Electing to read this Bank Holiday
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Off to Lunch…
Welcome to the Friday before a Bank Holiday weekend that the Met Office has referred to as “unsettled”. While business never sleeps, spells of rainy conditions are the perfect opportunity to channel your inner Warren Buffet and pick up a good book.
We’re taking this opportunity to profile some of the books to consider reading this weekend:
Author: Alastair Campbell
Recommended by: Richard Branson
Summary: The former Labour strategist dives into why sports stars excel, entrepreneurs thrive, or individuals achieve their ambitions. Covering figures from Nelson Mandela to Diego Maradona, Floyd Mayweather to Steve Jobs, Campbell uses his experience to examine what makes winners tick, how they respond to adversity and how they build great teams.
Poor Charlie's Almanack
Author: Charlie Munger
Recommended by: Daniel Ek and Warren Buffett
Summary: This book by the long-time business partner of Warren Buffett has been re-released following his death last year. The book is a collection of speeches and talks from Munger and is jam-packed with wisdom around investing, mindset, learning, decision-making and much more.
The Inner Game of Tennis
Author: Timothy Gallwey
Recommended by: Bill Gates
Summary: Despite being about tennis and published in 1974, this is a book that some of the world’s foremost business minds have been obsessed with for years. It’s a dive into human psychology and helps with overcoming self-doubt, nervousness and lapses of concentration. Gates says:
Gallwey argues that your state of mind is just as important – if not more important – than your physical fitness. He gives excellent advice about how to move on constructively from mistakes, which I’ve tried to follow both on and off the court over the years.
Educated
Author: Tara Westover
Recommended by: Grace Beverley
Summary: This is not the easiest of reads. It’s the autobiography of a woman who overcame an abusive survivalist Mormon upbringing (and who never set foot in a classroom until she was 17) to become a best-selling author who completed a PhD programme in history at Cambridge University.
The Chimp Paradox
Author: Professor Steve Peters
Recommended by: Steven Bartlett
Summary: Drawing from his experience working with Ronnie O’Sullivan, Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and England Rugby, Steve Peters details a framework that makes you think differently about your mind. He breaks down the struggle that happens in your head, linking it back to why that same thinking shaped how humans have evolved to where we are today. This book will change the way you think about stress, and relationships, and help to reshape your insecurities.
Clear Thinking
Author: Shane Parrish
Recommended by: Timothy Armoo and Warren Buffett
Summary: The book has been described as “a masterclass in the art of clear thinking.” Parrish is a former spy, investor, entrepreneur and best-selling author. It was written not just to be another self-help book, but a guide to enhance decision-making and, most importantly, how to put the ideas raised into practical use in daily life and work.
From the Business Leader team, our editor-in-chief Graham Ruddick recommends Eleven Rings by basketball coaching legend Phil Jackson who shares invaluable tips on leadership and success.
I would personally recommend Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, which covers how you make your own “luck” and is the genesis of the now well-known ‘10,000-hour rule’. It also happens to be one of hip-hop legend Jay-Z’s favourite books.
What book would you add to the list?
Podcast…
The latest episode of Business Leader talks to Kevin McCabe and tells the story of how he built a property empire and then ended up running Sheffield United, his beloved football club.
It is a story that has highs, lows, controversial goals and legal battles…
You can listen to the episode on Substack here, Spotify here and Apple here
Other stories that matter…
1. Local election results have been pouring in all morning and early signs indicate heavy losses for the Conservative Party. As I write, the Conservatives have lost 96 seats, while Labour has won 58, the Greens 14 and the Liberal Democrats 12. Talking to BBC Radio 4 this morning, polling guru Sir John Curtice said: “You’re probably looking at one of the worst, if not the worst, Conservative performances in local government elections for the last 40 years." You can see up-to-date coverage here.
2. Trainline’s operating profit doubled last financial year. In the same week that Labour promised to nationalise railways should it win the next general election, the company’s results also revealed that it had passed the £5bn ticket sales mark. Following a focus on European markets, Trainline saw its sales in Spain and Italy jump by 43 per cent. You can read more here.
3. Apple has revealed its quarterly results, showing a drop in sales across the globe. Investors and analysts are still happy with the tech giant’s results and its share price has risen despite revenues declining by 4 per cent. You can read more here.
4. Peloton has said that it is cutting 15 per cent of its global workforce and that its CEO has stepped down. The company went public in 2019 and rose to prominence during the pandemic when gyms were shut, but has since struggled with nine consecutive quarters of declining revenues. You can read more here.
5. Soumaya Keynes of The FT has penned an interesting article questioning if remote work is good for women:
Many hoped that the remote revolution would deliver somewhat more to women than improved access to cutlery. We now have more evidence, some of which is encouraging. Unfortunately, some of it stinks.
You can read the full piece here.
And finally…
This is a quick reminder that Business Leader magazine will hit shelves next week. Our latest edition is packed with funding tips and stories.
It also features interviews with the CEO of one of the world’s most prominent companies, deep dives into the VC landscape, the bible on how to pitch your business and a chat with a double-BAFTA winning TV personality…
You can subscribe to receive the magazine straight to your door here.
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