Featured Books
Author – Ethan Kross
Annett’s Comments
Turn your inner voice from critic to coach.
We all have a voice in our head. We tune into its endless chatter to look for guidance, ideas and wisdom. Except sometimes, this voice leads us down a rabbit hole of negative self-talk and endless rumination.
These silent conversations are so powerful they can sink our mood, trip us up and even impact our health. How can we take back control? This is the question award-winning psychologist Ethan Kross set out to answer 20 years ago when he began an audacious mission – to study the conversations we have with ourselves.
In Chatter, Kross interweaves cutting-edge science with real-world case studies to explain how these inner conversations shape our work and relationships. Then he reveals the tools you need to harness your own voice so that you can be happier, healthier and more productive.
Brilliantly argued and expertly researched, Chatter will explain how the conversations we have with ourselves shape our lives and will give you the power to change them.
Author – Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Annett’s Comments
I’ve recommended this book as it may help the clinician think of ways they can ‘Nudge’ their patients in the direction of better choices when it comes to recovering from injury or illness.
The idea is how to make the ‘right’ decision the ‘easy’ decision. We live with nudges that I was totally unaware of until I read this book. How can you take the principles that are at work every day of our lives to better help your patients?
It’s a thoughtful and easy read.
Author – Charles Duhigg
Annett’s Comments
In The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize–winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential.
Author – Tynan
Annett’s Comments
Our willpower is limited, yet we rely on it every day to get our tasks done.
Superhuman by Habit examines habit building in depth. It covers the principles and philosophies of habit building, as well as the practical nuts and bolts implementing those habits. The second half of the book is dedicated to specific habits in every major area of life, covering the pros and cons of each, the path to implementing them, and specific notes about each one.
Author – Charles Duhigg
Annett’s Comments
Smarter Faster Better explores the choices people make to boost personal and organisational productivity. Learn how combining different types of goals can increase productivity. The concepts may give you some ideas on how to help others be more successful in achieving the goals they set for themselves
Author – David Allen
Annett’s Comments
This book is on managing your time and becoming more productive. Allen writes in a practice, easy to read manner and I learnt a lot from this book and the book below. It is a book on de-stressing!
Author – Stephen Guise
Annett’s Comments
A mini habit is a very small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day; a mini habit’s “too small to fail” nature makes it weightless, deceptively powerful, and a superior habit-building strategy. Mini habits will better equip your clients to change your life where other strategies have failed.
People so often think that they are the reason they can’t achieve lasting change; but the problem isn’t with them-it’s with their strategy. You can achieve great things without the guilt, intimidation, and repeated failure associated with such strategies such as “getting motivated,” resolutions, or even “just doing it.” To make changes last, you need to stop fighting against your brain.
Personally I use the concepts in this book on a regular basis and have stopped feeling guilty about not sticking to plan that some days just doesn’t work.
Author – Stephen Guise
Annett’s Comments
Why do so many sincere attempts to build good habits fail? Clients you manage often have the best intention to build a habit of exercise, only to falter or fail.
Elastic habits described by Guise are fluid: they can change their form and intensity to suit each unique day. They survive busy, tired, bad days. They thrive in better days.
Helping your clients build elastic habits to be flexible enough to downgraded on days that full of other commitments and expand, adding significant upward potential on days where life is not so full.
This book is worth the read to provide some alternatives to those struggling to build productive habits in their lives.
Author – by Ryan Holiday
Annett’s Comments
We are stuck, stymied, frustrated. But it needn’t be this way. There is a formula for success that’s been followed by the icons of history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs—a formula that let them turn obstacles into opportunities. Faced with impossible situations, they found the astounding triumphs we all seek.
These men and women were not exceptionally brilliant, lucky, or gifted. Their success came from timeless philosophical principles laid down by a Roman emperor who struggled to articulate a method for excellence in any and all situations.
I really enjoyed this book as it provided a new perspective of challenges.
Author – Kegan, Robert & Lahey, Lisa Laskow
Annett’s Comments
A recent study showed that when doctors tell heart patients they will die if they don’t change their habits, only one in seven will be able to follow through successfully. Desire and motivation aren’t enough: even when it’s literally a matter of life or death, the ability to change remains maddeningly elusive. Given that the status quo is so potent, how can we change ourselves and our organisations? In Immunity to Change, authors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey show how our individual beliefs–along with the collective mind-sets in our organisations–combine to create a natural but powerful immunity to change. By revealing how this mechanism holds us back, Kegan and Lahey give us the keys to unlock our potential and finally move forward. And by pinpointing and uprooting our own immunities to change, we can bring our organisations forward with us. This persuasive and practical book, filled with hands-on diagnostics and compelling case studies, delivers the tools you need to overcome the forces of inertia and transform your life and your work.
Author – David Allen
Annett’s Comments
Another great book by Allen. It is a follow on from his previous book and is a manual on getting anything and everything on track. I learnt a lot by reading and instigating the suggestions that have been make in both these book. They are a ‘must read’ on time management.
Author – by Shad Helmstetter
Annett’s Comments
Leading behavioural researchers have told us that as much as 77% of everything we think is negative, counter-productive, and it works against us. At the same time, medical researchers have said that as much as 75% of all illnesses are self induced.
