Our 2024 BookshelF

Drive - not be confused with the kick-ass action film with coolest soundtrack ever - is, no word of a lie, fucking brilliant, and for that reason, earns top spot on the Bad Ass Book Shelf.

The premise of this book is that modern society (and me) still has a lot to learn about what actually motivates people. Daniel H. Pink takes us on the journey of motivation from biological imperatives, to carrot and stick incentives, and introduces us to Motivation 3.0: The secret to high performance and satisfaction in the workforce.

Motivation is something I’ve often struggled with, particularly as an employee. As a manager, I’ve always hoped to do right by my people whilst ensuring I get the best out of them.

For me, this book provided a tonne of a-ha moments and connected the dots on a lot of issues that related both to my own motivation, and how I’ve managed (or failed) to motivate others in the past.

It’s also an easy and enjoyable read. I read the paper back version of this book but I think I’ll do a re-read of the audiobook soon.

Just like a nagging 5 year-old asks ‘why’ over and over again, Simon Sinek’s best selling Start With Why urges us to truly dig into the reasons why great leaders and outrageously successful companies do what they do.

The book suggests that much of the success behind the world’s most recognisable brands and their leaders comes down to their ability to communicate to customers their palpable sense of why they do what they do - not simply what they do.

Coming from a data and strategy background I’m used to asking why, but from early on in the book, it felt like Sinek was putting words to ideas I’ve sensed but never fully articulated.

It’s not so much that this is a great read - it is - the reason this book has earned a place on the Bad Ass Book Shelf is because it is an essential read.

I genuinely want to hate Steven Bartlett. Dude is making money hand over fist whilst perpetually being about 15 years old. ughhh

But alas I cannot. Not only is his podcast one of my favourites, his book The Diary of a CEO: The 33 laws of business and life is outstanding - I’ve read it twice in full and frequently dip in and out for a refresh.

Steven has an innate talent for bringing together stories from his own (short) life and coupling them with brilliant lessons for personal life and for business. To say this book was hugely inspirational in my own entrepreneurial journey would be to undersell it.

While I will say that 33 laws is a lot to remember, I’ll overlook it. This book deserves a place on the Bad Ass Book Shelf.

This author needs no introduction. Arnie has been a personal hero of mine since I was 4 years old and way too young to be watching the Terminator films, or my personal favourite: True Lies.

Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life is actually the second Schwarzenegger book I’ve read. His autobiography Total Recall is itself a highly inspiring read about entrepreneurship and self-belief.

Arnold is a master of reinvention, from body building to films to politics and beyond, he has lived a life few could only dream of. Lucky for us, he’s distilled many of the life and business lessons he’s collected along the way in his hugely engaging and readable book: Be Useful Seven Tools For Life.

I’m glad to make space on the Bad Ass Book Shelf for this one.

P.S. Can I recommend the audio book? Nothing like having it read to you in Arnie’s signature Austrian accent.

There is no other book I have recommended to my clients quite so many times as this one. Escaping the Build Trap is not an NYT Best Seller, and it’s author is not a household name. But this book is excellent. (chef’s kiss)

While it might appear on the surface that this is a book written specifically for product managers, I would encourage anyone in a modern business to give it a read. Product development is at the heart of so many organisations, making Escape the Build Trap as much a strategy book as it is a product management book.

This book has the power to totally upend long held perspectives on how businesses should build and interact with clients. It had a monumental effect on me and my colleagues when it was first introduced to us and I know it is continuing to have that effect on people who’ve picked it up on my recommendation.

It truly earns its place on the Bad Ass Book Shelf.

This books is so universally popular that - in order to seem cool - I almost didn’t want to include it on the Bad Ass Book Shelf.

But that kind of behaviour is a bad habit I’d like to kick, which luckily, is what James Clear’s Atomic Habit’s is all about!

If you’re like me and you totally suck at building new habits and sticking to them, then I recommend you dive into Atomic Habits ASAP. Built on the premise of 1% improvement everyday, Atomic Habits provides the blue prints for helping you change your habits slowly and sustainably.

This is an international best seller for a reason so pop it on your reading list.

Which books should we add to our bookshelf?

We think the above list of books that have made onto our Bad Ass Bookshelf are great. But what do you think? Are there better books out there? We want our Bookshelf to be as Bad Ass as possible, so if you think we can do better, than let us know!

Each book that we review via the Bad Ass Bookshelf bookclub will get a chance to make its way onto the Bookshelf. With your help, together we’re going to create the most Bad Ass bookshelf there ever was!