20 Books that Changed my Life: A case of Memory Nguwi

One of the lessons I learnt very early in life is that most of the personal development should be self-driven. The majority of what I know as a Consultant is self-taught and experimentation in real life. I read lots of books. When on the road I  listen to one to two audiobooks. I use most of my idle time to listen to audiobooks and read books on Amazon Kindle.  Today I want to share the books that have helped me go a gear up in what I do.  I will start with audible books and go to Kindle books.

1. My American Journey by Collin Powell
2. The ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger
3. Organisational Culture by Naomi Stanford
4. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
5. What it takes to be #1
6. Governance in the Digital Age by Brian Stafford and Dottie Schindlinger
7. Be Board ready by Betsy Atkins
8. Great CEOs are lazy by Jim Schleskser
9. What the best CEOs know by Jeffrey Krames
10. Coaching for performance by Jim Hotjie
11. The Drunkard’s Walk by Leonard Mdlodinow

What runs through these books are practical life lessons for everyone who aspires to improve themselves. My American Journey, for example, looks at leadership and strategy in a war situation but written specifically for executive leaders and those who aspire to go into leadership. I have never seen a book that so rich with practical lessons that you can put to use daily in your life. When I finished the Drunkard’s walk my whole life changed concerning how I look at facts of life and interpret them. I learnt that there are things that happen in life that are random and have no immediate explanation. The quest for answers must always be guided by science and facts. You can not remain the same after going through this book.  As you go through the book “Be Board ready” you will learn what it takes to prepare for board appointments.  Betsy takes you through a journey of practical steps you need to take to prepare for this journey.  Naomi Stanford takes you through a journey to understand in simple terms what organisational culture is and how to transform it. I have chosen the above books for their practical value. They all talk about the problems you encounter every day and how to develop solutions for them. If you are like me; self-driven, then do not miss the book “ What it takes to be #1”.

On the books I  have personally read and benefited immensely from the Amazon Kindle books are the following 10 books:

1. Boards that deliver by Ram Charam
2. The fearless organisation by Amy C Edmondson
3. Cognitive Capitalism by Heiner Rinderman
4. Originals by Dam Grant
5. Hiring Talent by Tom Foster
6. Step by step Guide to OKRs by Alexander  Maasik
7. The Implementer's Starter Kit by Wendy Hirsch
8. Why do so many incompetent men become leaders(and how to fix it) by Tomas Chamorro- Premuzic
9. The talent delusion: Why data, not intuition, is the key to unlocking human potential
10. Denying to the grave – Why we ignore facts that will save us by Sara E. Gorman, PHD, MPH and Jack M. Gorman, MD

The above 10 Kindle books are a must for everyone in a leadership position or aspiring to go into a leadership position. I have chosen the above books because of their practical value to everyone who wants to improve how they manage themselves and others.

Memory Nguwi is an Occupational Psychologist, Data Scientist, Speaker, & Managing Consultant- Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd a management and human resources consulting firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/memorynguwi/ Phone +263 4 481946-48/481950/2900276/2900966 or cell number +263 77 2356 361 or email: mnguwi@ipcconsultants.com  or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com