Repetitive thinking creates a convincing argument. The Bryant simply believe what you tell it most.
In this easy to read short book Helmstetter provides numerous ways to counter repetitive and negative self talk. You may find this book useful for yourself and also to help any of your patients that struggle with limiting self talk
Author – Chip & Dan Heath
Annett’s Comments
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly. 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 the world or changing your waistline.
Author – Mel Robbins
Annett’s Comments
I loved this book for its simplicity. I have tried the concept on numerous occasions when I was struggling to do something. And it worked every time!
It has some brain science behind it but as it is so simple it could be a great recommendation for patients who struggle to get started.
I’d also encourage you to give it a go when you’re struggling to do something you really don’t want to do. Experience the effect and pass it on.
The only downfall of the book, is that it is a bit repetitive towards the end but there is definitely enough benefit to out weight this negative and buy the book.
Author – Benjamin Hardy
Annett’s Comments
This ability we have to force ourselves to do things that we think we don’t want to do is highly prized in the productivity world.
But the reality is, getting enough self-discipline to get stuff done is tough. What if there was a way you could become ultra-productive and reach your dreams without having to just push through in misery?
Here are just 3 of the many awesome lessons from this book:
- Intentionally design your environment for success instead of worrying about willpower.
- Optimise separate spaces for work and play for maximum productivity and fulfilment.
- Quickly and firmly get rid of anything and everything that makes reaching your
- goals harder and requires willpower to resist.
Author – Jeff Haden
Annett’s Comments
Written in a conversational, accessible tone, Jeff Haden’s book deconstructs the idea that we need to feel 100% motivated 100% of the time when it comes to our goals. He includes strategies, tips, and research on how high performance actually happens in the real world.
The book provides a general blueprint for how people can make meaningful progress towards their goals while side-stepping a lot of the potholes and mental hang-ups that come with trying to do big things.
The hardest part of working out is starting. It’s those few moments of silence before practice. The lead-up to the thing turns out to be the hardest thing of all. Take small steps to get into motion. Once you start moving, it’s easy to keep things rolling.
- “Once you start, it’s easy to keep going. The act of getting out of the house to go for a jog is often harder than actually running the five miles you planned.”
- “Starting is hard because ‘motivation’ doesn’t make it easy to start. Starting provides the motivating to finish.”
Author – Donovan
Annett’s Comments
“Motivate Yourself” helps with concepts to learn how to move past self-doubt and propel yourself into the future. It includes ideas on how to quieten an negative inner voice that inhibits personal growth.
With practical exercises featured within each chapter, this book will help break those emotional barriers that hold you back and set you on the path to becoming fully engaged and more productive.
Author – Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling
Annett’s Comments
When you want to make a change, you come up with a strategy. That’s the easy part—next you have to figure out how to implement the strategy. The 4 Disciplines of Execution harnesses and hones four disciplines that, when properly and specifically applied, allow you to carry out your strategy. When you make use of 1) focus, 2) leverage, 3) engagement, and 4) accountability, not only will you execute your strategies, you’ll create permanent behavioral change and increase engagement.
Some great ideas to help clients implement successful strategies into their lives to help with managing injuries and illness.
This book is also useful in the business context as well.
Author – Angela Duckworth
Annett’s Comments
The Book in Three Sentences
- The secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but grit: a special blend of passion and persistence.
- Grit is about having passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
- Gritty people are able to maintain their determination and motivation over long periods despite experiences with failure and adversity.
The Five Big Ideas
- Grit is about holding the same top-level goal for a very long time. (A top-level goal is your ultimate concern, a compass that gives direction and meaning to all the goals below it.)
- Paragons of grit have four psychological assets: (1) interest (2) practice (3) purpose (4) hope.
- Gritty people do more deliberate practice and experience more flow.
- For paragons of grit, the long days and evenings of toil, the setbacks and disappointments, and struggle, the sacrifice—all this is worth it because, ultimately, their efforts pay dividends to other people.
- Often, the critical gritty-or-not decisions we make are a matter of identity more than anything else.
Angela is interviewed by Brené Brown on her “Daring to Lead” podcast and is worth a listen. It was on April 19th 2021. It is worth listening to as Angela looks at what grit isn’t.
Author – Ori Brafman & Rom Brafman
Annett’s Comments
A fascinating journey into the hidden psychological influences that derail our decision-making, Sway will change the way you think about the way you think.
Why do we listen to advice just because it came from someone “important”? In Sway, renowned organisational thinker Ori Brafman and his brother, psychologist Rom Brafman, answer the question of why we think the way we think.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioural economics, and organisational behaviour, Sway reveals dynamic forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion (our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation), and the “chameleon effect” (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us).
Sway introduces us to the Harvard Business School professor who got his students to pay $204 for a $20 bill, the head of airline safety whose disregard for his years of training led to the transformation of an entire industry, and the football coach who turned conventional strategy on its head to lead his team to victory. We also learn the curse of the NBA draft, discover why interviews are a terrible way to gauge future job performance, and go inside a session with the Supreme Court to see how the world’s most powerful justices avoid the dangers of group dynamics
This was a really good book and helped with understanding why some clients make decisions they later regret.
