The Ten Best Books to Learn about Retreats and Business

For a long time I have been a big reader, I read books on personal development, books on positive psychology, behavioural economics, leadership and books on coaching. I love taking things that I have learned and applying them to my life or my business, in this section I share some of the best books that I have read which have given me valuable insights into business, sales, marketing and people management.

The Power of Moments

by Chip and Dan Heath

This booked gave me more ideas and inspiration on how to design our retreats than anything else. This book will teach you how to deliberately design powerful defining moments.

In The Power of Moments they explore the stories of people who have created standout moments, from the owners who transformed an utterly mediocre hotel into one of the best-loved properties in Los Angeles by conjuring moments of magic for guests, to the scrappy team that turned around one of the worst elementary schools in the country by embracing an intervention that lasts less than an hour.

Filled with remarkable tales and practical insights, The Power of Moments proves we all have the power to transform ordinary experiences into unforgettable ones.

Influence

by Robert Chialdini

For me this is the definitive book on sales, there is no better book about the principles of persuasion and how to motivate someone to make a purchase than Influence. Robert Cialdini an expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights ethically in business and everyday settings. Using memorable stories and relatable examples, Cialdini makes this crucially important subject surprisingly easy. With Cialdini as a guide, you don't have to be a scientist to learn how to use this science.

Atomic Habits

by James Clear

This book teaches you how to incorporate, build and maintain healthy habits in your life which is an essential skill for building a business or improving your life.

People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call. He calls this method of improvement atomic habits.

Leaders Eat Last

by Simon Sinek

This is a great book on leadership and how to manage people effectively. Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealised notion.

Today, in many successful organisations, great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

Predictably Irrational

by Dan Ariely

This book will give you insight into how to apply behavioural economics to your business.

Predictably Irrational brilliantly blends everyday experiences with a series of illuminating and often surprising experiments that will change your understanding of human behaviour. And by recognising these patterns, Ariely shows, we can make better decisions in business, in matters of collective welfare and in our everyday lives.

The Science of Story Telling

by Will Storr

This book will help you in creating your own personal story for your brand.

Who would we be without stories? Stories mould who we are, from our character to our cultural identity. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human.

How To Be Heard

by Julian Treasure

This book will teach you how to develop powerful speaking and listening skills, a vital skill for anyone hosting and holding space for guests.

Julian Treasure is a sought-after and top-rated international speaker. Collectively his five TED talks on various aspects of sound and communication have been viewed more than 50 million times. His talk How To Speak So That People Want To Listen is in the rare group that has over 20 million views on TED.com alone, placing it in the top 10 TED talks of all time.

Ego Free Leadership

by Brandon Black

A great book to learn more about people management and avoiding the ego traps we can all often fall in to. "I've got a solution," Encore's CFO tells Brandon, "but it's unorthodox". It's 2005, and Brandon Black has just been promoted to CEO of Encore Capital, a company struggling to navigate an increasingly difficult business environment. Faced with a rapidly declining stock price and low workplace morale, Brandon knows he needs change - and fast. Following his CFO's advice, he and his executive team start working with Learning as Leadership (LaL) and its president, Shayne Hughes. Through their partnership, Encore's executive team learns to root out the unproductive ego habits that undermine collaboration and performance.

High Performance

by Jake Humphries

To learn more about goal setting and planning your own personal path to success.

High performance isn't born. It's made. This book uncovers the eight essential habits of the world's leading sportspeople, coaches and entrepreneurs.

From taking responsibility for your situation to finding your 'Trademark Behaviours', it reveals how the world's highest-achieving people unlocked their potential - and how you can too. Anyone can learn the secrets of high performance.

Switch

by Chip & Dan Heath

To learn about how to successfully implement changes in both life & business.

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing your business or changing the world.