Continuing education
As the days inch shorter and the weather gets cooler, my brain is starting to feel like a bear preparing for hibernation. At any point, at least one hand is wrapped around a piping hot coffee mug to keep my blood from coagulating. Am I trying to justify not writing a proper post today? That’s not important.
Over the past few years I’ve gone back to school, in a way. There are probably a few reasons why. There’s the remote thing. As spicy as TikTok lessons, group chats (shout out Habibis), and Slack channels can get, not having as many live chats has made me miss bumping into fresh thinking. I’ve also spent half of my post-pandemic era on the brand side, where academic, agency-style learning is junior to that found on Tableau dashboards (it’s own rich source of learning, no doubt). The other half of has been freelancing for a bunch of agencies and brands where hours are dedicated to specific projects. It’s been so fun and a huge jolt of energy, but I’ve needed to augment it with dives into timeless reads.
Here’s a list of books I recommend for those looking for some slower burning calories:
For finding new inputs:
The Great Mental Models — Shane Parrish
Finite and Infinite Games — James P. Carse
The Creative Act — Rick Rubin
For thinking beyond the campaign:
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy — Richard Rummelt
The Imperfectionists — Robert McLean & Charles Conn
Creativity, Inc. — Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace
Build — Tony Fadell
No Rules Rules — Erin Meyer & Reed Hastings
Smart Brevity — Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, & Roy Schwartz
For refining your strategy craft:
Different — YoungMe Moon
Strategy Is Your Words — Mark Pollard
The Brand Positioning Workbook — Olli Applebaum
Go Luck Yourself — Andy Nairn
Why Does The Pedlar Sing — Paul Feldwick
How Not To Plan — Les Binet & Sarah Carter
A Technique For Producing Ideas — Jamies Webb Young
Ogilvy On Advertising — David Ogilvy
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I write these posts, 3-MINUTE MONDAYS, every other week. My goal with them is to share a snippet of insight into how to do strategy, build teams, and grow. Comment here or message me on LinkedIn if you want to chat. — Ben
