The Arbinger Institute’s Post

As we end 2024, I’ve been reflecting on the books that had the biggest impact on me this year. Here are my top three picks — each one shaped how I think and gave me a lot of food for thought. 1. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (by The Arbinger Institute) Written as a fable, this book fundamentally shifted how I think about leadership and human interactions. It shows how we often deceive ourselves into believing we’re more outwardly focused than we really are. The hard part? It’s incredibly difficult to recognize when you're in a "self-deceived" state - and even harder to change it. But that’s exactly where the real work lies. True leadership begins with this inner awareness, even if it’s uncomfortable to confront. 2. 𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 (by Will Guidara) The story of Eleven Madison Park (EMP), from being an underrated newcomer to becoming the best restaurant in the world. I loved every minute of this book. One of my favorite takeaways from the book: “Black and white” means you’re doing your job with competence and efficiency; “color” means you make people feel great about the job you’re doing for them. Getting the right plate to the right person at the right table is service. But genuinely engaging with the person you’re serving, so you can make an authentic connection — that’s hospitality.” I keep coming back to this idea: Am I delivering in black and white, or am I adding color? 3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗽 (by Erin Meyer)  The way Erin Meyer breaks down complex cultural dynamics into practical, relatable insights makes this book a must-read for anyone working across borders. Erin has already been putting the concepts from this book with Netflix working with Reed Hastings. This book helped me better understand how cultural differences impact communication, decision-making, and leadership. At a recent team offsite, we put this book’s framework into practice using the team culture map exercise to explore how our cultural backgrounds shape feedback, decision-making, and trust. It sparked thoughtful conversations about our team’s unique DNA. Here's the list of all my 49 books from 2024: https://lnkd.in/g-NZhZ7b 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧? 𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨! #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #BooksToRead #Booksof2024 #Learning #ReadingList