Author – Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
Annett’s Comments
I really enjoyed this easy to read and down to earth book. It takes away the pressure of feeling like you have to do so many things at once.
It provides evidence that the more you try to do at the same time, the less effective you become. Also, the more you allow yourself to get distracted, the more inefficient you become.
A highly recommend book for those who feel compelled to cram too much into their day.
Author – Robbins, Anthony
Annett’s Comments
Another of Anthony Robbins books on personal change. This is a book on how to take control of your mental, emotional, physical and financial destiny. It is a fascinating presentation on this topic by one of the world’s leading personal coached. I didn’t find this book is not as easy to read as some of the other books on personal change but for those who are well on this road it is well worth getting.
Author – Dr Daniel G. Amen
Annett’s Comments
The key to a better body is a healthy brain. CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, CHANGE YOUR BODY shows you how to take the very best care of your brain. With fifteen practical, easy-to-implement solutions involving nutritious foods, natural supplements and vitamins, positive-thinking habits, and, when necessary, highly targeted medications, Dr. Amen shows you how to: * Reach and maintain your ideal weight * Soothe and smooth your skin at any age.
Author – Robin Sharma
Annett’s Comments
This book is full of philosophical principles bound in an interesting story. Some are very challenging but all are worth considering.
Here are a couple from the book that influence me:
“The grade of work you offer the world reflects the strength of the respect you have for yourself.”
“We get in life not what we want, but that which we are.”
“Victims have big TVs. Leaders own large libraries.”
“All shadows of insecurity dissolve in the warm glow of persistency.”
It’s definitely a book worth reading.
Author – Demartini Dr. John
Annett’s Comments
An easy to read book on personal change covering all areas of life. It is about breaking through the barriers that keep you from experiencing your true nature as light. It contains an inspiring combination of science and philosophy. The Breakthrough Experience is and extremely real and practical manual for understanding why you live the way you do, and how to transform your life into your highest vision. It can be read as a manual with guidance on what to do next to achieve the changes you want in life.
Author – Dr. John F. Demartini
Annett’s Comments
A very useful book and guide on personal change. This book can be read cover to cover or you can take a specific section and just work on that. In this book you will find 60 inspiring laws that will show you how to live the life you want to if you are prepared to do the work and make changes to what you are doing now. You can choose to do the work in 60 days or take longer as some of the laws may challenge you and it will be best if you make the changes in your own time.
Author – Tom Ziglar
Annett’s Comments
This is an extremely easy book to read. As I was reading it I thought how useful it would be as a recommended book for your patients.
There is enormous power in the concept of changing your life with one simple choice at a time. Rather than feeling over-whelmed by the seemingly numerous choices that need to be made when facing illness or injury, encourage the patient to focus on only one choice each day that will make a difference.
This concept can be used for anyone wanting to transform their lives.
Author – Griffiths, Andrew
Annett’s Comments
A wonderful book on personal change. It is easy to read and will have the reader taking the time to stop and look at themselves and how they experience the world. Andrew Griffiths know first-hand the benefits of breaking away from the limiting belief that the world revolves around ‘me’. And now you can discover how to make your life richer too. An entertaining and direct book.
Author – Dr. Kerry Spackman
Annett’s Comments
A great book on rewiring your brain for change. World-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Kerry Spackman shows how to use the same ground breaking tools he pioneered for world champions so you can permanently rewire your brain and transform your life. There a lots of real-life examples and there are lots of exercises that can be done to guide you along the road of personal change. An easy read and very enjoyable.
Author – Tracey, Brian
Annett’s Comments
This is a book on achieving your goals as well as managing your time. To become an ultimate achiever, you must habitually focus on the one crucial action that will lead you to your goal. You must identify your focal point and this book is about teaching how to do this in order to attain maximum results in your life. Brian Tracey writes easy to read, informative books and this is no different.
Author – Nick Schuster
Annett’s Comments
Physios love helping people, but they need to evolve to make the successful transition from great physio to successful business owner.
For many private practice clinic owners, the journey is not easy. Challenges include being the “go-to” therapist in your clinic; the phone ringing constantly with regular patients wanting to see you (and only you), while your other physios have gaps in their diaries; the inevitable heartbreak of staff turnover; and simply being too busy working in your business to work on your business.
There is a better way. In Build the Ultimate Physio Clinic, Nick Schuster reveals his model that helps physio clinic owners regain the time they desire in their lives, achieve the profit they deserve in their business, and find the freedom to live life on their terms. The “Build the Ultimate Physio Clinic” blueprint is a 5-step process that addresses:
- Clinic owner mindset
- Business strategy
- Marketing ecosystem
- Team optimisation
- System development
Through concentrating on these five key areas, Nick has been able to create a profitable business that operates smoothly even when he’s not there, with a high-performing and happy team. His mission now is to help physio clinic owners globally do the same.
Author – Nick Schuster
Annett’s Comments
Do you want to have a long, happy career and learn how to succeed in private practice as a physio?
Do you want to find out how to get great results with your patients and how to live an awesome life?
Do you often wish for more out of your physio career?
