Amazing business reads you can’t afford to miss this month – recommended by FT experts!

‘The Choice Point: The Scientifically Proven Method to Overcome Mental Walls and Achieve Your Goals’, by Joanna Grover and Jonathan Rhodes

To eat the cake or not to eat the cake? If you’ve overindulged in sugary snacks and have set a goal to eat less, then this simple question is a “choice point.” The authors define these points as the moment you decide to divert your attention from an unwanted thought (in this case, a cake) that might prevent you from making a conscious decision to continue with your goal (eat nuts instead).

When we set ourselves long-term goals, especially at work, we are faced with many of these “choice points.” Here, Joanna Grover, a certified trainer and member of the Harvard Training Institute, and Jonathan Rhodes, a psychologist who works with both professional athletes and business executives, lay out guidance on how to use “functional imagery training” to change behavior. and move on. clue.

The authors believe that the methods in the book can work for anyone. According to Grover and Rhodes, the research behind Fit shows that “mental images elicit emotions, and that emotions are the key to amplifying motivation and changing behavior.” The goal is to train your visualization skills so that you can improve the way you plan and stick to your goals.

In three parts, the book helps readers think about themselves, their values ​​(this is a strong theme throughout the book), what they want to achieve, and how to apply Fit to progress. The third section offers information on how the technique can be applied to equipment. The authors recommend taking notes, tracking your progress, and taking time between sections to reflect.

‘Credible: The Power of Expert Leaders’, by Amanda Goodall

In this book, Bayes Business School leadership professor Amanda Goodall outlines a vision for changing her own profession. Much of what is presented as good leadership practice is based on personality and character traits. Apparently none of this has made much of a difference. As Goodall writes: “Given the abundance of leadership research, why is so little reliable and generalizable information known?”

Goodall wants business leaders and decision makers to focus on appointing and supporting “credible expert leaders,” rather than MBA-type general managers, as a way to ensure better leadership. Credibleas Goodall explains, it is the result of the “line of research that I have followed for many years”, and his hope is that it will be applicable to everyone.

Goodall fills the book with examples of what he means, particularly in the field of health. The heads of the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, two highly successful American hospital groups, are run by physicians, not general managers. Meanwhile, in 2021, not a single doctor was appointed to a major UK health services review body, a group led by a former soldier.

The last part of the book focuses on how to turn experts into great leaders, and how to make entire organizations led by experts as they develop specialists throughout their careers. If more people took this approach, it could also mean they could save money by not needing expert advice from huge and incredibly expensive consultancies. As Goodall wryly points out, these consultants are always concerned with developing experts within their own ranks.

‘The World of an Influencer: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Social Media Influencers and Creators’, by Caroline Baker and Don Baker

Influencing is big business. From Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and TikTok, the husband and wife authors offer a glimpse into their rise and evolution.

With a background in psychology and business journalism, the Bakers delve into business, history, culture, and the psychology of influence. They spoke to a wide range of people, from the influencers themselves to brands, talent managers and mental health professionals.

The first few chapters remind readers of earlier social networking platforms, such as MySpace and early iterations of Facebook. Then YouTube, Instagram and TikTok came along, and now we have Substack, a platform that allows writers to get paid for newsletters through a subscription model, and Clubhouse, a voice-only app.

As we know, some influencers have been very successful, especially when they already have a “celebrity” element to power their social media presence. As the book rightly notes, the Kardashians “are the epitome of the reality-to-influencer phenomenon.”

The book also documents other successes: Early adopters, particularly direct-to-consumer brands, capitalized on the dynamics of the influencer industry to fuel rapid growth. It touches on the dark side, with a chapter on dealing with bullies and trolls.

The book lacks depth on certain aspects such as regulation, while critics may also take issue with its optimistic conclusion that influence will evolve into a more regulated and equitable space.

‘Winner Sells Everything: Amazon, Walmart, and the Battle for Our Wallets’, by Jason Del Rey

Business journalist Jason Del Rey offers a detailed and well-researched account of “the battle for our wallets” between two very different retail giants, Amazon and Walmart.

In thirty pages, an anecdote reveals how in 2011, Amazon urged customers to scan items in its rivals’ stores, compare prices with its own, and receive a 5 percent discount.

Smart data movement became a public relations nightmare once politicians attacked Amazon for policing small businesses. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has snapped at his team, saying “no one would care” if they went after Walmart, Target or Costco, but they made the mistake of dragging down mom-and-pop stores.

The rise of these two retail giants can be fascinating when told from the perspective of, for example, smaller rivals that have gone extinct or brands whose margins have shrunk. But in fact, winner takes all centers on two companies whose overlapping business interests feel less existential than the author wants them to be. However, this doesn’t necessarily make you any less insightful.

The book is billed as the “Ali-Frazier of retail,” but instead of a boxing match that tends to deliver a clear winner, the book is perhaps more of a dual biography, where two champion athletes excel in different sports with results interesting.

‘Be a better boss: learn to build great teams and lead any organization to success’, by Henry Engelhardt

Founders often become serial entrepreneurs because they have a talent for starting new companies. Henry Engelhardt, co-founder of Admiral insurer, has instead become a serial self-help book writer because he built a company from scratch to nearly £4bn in revenue over 25 years, amassing a wealth of management experience and startup stories. that he now wants to share.

This easily digestible book is divided into four sections, ending with a list of tips that “you can take to the office and use the next day”, and useful for anyone leading a team. Engelhardt has a mission to teach and describes this book as a manual. “I want to see a world of better leaders and managers,” he writes.

There is a refreshing degree of honesty in Engelhardt’s writing, admitting his failures as well as the successful practices he wishes others to adopt. This includes the presentation of Admiral’s earnings, revenue, and share price charts, showing the growth and declines in the company’s fortunes.

It also lists several Admiral Best Workplace Awards. The clear implication is that a good business starts with leading your people well, and that means making sure they are satisfied at work.