What We’re Reading – Updated!

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
by James Clear (2018)

James Clear, world-renowned habits expert, challenges the orthodox thinking that big change requires big action. Drawing on cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience, Clear reveals that real change can come from the compound effect of hundreds of small actions and decisions. These ‘atomic habits’ are often simple and easily achieved but can together generate life-altering outcomes.

The Geometry of Wealth: How to Shape a Life of Money and Meaning by Brian Portnoy (2018)

How does money figure into a happy life? Behavioral finance expert Brian Portnoy delivers an inspired answer, building on the critical distinction between being rich and being wealthy. Truly viewed, wealth is funded contentment. Exploring this, Portnoy takes readers on a journey toward wealth, informed by disciplines ranging from ancient history to modern neuroscience.

The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others
by Tali Sharot (2018)

Part of our daily job as humans is to influence others – be that advising clients, helping our friends, or teaching our children. We do this because we each have unique experiences and knowledge that others may not. But how good are we at this role? Neuroscientist Tali Sharot reveals that, too often, we often fall into suboptimal habits that restrict our impact. Instead, she reveals the eight critical drivers that we need to be aware of when trying to change the beliefs and behaviors of others.

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts
by Annie Duke (2019)

There’s always an element of luck that you can’t control, and there is always information that is hidden from view. Annie Duke, a former World Series of Poker champion, draws on examples from business, sports, politics, and poker to share tools anyone can use to embrace uncertainty and make better decisions. By shifting your thinking from a need for certainty to a goal of accurately assessing what you know and what you don’t, Duke makes the case that you will become less vulnerable to reactive emotions, knee-jerk biases, and destructive habits in your decision-making.

What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People
by Joe Navarro (2008)

What you say is often far less important than how you say it. One of the harbingers of success is understanding how non-verbal cues such as body language, dress, and demeanor affect how you are perceived and understood. In this book Navarro, one of the leaders in nonverbal behaviors, demonstrates how to modify your subconscious statements to your greatest advantage and also read what other people are ‘saying’ non-verbally.