At university, physio students spend most of their time learning how to treat patients but nothing about the skills required to succeed in private practice. Becoming the Ultimate Physio introduces the concept of the Physio Success Quadrant – the four different areas of physio private practice that you must
master to achieve business, career and life success. Many physios are skilled in one or two areas of this quadrant, but to be a successful physio you need skills in all four areas.
In this book you will learn:
How to master all four quadrants of the Physio Success Quadrant
How to become a true leader, by first learning about yourself
How to simplify and refine your physio practice, for increased profits and better patient results
How to develop outstanding communication skills
The business success tools that others pay thousands of dollars for.
Career and business satisfaction and success are possible. It all starts with you – and the answer is not more physio knowledge, the answer is smart physio business.
Author – Patterson, Grenny, McMillian, Switzler
Annett’s Comments
Many ‘defining’ moments in life come from having crucial conversations (as these create significant shifts in attitude and behaviour). This book focuses on techniques on how to hold such conversations in a positive space when surrounded by highly charged emotions. Their findings are based on 25 years of research with 20,000 people.
Their model has essentially 7 steps:
1) Start with the heart (i.e empathy and positive intent)
2) Stay in dialogue
3) Make it safe
4) Don’t get hooked by emotion (or hook them)
5) Agree a mutual purpose
6) Separate facts from story
7) Agree a clear action plan
This book is a must read for clinicians who are in a position of sometimes having an important conversation with a client or staff member.
Author – Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Annett’s Comments
The authors of Switch and Made to Stick explore why certain brief experiences can jolt, elevate and change us – and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.
What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember 20 years later? What if a you knew how to orchestrate moments that would bring more comfort to your patients? Many of the defining moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck – but why leave our most meaningful, memorable moments to chance when we can create them?
In The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath explore the stories of people who have created standout moments.
Filled with remarkable tales and practical insights, The Power of Moments proves we all have the power to transform ordinary experiences into unforgettable ones.
I really enjoyed this book and it helped me understand the how we remember things in our lives and how you can use this to create memorable experiences for your clients.
Author – Chip & Dan Heath
Annett’s Comments
In our hyper-connected society, important messages often fail to gain traction, while bad ideas and falsehoods, such as urban legends, go viral and seem to stick around forever. Made to Stick by brothers Chip and Dan Heath explores what makes some messages “stick” in the public’s consciousness while others go unremembered and explains how to create an idea that sticks.
Based on a wide-ranging examination of psychology research, popular culture, and news headlines, they identify six criteria that anyone can apply for shaping a message so it resonates: Make it simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and make it a story.
Author – Ryan Holiday
Annett’s Comments
Ego Is the Enemy reveals how a tendency that’s hardwired into our brains – the belief the world revolves around us and us alone – holds us back from living the life it makes us desire so much, what we can do to overcome it at every turn and how to achieve true greatness.
Managing your ego helps you in both good and bad times, because you’ll neither stress about failures, nor let success turn you into a diva. Here are my 3 favourite ways to make it happen:
- Be a perpetual student. It’ll keep you modest.
- Don’t hog tasks at work. Be a team player.
- Reflect honestly on your performance when you get surprising results.
Author – Derek Gaunt
Annett’s Comments
Ego, Authority, Failure was written for leaders who want actionable techniques to build trust-based influence in order to motivate and inspire both staff and clients that they treat.
It is also shares cautionary tales for those in denial about the damage their ego and authority has on their organisation.
Author – Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen
Annett’s Comments
Difficult Conversations identifies why we shy away from some conversations more than others, and what we can do to navigate them successfully and without stress.
No matter what you do, you’re going to find yourself on one side of a difficult conversation. It’s hard to talk about sensitive topics. Often we shy away from these conversations because they have unexpected outcomes.
Douglas Stone and Bruce Patton offer real-life examples and tips for how you can get through difficult conversations. They also teach you about the usual pitfalls of unpleasant exchanges and how to avoid them. And finally, they will give you a framework so that you can make sure these conversations stay on topic and avoid any hurt feelings in the process.
Here are 3 of the most significant lessons from this one:
- Hard conversations consist of feelings, blame, and identity.
- 10. You can turn any difficult conversation into a learning conversation.
- Provide a third story that is neutral.
Author – Chip and Dan Heath
Annett’s Comments
Made to Stick by brothers Chip and Dan Heath explores what makes some messages “stick” in the public’s consciousness while others go unremembered and explains how to create an idea that sticks.
Based on a wide-ranging examination of psychology research, popular culture, and news headlines, they identify six criteria that anyone can apply for shaping a message so it resonates: Make it simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and make it a story.
Author – Jim Camp
Annett’s Comments
Jim Camp’s book “Start with No” shows how we all make negotiations every day of our lives and it’s important to develop strong negotiation skills.
In his book, the author explains why a ‘win-win’ situation is the wrong approach to negotiations and why all good negotiations start with a “no”. By following this advice, you will give the person you are talking to an opportunity to think more rationally and, in turn, get a more worthwhile result.
Well worth the read for an alternative view of negotiation.
Author – Sharon Begley
Annett’s Comments
The Five Rules to Gain Trust
1. Suspend your ego
2. Be nonjudgmental
3. Validate others
4. Honour reason
5. Be generous
Read the book to find out about each of these
Author – Daniel Coyle
Annett’s Comments
The Talent Code cracks open the myth of talent and breaks it down from a neurological standpoint into three crucial parts.
