The best books to gain a mental edge in business, and in life

This book gave me such a huge epiphany that it changed how I communicate. I think about it every single day and consciously try to apply it in all areas of my life.

The author reveals that people tend to have one of two communication styles: candor, where they are very opinionated and generally dominate conversations, doing more talking than listening, and curiosity, where they tend to step back, question themselves, and become easily swayed by the more dominant personalities in a meeting or on a team.

Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and the key is finding balance, both within yourself and within your teams. When you figure that part out, you can achieve things you never thought possible.

Switch shows how small changes make a huge difference, and how anyone can tap into the latest findings in neuroscience—as a way to “hack” our brains—to help make changes.

The Heath brothers reveal all sorts of tips and tricks to motivate yourself and others to adopt behaviors that drive success, simply by knowing how the human brain works and what you can do to harness it.

Anyone who wants to improve their personal life, improve their performance at work, or solve a seemingly intractable problem that changes the world for the better needs to read this—you’ll save yourself decades of frustration by working with human nature rather an against it.

There’s a Henry Ford quote my mom used to always tell me growing up—which at the time, irritated me to no end, but now I realize it’s wisdom:  

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” 

This book shows that this is far more than a pithy quote, through in-depth research on the impact of having what is called a “growth mindset” where you actively lean into tackling new challenges and securing opportunities that might initially feel beyond your reach, with understanding that you will learn, evolve and grow to meet the occasion.

I am now passing on the lessons from this book to my 13-year-old son (not an easy task, but they are slowly but surely taking hold)!

The Big Short (yes, the book, not the movie): If you want to understand the financial system, and how it’s rigged against individual investors, this is the best book I’ve found.

It exposes the underlying systems that drive the development of the financial products and services we are all sold, providing a level of understanding that can help us all make better financial decisions. Plus, it’s an incredible read.

There is a reason that Michael Lewis’ books (Moneyball, Liar’s Poker, Flash Boys) are made into movies—they read like fascinating screenplays and make you feel like you are there, in the room, with these eccentric characters who are deciding the fate of the entire U.S. financial system over the course of a single weekend.

This is my favorite fiction book.

It’s a story of a family caught up in an impossible dilemma, doing their best but failing because there is no right answer. But even more poignantly, it’s one of the best love stories ever written—the love that exists between two sisters who innately understand that in doing right by each other they must endure unrelenting misunderstanding and judgment, and even be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Like all good writing, the story unravels slowly, building suspense as you learn more about each character. And, it has the best ending I’ve ever read. It will make you cry—I sobbed at the end—but it was cathartic at the same time, because it reveals the most beautiful part of our humanity—our capacity to love unconditionally.