My favourite book is How to Listen by Oscar Trimboli. I’m now a little ashamed to admit I thought ‘active listening’ (i.e. paraphrase, don’t overtalk, be empathetic, make eye contact, etc) was the pinnacle of listening theory. This book had a major impact on how I work because it outlines the key elements in a very pragmatic way. It’s deep but easy to follow and put into practice. For example, everyone makes listening mistakes, but better listeners notice when they have lapsed faster, and recover faster. 

The Power of Ritual by Casper Ter Kuile

This book changed the way I saw balance in my life and the importance of signing off from work at the end of the day. It’s a beautiful exploration of concepts usually implemented through faith practices, but applied to other aspects of connection to our communities, the world and to meaning. 

Teamwork Is an Individual Skill, by Christopher M Avery

The Birthday of the World (anthology) by Ursula Le Guin. Le Guin was amazing at imagining and realising alternate social and societal structures and I find it’s nearly impossible to read her work without coming away questioning structures and systems that we tend to take as a given. I would recommend her Hainish Cycle (Birthday of the World anthology is a good way to dip your toe in), or Octavia Butler’s Parables duology to anyone wanting to get better at pulling the thread of “What if?” 

Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by R. Cialdini. 

After learning that are things I cannot control, but I can influence (learnt from the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”), I decided to learn more about how I can influence. I found the tips in this book (“Influence” by Cialdini) simple to implement and very effective. It slowly changed the way I approach people at the workplace but also in my personal life. 

Also, working with Sourcing teams, vendors and external customers is an eternal negotiation and being able to influence the other side while not having full control, has proven to be instrumental for my growth and the ability to execute through others or simply get what I want or what was required. At the end of the day, most of the time I use my influence for the benefit of the company (at work) or the broader community (in my personal life with charity and fundraises) and not for myself

I have two books that I use frequently.  The first is “Do Story - How to tell your story so the world listens” by Bobette Buster.  This is a quick read (about 100 pages) about the 10 principles of telling a story.  Whether it be a story about my life, a business presentation, or social conversation with friends and acquaintances, it is the perfect guide for crafting a story.  I have started using these principles in Miro’s talk track capability to enhance my boards.

The second book is the “Ten faces of Innovation” by Tom Kelley and Jonathan Littman.  It help me identify the different roles I needed to bring to a team to drive innovation throughout an engagement or internal project.  Also, I was able to identify characteristics that I need to work to enhance my innovation competencies. 

"Players First: Coaching from the Inside Out" by Coach John Calipari and Michael Sokolove changed how I approach productivity and teamwork. I used to work in sales management. My boss from AT&T recommended that I read this at a time when I was struggling to complete monumental tasks.

This book taught me the power of empowering and trusting my teammates. I gained a significant boost in productivity by doing less hand-holding and giving my colleagues the tools to succeed using the lessons I learned from this book. 

For me ’The Goal’ (which I’ve in three different versions (uk original version, nl version and in pdf) was for me 20+ years ago a ‘game changer’ and although I never worked in engineering nor a factory it remains, for me, the most clear metaphor.

In the past decade two derivatives/ spin offs have been published ’the phoenix game’ and ‘the unicorn project’ which aligns more close with ICT and development than the original one.

However, I still use the ’boy scout’ on an almost weekly basis to elaborate and educate on workflow management and agile way of working.

On my end, it would be Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss.
Definitely unlocked the way I look at a given situation, think outcomes first, and a couple of human behaviors techniques 🤯

This is a super fun post. I’m extra curious to check out @vprds’ recommendation of Japanese Layout Design. I love books on layout both for form and content, and already have a soft spot for Japanese design sensibility.

It would be super fun to collate these into a board, though I’m also putting-my-finger-on-my-nose-not-it.

When it comes to the way I work, my answer is Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler. Read through it to strategize our 2016 rebrand and the notion of The Sequence of Cognition - the order or perceiving Shape, then Color, then Content / Language - was genuinely transformative to my thinking. Has served as a bedrock for a lot of design-first decision making.

On a personal, non-work level, the most significant reading experience of my life remains two works, All The King’s Men and the Collected Poetry of Robert Penn Warren. Read both these in the same stretch of time about fifteen years ago and they shifted my perception of the pursuit of power and the nature of time with some of the most precise language I had / have encountered. Check out his poetry if you’re unfamiliar, and make sure you read it out loud. He was among the first US Poet Laureates, won the Pulitzer for Literature once and Poetry twice (only person to get both) and was a big civil rights advocate. Robert Penn Warren was a bad motherfucker.

I recommend to everyone Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time.

Susan Scott's "Fierce Conversations" is a must-read for anyone who wants to improve their communication skills and build stronger relationships. This book dives into the transformative power of open, honest, and impactful conversations.