Let’s look at the first one in more detail with these 3 lessons:
- More myelin is how you hardwire skills into your body.
- Use deep practice to increase the myelin around your neural pathways.
- Chunk up what you’re practicing into its smallest units.
Author – Daniel Coyle
Annett’s Comments
The Culture Code examines the dynamics of groups, large and small, formal and informal, to help you understand how great teams work and what you can do to improve your relationships wherever you cooperate with others.
From his research, he sees 3 skills at the heart of great teamwork:
- Build safety to make everyone feel comfortable in working together.
- Share vulnerability to show no one needs to be perfect.
- Establish purpose through a common goal and a clear path to get there.
Author – Loehr, Jim & Schwartz, Tony
Annett’s Comments
A wonderful and very useful CD on personal accountability and change. I have listened to this audio CD many times and continue to learn something new. This book or CD is about managing energy and not time which they feel is the key to enduring high performance as well as health, happiness and life balance. It is a practical and scientific guide to managing your energy. It also available in book form.
Author – Brene Brown
Annett’s Comments
Dare to Lead is the bible for courage-building in the workspace. Leaders and teams alike face serious problems showing up vulnerable at work; instead, they sabotage themselves, killing innovation and creativity. This book is about owning your fears, choosing courage over comfort and whole hearts over armour, and building an organisational culture based on bravery & vulnerability.
To listen to some great interviews go to Spotify and look up her Dare to Lead podcast. Some of them are really relevant to business owners but also to clinicians wanting to better manage clients with chronic health problems.
Author – Paul Jarvis
Annett’s Comments
If you are looking to learn what it takes to start your own business with minimal resources, Company of One is a great book. Paul Jarvis shares his personal story and the experiences of others who have successfully created businesses to support their preferred lifestyle.
The definition of a company of one defies the concept of company growth.
Companies of one should be normalised because you will always be better than anyone at looking out for your own best interest, even in a large corporation.
Being a company of one requires you to build your work around your life, not the other way around.
The four recurring characteristics of companies of one are:
- Resilience
- Autonomy and Control
- Speed
- Simplicity
To have a successful company of one, it is important to think about:
- Whether growth is truly beneficial to your business
- How you could solve business problems without adding ‘more’
- Whether you need funding or capital, or if you’re just thinking too big
This is a great book for those who want to keep their practice small and has some really useful ideas.
Author – Chin-Ning Chu
Annett’s Comments
A fantastic book written on overcoming adversity and having the courage to stick to one’s convictions through hard work and conviction. It is about succeeding in everyday life and work using the ancient wisdom of the East. Very challenging on many levels but one of those books you will not forget and are likely to read many times over. It is about success and survival.
Author – Brian P. Moran, Michael Lennington
Annett’s Comments
Most of us are used to annual planning over 12-month cycles. The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington explains why you should compress your planning and execution into 12-week cycles, and how you can implement this system to improve your results by at least 4x. In this book summary, we’ll outline the 12 Week Year in 2 parts: (i) the foundational principles and disciplines, and (ii) how to implement the 12 Week Year.
The 3 principles are (i) accountability, (ii) commitment, (iii) greatness in the moment
These 5 interrelated disciplines shape your thinking, actions and results: (i) having a clear, inspiring life vision, (ii) breaking your broad vision into a concrete plan (with priorities, goals and action steps), (iii) using process controls (tools and systems) to stay on-track, (iv) using measurements to get vital feedback and make informed decisions and (iv) having effective time-use
Author – Grenny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan, Switzler
Annett’s Comments
Influencer is a motivational non-fiction book that provides the foundations for individuals to change lives. The book uses a multi-step approach that claims, if used effectively, it can help people influence anything from their own eating habits to eradicating diseases in developing countries. In Part I of the book, the authors explain that people often spend more time coping with their problems instead of trying to solve them (i.e. coping with the HIV/AIDS epidemic instead of stopping the spread of it all together). This part of the book goes on to describe how behaviours need to be identified. Part II of the book explains how to be an influencer based on personal, social, and structural aspects.
Author – Simon Sinek
Annett’s Comments
Leadership isn’t just about managing numbers. It’s about helping people to thrive and find meaning in their work. When leaders take care of their people, the numbers will take care of themselves. Unfortunately, many leaders and organisations seem to have lost sight of this fundamental truth.
In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek explains where we’ve gone wrong and puts out an urgent call for real leaders to step forth to make a positive difference. In this Leaders Eat Last summary, we’ll explain the human need for safety, why we’ve become so dangerously out of balanced, and how you can become a true leader.
Personally I didn’t enjoy this book as much as ‘Start With Why’ but there are still some great lessons and is thought provoking.
Author – Gallo, Carmine
Annett’s Comments
A great biography on a man who believed he could change the way we interact with technology, and did it. A memorable read and one that I am grateful to have in my library. It is an inspiring roadmap for anyone who wants to live a life of passion and purpose. Whenever I feel like giving up I will read this book again.
