2016 has been a busy year and we are all looking forward to some much needed reflection time. There are many trends converging to create a dynamic market environment and this is impacting the way we work and how we connect with customers and partners. There are a number of books that have influenced our work this year — here are our top choices for leaders who want to expand their horizon and think differently about globalization, technology, and business. 

1. Thomas Friedman - Thank You For Being Late 
As a New York Times columnist and Chief Whitehouse Correspondent, Thomas Friedman is well positioned to offer a wide-ranging view on the effects of technology and globalization on our economy and the nature of work. 

In his latest book, Thank You For Being Late, Friedman discusses three non-linear accelerations that are fundamentally reshaping the world.

Market: Digital globalization.
Moore's Law: Exponential transistor growth
Mother Nature: Population growth, climate change. 

Friedman focuses on an inflection point from 2007 which introduced the iPhone, Android, Facebook's expansion, and Intel's use of non-Silicon materials into its microchip transistors. He traces these developments alongside global economic and sociological forces to help us better understand the world as we know it today and what that might mean for our future.

"Yes, right when our physical technologies leapt ahead, many of what the Oxford economist Eric Beinhocker calls our 'social technologies' — all of the rules, regulations, institutions and social tools people needed to get the most out of this technological acceleration and cushion the worst — froze or lagged." 

An excerpt from a New York Times column Dancing in a Hurricane covers some of the main themes in the book.

2. Jim Clifton - The Coming Jobs War
As the CEO of the Gallup group, Clifton applies a research lens to the conversation around what a job is and its ultimate impact on GDP. The definition of a "good" job is one that is steady and 30+ hours a week but ultimately has a direct impact on the economic output of an organization/country/market. This is what labor economists call formal jobs. Companies who focus on creating those formal, "good" jobs have the opportunity to create a lasting, positive impact on our society and economy. 

"My big conclusion from reviewing Gallup's polling on what the world is thinking on pretty much everything is that the next 30 years won't be led by U.S. political or military force. Instead, the world will be led with economic force — a force that is primarily driven by job creation and quality GDP growth."

3. Clay Christensen - Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice
Christensen's latest book redefines the relationship between a business and its customers. Christensen's view is that customers don't just buy things, they "hire" a product or service to do something. This is a fundamentally different approach which suggests we need to understand the causes behind why consumers choose to make the choices they do. What are the emotional drivers behind their decisions and how do we tap into them to create and market better products and services?

This is not a loquacious academic theory, but a pragmatic and thoughtful framework that can be applied to every business, in every industry. 

"Innovation may never be a perfect science, but that is not the point. We have the ability to make innovation the reliable engine for growth, an engine based on a clear understanding of causality, rather than casting seeds in the hopes of one day harvesting some fruit." 

4. Eric Berridge - Customer Obsessed
It's no secret — we are in the Age of the Customer, and business leaders are urgently trying to reshape their go-to-market approach to fit this new paradigm. Customer Obsessed is a practical guidebook for anyone who wants to refocus their business, team, or department around customers. Taking on topics ranging from employee engagement and design thinking to gender diversity and social media, Berridge makes a compelling case for why customer obsession is necessary for business success and provides actionable advice for those who want to revamp their customer focus. 

"Businesses across the world are being disrupted and upended because the rise of digital has enabled some organizations to identify the future needs and desires of customers and fulfill them. And alignment with those needs requires organizations to completely rethink their go-to-market approach, and perhaps even more important, to rethink their employee culture, which lives at the heart of the customer experience."

5. Jim Collins - Good to Great
While many of you have probably already read this book, we felt like we needed to include it for its no-nonsense attitude and practical advice. With the confluence of many societal and technology trends coming to a head, Good to Great is worth a re-read in order to make sense of the changing times and get back to basics. The ability to confront brutal facts and have the discipline in business to continue to deliver in uncertain circumstances is critical and Collins shares how you can structure your organization and culture to do just that. 

"All companies have a culture, some companies have discipline, but few companies have a culture of discipline. When you have disciplined people, you don't need hierarchy. When you have disciplined action you don't need excessive controls. When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great performance."

Enjoy the break, unplug, and we look forward to sharing more insights in the new year!