The Results Reading Club Issue #1

New interesting reads, every month

I love to read, and I often find myself surrounded by avid readers. Which is excellent. I have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of some excellent recommendations in recent months.  Not just those related to fitness and food, but also fantastic stories and books on all sorts of topics. 

Here’s the best of a selection of recent reads. Enjoy! 

‍‍Humankind by Rutger Bregman

One of the best books I’ve read in the last few years. So much so I bought a copy for every coach at Results! A truly great read, original, heart warming and a positive viewpoint on us, humans.

‍Quiet Leadership by Carlo Ancelotti

Not your typical football manager book (not to say they aren’t great too, but this is different) Insightful, interesting and a clever format to share the wisdom of a talented, proven winner. 

‍The Premonition by Michael Lewis

Lewis is one of my favourite writers (Moneyball, The Big Short are also excellent). A masterful storyteller using real life characters to narrate the plot. An apt recommendation given this reading club list was delayed by a pandemic. Tracing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, it starts years before the actual pandemic and tells the story leading up to where we are now. I listened to this one as an audiobook and I shouted out loud numerous times listening to it. 

‍Time To Think by Nancy Kline

As someone who likes to talk, this was a game changer for me. Since reading it, I'm trying to change my coaching style (and hopefully my relationships too!) A simple premise of staying quiet and actually listening, and fighting your desire to jump in and comment. Try some the techniques in this book and be amazed about what you learn versus what you think you know.

‍Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I'll be honest, it took me about 150 pages to get into this, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Laugh out loud funny at times, heart breaking at others. An important voice and important story to tell, even if it is fiction.

‍The Fat Loss Prescription by Spencer Nadolsky

A quick read, and reinforces key lessons (that we probably already know), including most of us get bored or hungry and then quit. And some foods are hyper-palatable - very tasty, very easy to eat and very calorific. An important reminder that to succeed we need to work to change our environment so we can stick to our plans. 

‍What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz

I really enjoyed Ben’s first business book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, which didn't pull any punches on what it’s really like running a business, especially when it goes wrong. This one focused more on looking forward and how to build a culture for success. It included gems such as innovative ideas are always controversial before they are successful. Virtues are what you do, values are what you believe and culture only works if the leader visibly participates and vocally champions it. Wise words!

‍Barbarian Days by William Finnegan

I discovered this memoir on a bookshelf on holiday and didn't finish it before heading home, so I bought it straight away when I got home and started again from the beginning. It's a piece of masterful storytelling, an incredible life, of a writer, traveling and surfing. Winner of the Pulitzer prize.

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