Author – Dave Birss
Annett’s Comments
The highly practical lessons in HOW TO GET TO GREAT IDEAS are based on neuroscience, psychology, and behavioural economics. Written by the former Creative Director of OgilvyOne, Dave Birss, this book offers a brilliant new system for conceiving original and valuable ideas. It looks at how to frame the problem, how to push your thinking, how to sell the idea and build support for it, and how to inspire others to have great ideas. It proves that any organisation – and any department within an organisation – can become a fertile environment for ideas.
Combining a practical research-based system with fascinating insights and inspiring and humorous writing, the book is also accompanied by the problem-solving system RIGHT THINKING. This is a tool that shows organisations a more effective way to generate more effective ideas and is based on the thinking in the book.
Author – Carol S. Dweck
Annett’s Comments
“Mindset” is a great book for those individuals, parents, teachers and coaches who have a passion for helping people, both children and adults perform at their best. It talks in detail about the two types of mindset that are in us all and how this can affect our performance. These are ‘the fixed mindset’ and ‘the growth mindset’. This book is especially useful if you are dealing with children as it gives you the language that is best to use to develop a growth mindset.
Author – Norman Doige MD
Annett’s Comments
A must read on Neuro Plasticity. This book is both entertaining and very informative. It takes a topic that sounds very scientific and puts in terms anyone can understand. The reader will learn how people of average intelligence can, with brain exercises, improve their cognition and perception, develop muscle strength, or learn new things by using the mind to direct the brain on how it is to change. Thoroughly entertaining.
Author – Norman Doige.
Annett’s Comments
This book is about the discovery that the human brain has its own unique way of healing. For centuries we believed that the price we paid for our brain’s complexity was that, compared to other organs, it was fixed and unregenerative — unable to recover from damage or illness. In his revolutionary new book, Norman Doidge turns this belief on its head.
Author – Marina Sheenan & Susan Pearse
Annett’s Comments
A book which explains the latest research into how the brain works, providing practical tips for training your brain to promote success in all areas of your life.
Author – Fabriozo Benedetti
Annett’s Comments
The Patient’s Brain is an in depth book on research into both ‘placebo’ and ‘nocebo’. Nocebo meaning the patient has an expectation that the treatment will fail. This is a lot more common than you think.
For those managing challenging patients it is useful book on how patients can acquire an expectation that treatment will fail. The book is not an easy ready but for the more scientific clinicians, you will find it both an insightful read and numerous references to up to date research.
After reading the book you will be able to tell whether the way you’re engaging with your client is going to be helpful. You will also recognise very early which patients are not likely to be fully compliant with their treatment plans. Doing something about this early in the treatment process can save a lot of frustration from both parties.
One of the most useful ideas in this book is the concept of adapting your consulting style to match the stage of change of your patient.
Author – Sharon Begley
Annett’s Comments
A book written on how the brain can change itself and how our mind can control the processes of the brain. Begley illuminates the important advances in neuroplasticity, demonstrating the brain’s potential for change by not only altering it’s structure but also of generating new neurons, even into old age. There is now clear evidence that the brain can adapt, heal, renew itself after trauma and compensate for disability. It gives us an understanding of how the brain and the mind interact.
Author – John Arden B. PhD
Annett’s Comments
Not long ago, it was thought that the brain you were born with was the brain you would die with, and that the brain cells you had at birth were the most you would ever possess. Your brain was thought to be “hardwired” to function in predetermined ways. It turns out that’s not true. Your brain is not hardwired,it’s “soft-wired” by experience.
Author – Jeffrey Schwartz & Rebecca Gladding
Annett’s Comments
You are Not Your Brain educates you about the science behind bad habits and breaking them, giving you an actionable 4-step framework you can use to stop listening to your brain’s deceptive messages.
Here are my 3 main take-aways:
1. Self-directed neuroplasticity is your go-to weapon to change your habits.
2. Hebb’s law (Neurons that wire together, fire together) and the quantum zeno effect.
3. There are 4 steps you can take to break a bad habit.
Author – Amy Brann
Annett’s Comments
Author Amy Brann is an expert in brain science, and she has distilled its key findings into non-technical, practical guidance. She presents an entirely different type of training: training based on the science of the mind. Offering soft skills training through the lens of neuroscience, her engaging book helps readers discover how to function at the top of their capabilities and learn the habits, techniques and behaviours that will get positive results. Challenges addressed include: frustration with management, work-life balance, motivating people and achieving goals. Make Your Brain Work shows readers how to leave stress, negative moods and poor time management behind and become more efficient at work.
Author – Shad Helmstetter, PhD
Annett’s Comments
In “The Power of Neuroplasticity,” Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D. presents the scientific discovery that the thoughts we think physically rewire our brains and change our lives. Dr. Helmstetter shows you how to use the latest research from the field of neuroscience to wire your brain to change attitudes, overcome negativity, improve health and fitness, reach personal goals, increase mental sharpness and clarity, improve usable intelligence, super-charge your thinking and reshape your life.
The knowledge in this book may help you better work with clients whose beliefs sabotage their goals.
Author – Lydia Levleva PhD.
Annett’s Comments
Much of how we think, feel and behave is dictated by the images of our mind. Imagine is one of the first books on the market to provide a practical and comprehensive guide to understanding and using the power of positive mental imagery to help people achieve goals and reach their full potential.