Just a few my favourite quotes from the book:

• We show one another who we are every minute of every day
• Fierce conversations are about moral courage, clear requests, and taking action. Fierce is an attitude. A skill set. A mind-set. A way of life. A way of leading. A strategy for getting things done.
• I am looking at the culture when I look at you. You are the culture. It’s not out there somewhere. It’s right here. You’re it. Every time you walk in the door, attend a meeting, have a conversation, or send an e-mail, you are reinforcing behavior, values, and attitudes that are healthy or harmful to your company’s culture

 

 Here’s how to participate:

• Comment your favorite book title and author 
• “Like” recommendations from fellow community members.

 *Bonus Points: If you share your recommendation this week with a brief description of why this book impacted you*

 

 What's in it for you? Not only will you be contributing to our knowledge hub of great book recommendations, but two lucky winners will receive a limited edition Miro Mug (see below) for sharing your thoughts and recommendations with the community! Submissions are due Friday, April 26, 2024. 

 

 

Hmm, ok well I have two books on my shelf that I have had forever which have been so helpful. One is called the ‘One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey’ by Kenneth Blanchard. That was a real light bulb moment for me with some life lessons for the art of delegation. Its also really small and quick to read which is also a bonus.

The other is called “Use your head by Tony Buzan”. I have literally had this book since I was about 17 when I fell in love with Mind Mapping … it was instrumental in inspiring me to take up sketchnoting which I use in all aspects of my life Debs #Sketchnotes (padlet.com) 

https://basecamp.com/books/rework

I’m totally serious when I say REWORK changed my life a decade or so ago.
I got out of a job I no longer enjoyed & had been in for way too long, started my own thing, got to work in areas I would never have worked in, with really interesting people doing interesting things, (had ups & downs like you do of course!) because that book showed me a different, more enjoyable, more meaningful way.
So yeah, I’m a big fan you might say.

 

This is a super fun post. I’m extra curious to check out @vprds’ recommendation of Japanese Layout Design. I love books on layout both for form and content, and already have a soft spot for Japanese design sensibility.

It would be super fun to collate these into a board, though I’m also putting-my-finger-on-my-nose-not-it.

When it comes to the way I work, my answer is Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler. Read through it to strategize our 2016 rebrand and the notion of The Sequence of Cognition - the order or perceiving Shape, then Color, then Content / Language - was genuinely transformative to my thinking. Has served as a bedrock for a lot of design-first decision making.

On a personal, non-work level, the most significant reading experience of my life remains two works, All The King’s Men and the Collected Poetry of Robert Penn Warren. Read both these in the same stretch of time about fifteen years ago and they shifted my perception of the pursuit of power and the nature of time with some of the most precise language I had / have encountered. Check out his poetry if you’re unfamiliar, and make sure you read it out loud. He was among the first US Poet Laureates, won the Pulitzer for Literature once and Poetry twice (only person to get both) and was a big civil rights advocate. Robert Penn Warren was a bad motherfucker.

@Kyle Chipman! Love seeing that you and @vprds on the same design page! Thank you for sharing your books and this inspiring content! 

This book and concept really helped me clear my mind from circular thinking, increasing mental capacity, and ultimately finding more clarity in my work and personal life. As someone who has always had a creative, come and go, big picture thinking process, using digital tools to replace tabs, sticky notes, and notebooks into a system that allows me to put my chaotic thoughts together and connect the dots for the bigger picture has transformed my life. I have found clarity and the ability to take ideas further and move towards creation and not just endless ideation. Highly recommend reviewing the concept with the book or youtube/podcast content!

Book recommendation

The book Bad Blood:by John Carreyrou  is a gripping exposé of the rise and fall of Theranos, a Silicon Valley startup led by Elizabeth Holmes. Promising revolutionary blood-testing technology, the company deceived investors and the public. Carreyrou’s investigative journalism unveils the truth behind Theranos' deception, highlighting the dangers of unchecked ambition and the importance of ethical business practices.

--

Can I also be cheeky and recommend a children’s bedtime storybook that I wrote? That’s Mama, Tell Me a Story! Mama, Tell Me a Story is a collection of twelve short bedtime stories that parents will love reading to their kids over and over again. As each story unfolds, it helps paint a picture and holds the power to unlock your child’s superpower—their imagination!Mama, Tell Me a Story helps your child absorb these important messages at a young age. These values, combined with the power to exercise their imagination, will eventually help build a strong foundation for their growth and shape their future.

--

Non-affiliate links above 

So many interesting recommendations, here’s one from me - Make Time: How to Focus What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsy.

Those who have read Design Sprint should be familiar with the authors' names, this is a productivity-related book by them about a framework called “Make Time” that was inspired by Design Sprint as well but focuses on how to manage your attention in a world where distractions are abundance (referred as Infinity Pool in the book), and the solution is not simply try to be more efficient because if you’re not being intentional, the result is simply doing more but unsatisfying tasks. The book of course couldn’t offer an instant salvation, what’s more realistic is an iterative approach with continuous small improvements using different combinations of tactics. I like the concept and have been trying a number of them with my twists.

