Five Books Everyone Should Read, According to Marshall Goldsmith

Browsing the Kunzum collection on a store visit, leadership coach and author of The Earned Life Marshall Goldsmith set aside five books everybody should read. By Jis James

The famous American executive leadership coach, also known as “the better boss”, Marshall Goldsmith was at Kunzum to browse through our collection, and sat down for a candid chat. We naturally asked Goldsmith, the author of many bestselling management and inspirational books, for his favourites. Here are the five books Goldsmith said should be on everyone’s reading list.

Marshall Goldsmith’s Reading List

Think Again by Adam Grant

The latest book by organisational psychologist Adam Grant, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, helps you cultivate the cognitive skills of rethinking and unlearning, urging you to move beyond the comfort zone of opinions that you agree with and engage with ideas that challenge your notions. In Goldsmith’s own words, it’s “a book that causes you to question everything in a very healthy and positive way.”

The First 90 Days Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D Watkins

Watkins is one of the world’s most trusted guides for leaders in transition, and in this book, he delineates the ways to thrive in the first few days of any job, especially as a leader. Goldsmith recommends it for anyone stepping into a new position.

*The First 90 Days* by Michael D Watkins

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Israeli-American psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman summarises his research on behavioural economics, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, in the book Thinking, Fast and Slow. The book is an excellent analysis of the dichotomy of our thought—one is fast and instinctive, and the other, slow and logical.

The Power of Habit: Why Do We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

This book by American journalist Charles Duhigg explores the science behind habit creation and reformation. In Goldsmith’s own words, it is “a great book that gets you to think about practical ways to establish new habits.”

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Carl Newport

An associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, Carl Newport puts his lens on one of the most critical yet undermined skills in the current economy of work: focus. The book calls for cultivating a ‘deep work’ practice. According to Goldsmith, deep work “really gets you to focus away from the ongoing day-to-day hassles and productivity loss caused by social media interaction and gets you to focus on what’s most important in life.”

You can find all the books on Marshall Goldsmith’s reading list in any Kunzum bookstore.