Imagine provides a combination of information and research and practical scripts and guides to show people how to achieve their goals, eliminate obstacles and create their best self
From my experience, how clients see themselves influences the choices they make on a daily basis.
This book will give you some tools to help you work with the power of visualisation.
Author – Ramesh Manocha M.D.
Annett’s Comments
SILENCE YOUR MIND offers a completely new approach to meditation – the experience of mental silence – that will help recharge your mental batteries and leave you feeling more positive, dynamic and wholly engaged with the world.
It clearly explains how just 10 to 15 minutes of simple meditation practice each day can turn off that unnecessary mental chatter, thereby awakening your hidden abilities in work, sport, studies and creative pursuits. Scientifically based, this is fundamentally different from any meditation book you may have read before.
Australian Dr Ramesh Manocha is leading the world in research into the positive impacts of the mental silence experience.
Author – Elaine Fox
Annett’s Comments
Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty?
Do you ever wonder how some clients face adversity with a positive mindset and others constantly turn toward the dark?
As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid danger—inclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our “fear brain” or “pleasure brain” is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well.
With keen insights into how genes, life experiences and cognitive processes interleave together to make us who we are, Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain revolutionises our basic concept of individuality. We learn that we can influence our own personalities, and that our lives are only as “sunny” or as “rainy” as we allow them to be.
Author – Phil Stutz & Barry Michels
Annett’s Comments
This is a great book that is easy to read and will give you five useful tools to deal with the time when you are really struggling. It is written by 2 psychologists who have decided to give people actions to take rather than just talk to them. It is a book that can be read the whole way through or in sections that are relevant to the reader. Make the effort and get this book it is worth it.
Author – Cal Newport
Annett’s Comments
In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four “rules,” for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill.
Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.
Author – Rolf Dobelli
Annett’s Comments
How is it that communication between two people can get so mixed up and misinterpreted?
I’m sure you have had instances when you give an instruction or explanation to find the person you’re talking to has changed the whole meaning!
This book provides 99 different examples of how our brains are wired to hear the things we want and distort, delete and generalise just about anything that contradicts our current beliefs.
As you read I’m sure you will recognise the traits both in yourself and the people around you, especially your patients.
Awareness is the first step in understanding and this book is worth the time to read. If not just to expand your own thinking.
Author – David Rock
Annett’s Comments
In Your Brain at Work, David Rock takes readers inside the heads—literally—of a modern two-career couple as they mentally process their workday to reveal how we can better organise, prioritise, remember, and process our daily lives. Rock, the author of Quiet Leadership and Personal Best, shows how it’s possible for this couple, and thus the reader, not only to survive in today’s overwhelming work environment but succeed in it—and still feel energised and accomplished at the end of the day.
This book helps you overcome the daily challenges that take away your brain power, like constant email and interruption madness, high levels of stress, lack of control and high expectations, by showing you what goes on inside your head and giving you new approaches to control it better.
Quote “We all think about what’s easy to think about, rather than what’s right to think about.”
Author – John Medina
Annett’s Comments
Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details that every business leader, parent, and teacher should know – for instance, that physical activity helps to get your brain working at its best. How do we learn? What do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multitasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget – and so important to repeat new information?
Author – John Medina
Annett’s Comments
Medina writes on how to give your brain the best chance of ageing well. It’s a book based on research and written in a very easy going manner. There’s lots to consider and also implement especially if you are in the 60+ age group like me.
His 10 rules for ageing well are:
- Be a friend to others, and let them be a friend to you
2. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude
3. Mindfulness not only soothes but improves
4. Remember, it’s never too late to learn- or to teach
5. Train your brain with video games
6. Look for 10 signs before asking, “Do I have Alzheimer’s?”
7. MIND your meals and get moving
8. For clear thinking, get enough (not too much) sleep
9. You can’t live forever, at least no yet
10. Never retire, and be sure to reminisce
Author – Sarah Edelman
Annett’s Comments
This book is a very easy to read book on how to deal with emotions such as anger, frustration, and anxiety. It is a practical guide to overcoming self-defeating thoughts and behaviours. It guides you on how to dispute that nagging voice inside your head. It also has exercises to do to keep you motivated.
Author – W. Timothy Gallwey
Annett’s Comments
This is a little book on mindset, and how to achieve what you want in life. It is based around tennis but the lessons can be easily extrapolated to life in general. It is well worth the read. The Inner Game of Tennis is what takes place in our mind, played against such elusive opponents as nervousness, self-doubt and lapse in concentration. It is a game played in our mind against its own bad habits.
Author – Mark Williams & Danny Penman
Annett’s Comments
This is a fantastic book and the effectiveness of being in a state of mindfulness. It will give you simple yet effective techniques that you can practice. It also has a great CD at the back which I have been using daily and this on it’s own makes this book a worthwhile investment. You don’t need to be depressed to get use out of this book as it will give you some skills to handle everyday situations. It is down to earth and very useful.
Author – Sharon Begley
Annett’s Comments
A book based on the concept of Neuro Plasticity. Informative yet scientific. Begley follows the interest that the Dalai Lama has in science and in particular the ability of the mind to control the brain. To be read with an open mind for understanding the relatively new concept of how the brain can change itself.
