My Top Ten Books of 2021 by Chris Pogue of Nuix
Chris Pogue is a friend of mine and a long-time client who has transformed himself through the reading of good books. He has become a voracious reader and has grown incredibly as a result.
Chris is a Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Alliances for Nuix, an international firm that “Turn[s] Messy Data Into Actionable Intelligence”. Chris is also an adjunct Professor of Computer Forensics at Oklahoma State University.. Chris is also a former warrant officer in the US Army.
So, let’s hear what Chris has to say about his favorite books of 2021.
I read 40 books in 2021, so choosing the top 10 was a bit of a challenge. In every book I read, I took something away – some bit of knowledge or nugget of wisdom. Picking which one was better than the next would be a disservice to you, the authors, and the body of knowledge which we’re all pursuing. But, I was able to distill the information down a bit further to include the rationale that I thought would be most pertinent to this audience.
The Honorable James Mattis states in his book, Call Sign Chaos, “We have been fighting on this planet for 10,000 years; it would ne idiotic and unethical to not take advantage of such accumulated experiences. If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences along aren’t broad enough to sustain you. Any Commander who claims he is “too busy to read” is going to fill body bags with his troops as he learns the hard way.”
No military officer, USMC or otherwise has ever argued the validity and wisdom of that statement. Extrapolating that into the business world, we have been engaged in commerce on this planet for 10,000 years. Do you think that you, right now, possess all the knowledge and all wisdom necessary to win in the modern business landscape? Do you think your personal experiences alone are sufficient to sustain you and your organization? Do you think that you are “too busy” to read about the giants of industry that came before us like Rockefeller, Walton, Kelleher and Jobs? Do you really think they have nothing to teach you?
Some people that I have come across in my career actually believe, “Yes – I am sufficient in my knowledge to perform at my best today and in the future. There is no reason to read, I already know everything.” Now, they have never come out and spoken those words aloud, but as Ralf Waldo Emerson says, “What you are doing speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying.” Mark Twain adds a bit of insult to injury by stating, “The man who doesn’t read is no better than the man that can’t”, or Master Yoda who states, “Do or do not. There is no try”.
“The reading of all good books is indeed like a conversation with the noblest men of past centuries who were the authors of them, nay a carefully studied conversation, in which they reveal to us none but the best of their thoughts.” – Rene Descartes
So, without further ado, here are my top 10 books of 2021
1. You Can Negotiate Anything – Herb Cohen
Super important skills to have. In business, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate – Chester Karrass. In every aspect of your life, you are negotiating something. So understanding some of the basic principles of negotiation, and how to identify and thwart manipulation will serve you well regardless of what career field you are in.
2. “Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman!” – Richard Feynman, Ralph Leighton
Such as fascinating read. Through his adventures, Richard Feynman reminds us that’s it’s never too late in life to do something and there is not such thing as, “I can’t”. Apart from being a Nobel Prize winning physicist, he was also a concert drummer, a much celebrated sketch artist, and an avid public speaker.
3. The Evolution of Cooperation – Robert Axelrod and Robert M. Axelrod
Unless you work alone (which is entirely possible albeit improbable), you need to learn how to collaborate with others. Having this skill, particularly in today’s modern business climate where remote working is the new normal, understating how to get along with others, why you should strive to collaborate more, and the benefit of doing so is going to be increasingly important.
4. Switch On Your Brain – Dr. Caroline Leaf
How do our brains work? What is neuroplasticity? How does negative thinking fatigue your brain? All of these questions and more are addressed in this book. Knowing how your brain works helps you to orient your learning and thinking to get you the maximum results for your efforts. Super important book for anyone that really wants to understand why people think what they do and why.
5. Think Again – Adam Grant
This was one of my favorite reads of 2021, and quite possibly ever. Adam Grant puts our biases and predilections under the microscope and helps us to understand why we believe what we believe, and how to challenge those beliefs in a healthy manner. This is fantastic read when coupled with Switch On Your Brain.
6. Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
I have read all of Malcom Gladwell’s book, and this is one of my favorites (the other is Bomber Mafia). In this book, Gladwell dissects what it takes for concepts, ideas or products to catch on. He uncovers what is the point of inflection in which an idea becomes a fad or a product becomes accepted by the majority of the market. Who are the movers and shakers and who are the followers? Great read if you are in any sort of sales (which should be everyone – we are all selling something aren’t we?).
7. The Code of Trust – Robin Dreeke
Great book! Trust is king. With it, everything is easier; without it, everything is harder. This book and Stephen R. Covey’s “The Speed of Trust”, are two of the best books I have read that uncover the neuroscience and emotional connections that are formed through trust. If you work in an organization or are in a relationship that either needs a trust reboot or wants to see how to foster and grow trust, read these two books.
8. Winning – Tim S. Grover
I loved this and his earlier book, Relentless. Tim Grover was the personal trainer for NBA legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade (among others, but these are the ones he focuses on). In his books he relays mainly how MJ and Kobe dealt with failure (scientific dissection), their work ethic and the expectations they had of their teammates. He writes from the heart, and you can feel his passion coming across in the pages (lots of cussing). But overall, amazing reads.
9. Crucial Conversations – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
One of my other favorites of 2021. Such a great book! It covers how to talk to people, how to have uncomfortable conversations and how to navigate the neurology and emotion of charged dialogue. If you have to talk to people on a regular basis and if some of the time the messages you have to communicate are not entirely positive, I highly recommend this book.
10. Great by Choice – Jim Collins, Marten T. Hansen
In this follow-up to his classic From Good to Great, Collins and Hansen scientifically dissect, via a significantly larger data set, why some businesses success and why some fail. What is the formula? What lessons can we learn? What should we repeat and what should be avoid? These two books should be required reading in any MBA program or on any leadership team.
I could go on and on about each of these books, not to mention the 30 that I didn’t bring up, but for the sake of brevity, I will stop there. My parting advice is just read. TV and video games might be relaxing and enjoyable, but for the most part (not exclusively), they provide you with nothing after the show is over or you’ve beat the game. I have sacrificed my TV watching and video game playing time at the altar of knowledge and have never regretted it. Happy reading.
- by Chris Pogue