Donald Thompson: From my bookshelf, here are 3 books to help you cut through the noise

Editor’s note: Veteran investor and entrepreneur Donald Thompson is a regular contributor to WRAL TechWire. His column appears on Wednesdays.

RALEIGH – The world is extra noisy right now. Election coverage, reports from the pandemic and bleak economic forecasts are dominating the headlines every day. It’s normal to feel exhausted and confused when that volume of negative content is bombarding you for weeks on end, but it’s also important that you keep pushing forward to personal and professional growth.

So, how do you shut out the noise? How do you cut through the commotion and find thoughtful, intentional, helpful information that can help you grow, teach you to think differently and prepare you for the future?

That question has been on my mind a lot lately, and this week I thought I would share three books that reshaped the way I think and that have been tremendously helpful for me as I grew from a new CEO to a strong and experienced leader. These are the books I return to year after year. The impression they made was so large that now I see the world through these lenses.

Leading Geeks by Paul Glen

This is an oldie but a goodie. First published in 2002 but still profoundly relevant today, it is a practical guide to managing technologists and teaches practical management strategies for leading technical teams.

Leading Geeks was a foundational book for me as a nontechnical executive thrust into a CEO position at 36 years old. It allowed me to get inside the mind of my most highly skilled tech-driven employees so I could understand what they valued, how they were bringing benefit to my organization and how I should speak to them to be most effective.

In leading any team, good communication makes a critical difference but that’s especially hard when you are leading people who are subject matter experts and know more than you do. This book will teach you what works and what doesn’t from a communications standpoint and how to create long term loyalty in your employee relationships.

Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

This book had so much influence on my life that it is now part of the onboarding package at the marketing agency I lead. Six Thinking Hats has been monumental in helping me facilitate and engage in meaningful conversations with diverse groups of people for the last 20 years.

Essentially, the six hats allow you to change the context of a conversation and work through problems from every angle. The green hat represents creative thinking, the red hat represents emotional thinking, and the blue hat represents organizational or managerial thinking. Yellow is optimism; black is pessimism. White is neutral and represents the logical language of numbers and proofs.

By understanding each approach or way of thinking, you can easily discern which problem-solving method the other party is using and negotiate more easily. I use the six hats to push myself toward objectivity. They help me to see every side of a situation. That way, things don’t feel so personal all the time.

Managing Transitions by William and Susan Bridges

This is my number one reading recommendation for the year. I read it first in 2018 and it helped me see the science behind what I learned from the last recession. This book has also been invaluable in helping me to navigate 2020: the year of ceaseless and unprecedented change.

Managing Transitions is a guidebook for leaders on how to discuss and lead through difficult times. It teaches you to see the phases and emotions that your team members are going through as they navigate change and lays out step-by-step strategies for supporting your team through those times.

These methods have helped me handle the uncertainty of this year and lead my teams to win after win, despite the shifts we’ve faced. If you’re struggling to pull your team together or drive them toward their best work despite the pandemic, I highly recommend it.

In fact, I hope you’ll read all three when you can. Once you do, let me know what you think of them by leaving a comment here or reaching out to me on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear your perspective.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With two decades of experience growing and leading firms, Donald Thompson is a thought leader on goal achievement, influencing company culture and driving exponential growth. He is a serial entrepreneur, Certified Diversity Executive, CEO of Walk West, the fastest-growing digital marketing agency in NC, and co-founder of The Diversity Movement, a data-driven diversity, equity and inclusion firm. Get more tips and hear from business leaders by listening to The Donald Thompson Podcast.

A member of the National Speakers Association, Donald speaks frequently for businesses, organizations and universities and shares actionable insights and strategies across key functions of business strategy, entrepreneurship, leadership development, and diversity and inclusion in the workplace. To learn more, visit donaldthompson.com.