Author – Daniel J. Siegel
Annett’s Comments
A new framework for maintaining mental health and well-being. From the author of the internationally-acclaimed best-selling text The Developing Mind, and esteemed leader and educator in the field of mental health, comes the first book ever to integrate neuroscience research with the ancient art of mindfulness.
Author – Shimoff, Marci with Kline, Carol
Annett’s Comments
This is a great book on happiness. It is easy to read and very useful in a practical way. There are lots of real-life stories that make this book easy to associate with. Happy for No Reason incorporates the latest findings in positive psychology, powerful tools and techniques, and moving real-life stories into a 7 step program that will raise your ‘happiness set-point’. This book will enable you to experience more unconditional happiness.
Author – Louis Cozolino
Annett’s Comments
How the brain’s architecture is related to the problems, passions, and aspirations of human beings. In contrast to this view, recent theoretical advances in brain imaging have revealed that the brain is an organ continually built and re-built by one’s experience. We are now beginning to learn that many forms of psychotherapy, developed in the absence of any scientific understanding of the brain, are supported by neuro scientific findings.
Author – Dr Daniel G. Amen
Annett’s Comments
Amen explains that thoughts really do matter. “When you have a thought your brain releases chemicals, an electrical transmission goes across your brain. You become aware of what you’re thinking. Thoughts are real, and they have a real impact on how you feel and how you behave.”
He warns about problematic thoughts–thinking in terms of always, never, should, must and have to, as well as blaming, guilt, personalising, and mind-reading tendencies
Author – James Allen
Annett’s Comments
This book was written back in the early 20th Century. The concept of the book is that we create our own reality but the way we think and what we say to ourselves.
It’s interesting that it was written so long ago and now science is backing up Allen’s concepts now.
If you want a different future you must begin to think differently
Author – Dale Carnegie
Annett’s Comments
How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the best-selling books of all time. It contains universal principles of interacting with other people to get them to like you and have them see your way of thinking. This isn’t about manipulation – it’s about sincerely approaching people, believing they’re important, and treating them likewise. Learn how to become a great conversationalist without saying anything, how to make other people feel important, and how to change other people’s minds without offending them.
Author – Marus Aurelius
Annett’s Comments
This is a small book that doesn’t need to be read from beginning to end. It is full of reflections which can be very thought provoking especially for those interested in Stoicism and philosophy.
Author – Sun Tau
Annett’s Comments
A classic text on the Chinese art of war but written in such a way that the lessons you learn can be adapted to your personal, social, family and business life. Sun Tzu teaches that aggression and response in kind can only lead to destruction, we must first learn to work with conflict in a more profound and effective way. This is a book to be read many times over as you will learn something new each time you look at it.
Author – Brian Tracy
Annett’s Comments
A must read on how to stop making excuses. No Excuses! shows you how you can achieve success in the three major areas of life and they are: Your personal goals, your business and money goals and your overall happiness. By the time you have read this book you will be more disciplined and have a “no excuses” attitude to life. Easy to read and very informative. When you are ready to change this is a great book to read. If you are not ready to be accountable then don’t waste your money.
Author – Ziglar, Zig
Annett’s Comments
A great audio CD set on personal change. As always Zig Ziglar is an entertaining speaker and it comes through in this CD. You will laugh as well as be challenged. You will listen to this CD set many times and always be entertained.
Author – Spencer, Johnson
Annett’s Comments
A parable based on the highs and lows of life. It is a story of a man who lives unhappily in a valley until he meets an old man who lives on a peak, and it changes his work and life forever. By the end of the story he comes to understand the principles and tools that can be used through good and bad times, which help him become more calm and successful himself. A book that can be read in a day and has the potential to change the way you experience the ups and downs of life.
Author – by Mandina, Og
Annett’s Comments
A parable written based around being a salesman. We all have to sell ourselves throughout our lives and this book which is written in 2 parts gives us message that is both moving and inspiring. The style of writing is both interesting and ingenious. If you are not interested in reading thick, uninteresting books on salesmanship then this little book is for you. Read both part 1 and 11 and keep them in your library.
Author – Viktor Frankl
Annett’s Comments
This is a classic book written on man’s ability to survive even living in the concentration camps in Germany during World War 11. Man’s Search For Meaning is written by psychiatrist Dr. Frankl who survived the Nazi death camps. It is a little book that you will not be able to put down and will give you hope in your ability to survive whatever you are going through now.
Author – Stephen R. Covey
Annett’s Comments
A classic text on personal change. It will help and guide you through change if that is what you want to do. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity. These are the principles that can be adapted into everyday life and gives us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.
Author – Stephen r. Covey
Annett’s Comments
This book builds on the foundations of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and gives a pattern of life that is passionate, makes a difference and leaves a legacy. It is about finding the reasons you are on this earth and helping others do the same. It is a great book on leadership whether it be in business or in the family.
Author – Covey, Stephen R., Merrill, Roger A. & Merrill, Rebecca R.
Annett’s Comments
A classic read on managing life and time management. First Things First can help you understand why so often our first things aren’t first. It provides a compass so that you begin to understand that where you are heading is more important than how fast you travel there. It will provide you with the mechanisms to help you learn to understand how to enjoy the journey as well as the destination.
