy, clarity, focus and healthier relationships. You'll do more and more of what you are passionate about, and less of what you do out of obligation. You'll have more fun, be happier, experience less drama and be more on purpose. Your team will get results as well. They'll be more collaborative, creative, energized and engaged. They'll solve issues faster, and once resolved the issues won't resurface. Drama and gossip will all but disappear, and the energy and resources that fueled them will be redirected towards innovation and creativity. Any one of these commitments will change your life. All of them together are revolutionary. Leaders who practice the 15 commitments: - End blame and criticism - Speak candidly, openly and honestly, in a way that invites others to do the same - Find their unique genius - Let go of taking everything-especially themselves and their problems-so seriously - Create win for all solutions - Experience a new relationship to time and money where there is always enough What do you need to bring to the table? Be curious. Sounds so simple, and yet in our experience it's a skill few have mastered. Most of us are far more interested in being right and proving it, than we are in learning, growing and shifting out of our old patterns. By default we gravitate towards the familiar. We're asking you to take a chance and explore the unfamiliar. You'll get scared and reactive. We all do. So what? Just stay curious and let us introduce you to a whole new world of leadership.The book that opened my eyes to this is called The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. Building this culture into Atrium has been a very important part of my personal journey.
Can't Hurt Me
David Goggins
"For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare. Poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him 'The Fittest (Real) Man in America.'. In Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential"--Publisher's description.I recommend you all read David Goggins book "Can't Hurt Me" as inspiration
The Score Takes Care of Itself
Bill Walsh
Offers insights and best leadership principles from the successful coach of the San Francisco 49ers, explaining how he motivated people, crafted winning teams, and his words of wisdom such as “Believe in people,” and “Keep a short enemies list.”Happy New Year! Instead of reaching for my phone this morning, I opened a book (and then later got my computer to tweet this :P). I'm reading (or read): Bill Walsh - The Score Takes Care Of Itself Atul Gawande - Being Mortal Jordan Peterson - 12 Rules For Life
Being Mortal
Atul Gawande
Happy New Year! Instead of reaching for my phone this morning, I opened a book (and then later got my computer to tweet this :P). I'm reading (or read): Bill Walsh - The Score Takes Care Of Itself Atul Gawande - Being Mortal Jordan Peterson - 12 Rules For Life
12 Rules for Life
Jordan B. Peterson
Happy New Year! Instead of reaching for my phone this morning, I opened a book (and then later got my computer to tweet this :P). I'm reading (or read): Bill Walsh - The Score Takes Care Of Itself Atul Gawande - Being Mortal Jordan Peterson - 12 Rules For Life
The Souls of Yellow Folk
Wesley Yang
Named a notable book of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post, and one of the best books of the year by the Spectator and Publishers Weekly, The Souls of Yellow Folk is a powerful debut from one of the most acclaimed essayists of his generation. Wesley Yang writes about race and sex without the polite lies that bore us all. "With gonzo candor and intellectual capaciousness, Yang's Du Bois- inflected essays probe the identity crises of Asian American men." -- O, The Oprah Magazine "Yang's book is a primer to the wider oeuvre of a perceptive writer with undeniably sharp insights into American life." -- Theodore Kupfer, National Review "[Yang] is one of the essential writers we have right now and we are lucky to have him." -- Daniel Oppenheimer, Quillette "Thoughtful, beautifully written essays that explore the dark and conflict- ridden landscapes of our modern conceptions." -- Ben Sixsmith, Spectator@wesyang Bought and read the book. Nice work!
Leadership and Self-Deception
The Arbinger Institute
"Since its original publication in 2000, Leadership and Self-Deception has become a word-of-mouth phenomenon. Its sales continue to increase year after year, and the book's popularity has gone global, with editions now available in over twenty languages. Leadership and Self-Deception shows how the problems that typically prevent superior performance in organizations and cause conflicts in our personal lives are the result of a little-known problem called self-deception. People who are in self-deception live and work as if trapped in a box. They can't see the reality around them--they're blind to the self-serving motivations that are sabotaging them on the job and at home. But there is a way out. Through an entertaining and engaging story, Leadership and Self-Deception shows what self-deception is, how it operates, the damage it does, and, most importantly, what can be done about it.This third edition includes new research about the self-deception gap in organizations and the keys to closing this gap so that people take responsibility for their own problems and for organizational problems. It also includes the first chapter from Arbinger's latest bestseller, The Outward Mindset"--Just read Leadership and Self-Deception (after @stewart recommended it). A simple 3 hour read that taught me a huge amount about the ways I interact with people. I strongly recommend it for any leader; here’s a summary of what I learned: https://t.co/PcT3TbQkbD
We Are the Nerds
Christine Lagorio-Chafkin
A riveting look inside Reddit, the wildly popular, often misunderstood website, whose intensely-engaged users have changed the culture of the Internet--"a must-read for anyone hoping to make sense of the century ahead" (Ashlee Vance, bestselling author of Elon Musk). Reddit hails itself as "the front page of the Internet." It's the third most-visited website in the United States--and yet, millions of Americans have no idea what it is. We Are the Nerds is an engrossing look deep inside this captivating, maddening enterprise, whose army of obsessed users have been credited with everything from solving cold case crimes and spurring tens of millions of dollars in charitable donations to seeding alt-right fury and landing Donald Trump in the White House. We Are the Nerds is a gripping start-up narrative: the story of how Reddit's founders, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, rose up from their suburban childhoods to become millionaires and create an icon of the digital age--before seeing the site engulfed in controversies and nearly losing control of it for good. Based on Christine Lagorio-Chafkin's exclusive access to founders Ohanian and Huffman, We Are the Nerds is also a compelling exploration of the way we all communicate today--and how we got here. Reddit and its users have become a mirror of the Internet: it has dingy corners, shiny memes, malicious trolls, and a sometimes heart-melting ability to connect people across cultures, oceans, and ideological divides.@lagorio @Inc I’m so excited for this book! I asked Steve whether I was the Donkey or the Puss-in-boots to his Shrek
High Growth Handbook
Elad Gil
Well known technology executive and angel investor Elad Gil has worked with high growth tech companies like Airbnb, Twitter, Google, Instacart, Coinbase, Stripe, and Square as they've grown from small companies into global brands. Across all of these break-out companies, a set of common patterns has evolved into a repeatable playbook that Gil has codified in High Growth Handbook. Covering key topics including the role of the CEO, managing your board, recruiting and managing an executive team, M&A, IPOs and late stage funding rounds, and interspersed with over a dozen interviews with some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley including Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Marc Andreessen (Andreessen Horowitz), and Aaron Levie (Box), High Growth Handbook presents crystal clear guidance for navigating the most complex challenges that confront leaders and operators in high-growth startups. In what Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn and co-author of the #1 NYT bestsellers The Alliance and The Startup of You calls "a trenchant guide," High Growth Handbook is the playbook for turning a startup into a unicorn.Update: read about 1/3 of the book last night. Buying 10 copies for my office. https://t.co/nB2bsJYYbu