One of the obvious distraction are the phones, tablets, and other devices with us, there’s one tactic in the book that might sound crazy to many - a distraction-free phone where you remove all the apps that distract you (which includes email clients, mind you), only keep an app if it “doesn’t make you twitchy”. I’ve tried that partially and in the context of sharing here, Miro is one of the apps to keep, it does help to reduce distractions by getting information accessible on a board with practically infinite canvas, jotting down concepts and notes using doodles and diagrams while reading on a distraction-free Kindle is great too.

@Ron Basu so great to you this book has helped you to find clarity and take your ideas further — thanks for sharing with us!

@Clyde D'Souza - Bad Blood sounds like a gripping book to read, thank you for the rec. And congrats on your children’s book; we have a lot to learn from kids and the way they use their creativity and imagination! We actually just wrote a blog about this as well, on how a childlike state of creativity fuels innovation. 

@Yong-Chong Long this seems like a vital book to have in our toolkits to stay focused! I love the idea of those “continuous small improvements” that can make a big impact (reminds me of Atomic Habits which @Arunkumar Sekar suggested); and it’s so great to hear that Miro is one app that helps you stay focused in an easily-distracting digital world! Thanks for sharing. 

This is a super fun post. I’m extra curious to check out @vprds’ recommendation of Japanese Layout Design. I love books on layout both for form and content, and already have a soft spot for Japanese design sensibility.

It would be super fun to collate these into a board, though I’m also putting-my-finger-on-my-nose-not-it.

When it comes to the way I work, my answer is Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler. Read through it to strategize our 2016 rebrand and the notion of The Sequence of Cognition - the order or perceiving Shape, then Color, then Content / Language - was genuinely transformative to my thinking. Has served as a bedrock for a lot of design-first decision making.

On a personal, non-work level, the most significant reading experience of my life remains two works, All The King’s Men and the Collected Poetry of Robert Penn Warren. Read both these in the same stretch of time about fifteen years ago and they shifted my perception of the pursuit of power and the nature of time with some of the most precise language I had / have encountered. Check out his poetry if you’re unfamiliar, and make sure you read it out loud. He was among the first US Poet Laureates, won the Pulitzer for Literature once and Poetry twice (only person to get both) and was a big civil rights advocate. Robert Penn Warren was a bad motherfucker.

This is a super cool idea @Kyle Chipman You spawned some ideas in my head. Layout is awesome in low fidelity as you can see the weight of different elements, orientation, perspective...  But once you compare the before & after on some layout transformations you appreciate the simplicity of design!

Must say I’m really intrigued on your book submissions, specially your personal recommendations. Alina Wheeler’s Designing Brand Identity has appeared over the years on my whislist… Maybe this is my sign ​​​​​​

Let’s stay connected

This book and concept really helped me clear my mind from circular thinking, increasing mental capacity, and ultimately finding more clarity in my work and personal life. As someone who has always had a creative, come and go, big picture thinking process, using digital tools to replace tabs, sticky notes, and notebooks into a system that allows me to put my chaotic thoughts together and connect the dots for the bigger picture has transformed my life. I have found clarity and the ability to take ideas further and move towards creation and not just endless ideation. Highly recommend reviewing the concept with the book or youtube/podcast content!

Are u using some type of Second Brain? Notion? or… Miro? I organize my thoughts in Easlo’s & Tiago’s Second Brain in Notion, but haven’t read his book The wishlist expands🫨

Thank you to everyone who joined and participated in the Book Challenge! Submissions to enter and win the prized Miro Mug are now closed but you can still share the books that have inspired you in this thread! We’ll be reviewing submissions and announcing the two winners of the Miro Mug on Monday, May 6th. 

This was one of the most creatively stimulating and insightful conversations I’ve been a part of in a long time so thank you and keep it up! We love learning from you!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our community Favorite Book Challenge this past month! From delving into agile and design theory, exploring children’s books with timeless life lessons, uncovering the power of rituals to restore balance in life, to celebrating our very own published authors, your contributions continue to inspire us each day!

Now, without further ado, let's congratulate our two winners of the Miro Book Challenge! Huge congratulations to @vprds and @Brooke Foti Gemmell! Both of you have earned yourselves a wonderful Miro Mug! You will be receiving a DM from me on how to redeem! 

To all who took part, thank you for sharing your insights and recommendations! Your submissions have been a source of inspiration, joy, and creativity. For those stumbling upon this post, take a moment to look through the fantastic book recommendations shared here. And don't hesitate to add a few of your own! We appreciate the opportunity to connect with and learn from all of you. Keep those book suggestions coming and until next time!

woooohoooo!  Thanks to my mum for always telling me about the importance of reading books! I knew she was right all along! 

Also, thanks all the Miro team, @Manouska J, and all the Miro lovers in the community! 

Yay!!! Thank you so much!!! I’d like to thank my grandparents, Wanda Gág, and the Miroverse!

To keep it simple

A picture can say more than thousands words , so here you go 

 

 

I was once part of a team where our manager made us read this. It was amazing!!! @Rasheed Raya