We’re nearing the end of a year spent mostly in lockdown. And with more potential lockdowns on the horizon, the cabin fever is more real than ever.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve already exhausted everything on Netflix, played too many rounds of monopoly, built puzzles, cooked new recipes, took up bread-making, reorganized all of your closets, started a new workout routine, and gave up on said workout routine.
So, what to do next?
Chances are, your prospects are wondering the exact same thing.
To help pass the time, I recently turned my attention to the top-recommended business books of 2020.
These books are informative, full of new ideas and strategies, and make excellent end-of-year gifts for prospects looking to sit back, unwind, and destress over the holidays after such a tumultuous year.
7 Business Books That Are Great Holiday Gifts for Prospects
The Non-Obvious Guide to Emotional Intelligence
By Kerry Goyette
At a previous company, my team and I all read Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and took the online evaluation.
The result was wonderful — a comprehensive understanding of each member’s Emotional Quotient (or EQ) and a roadmap of how best to navigate those variances when we work together.
Goyette’s book expands on this premise with practical advice on how to improve decision-making when it matters most, navigate change, and manage disruption.
I can’t think of a more timely book as we navigate today’s uncertain climate.
For executives with little time on their hands, these shorter reads on how to manage rapid change are also great suggestions:
- The Marketing Support Group: My 3-Step Guide to Mastering Agility
- How to Pivot Your SDR Team During Economic Uncertainty
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
By Cal Newport
We live in a tech-saturated world. Especially now as we work from home. Traditional boundaries have disappeared, and it’s getting harder to tell where our working lives end and our professional lives begin.
Newport shows how some creative minds are rethinking their relationships to technology and reconnecting with the pleasures of the offline world.
If you’re interested in learning more about using offline strategies in a digital world, here are some shorter reads on the topic as well:
- The New Norm: Adding Offline Elements to Virtual Events
- Direct Mail vs Digital Marketing: What Data Shows Works Best
More than Ready: Be Strong and Be You…
By Cecilia Muñoz
Muñoz was the first Latinx woman to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council and has been a longtime leader in the Civil Rights movement.
She carved her own path through an uncharted (and often unfriendly) arena. And in this book, she shares her story and insights, as well as lessons she learned from other extraordinary women of color.
“All of us go through a journey to understand ourselves and what we bring to the world.”
She provides tactical advice for resilience, success, and leadership in your career while maintaining unabashed and uncompromising self-identity.
Here are some other reads about leading the way through uncharted waters:
- “If There’s No Wind, Row.” TripActions CMO Meagen Eisenberg on How Executives Can Navigate Uncertain Waters
- The Legend of “Stagecoach” Mary: The First Black Woman to Carry U.S. Direct Mail
The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance
By Steven G. Rogelberg
The title of the first chapter says it all: So Many Meetings and So Much Frustration.
More than ever, alignment and communication is key to a team’s success. As teams adjust to a socially distanced world and more and more conversations happen over Zoom, how can you balance the need for face-to-face interaction without overwhelming calendars and stifling productivity?
Well, Rogelberg has some great advice for your prospects and is well worth the read.
Since your prospects may already have too many meetings scheduled to take on a whole book, these short reads work well too:
- How RollWorks Maintains Strong Internal and External Connections During COVID-19
- How Pax8’s Marketing & HR Teams Unite to Offer Vital Human Connection During COVID-19
The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success
By Maria Ross
Empathy is a useful and effective vehicle for building relationships with your prospects, coworkers, and customers.
In her book, Ross argues that empathy has been shown to have a direct impact on everything from customer loyalty to innovation to profits. A company’s willingness to understand and help solve the problems of others will pay dividends for your brand and business.
Her message rings especially true now as we are all facing unprecedented times and challenges.
For other quick reads on the importance and impact of empathy, try:
- Call Your Customer: Empathy and Problem-Solving During Uncertain Times
- Data-Driven Empathy: What Selling Looks Like for Today and the Future
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
By David Epstein
In life and business, it is far too easy for us to get stuck in our comfort zones and rely on the tried and true.
Written by a specialist curious about the ingredients of success, Epstein details how trying your hand at an array of skills and strategies generates creativity, agility, and adaptability that can propel you beyond your competitors.
Here are a couple of quick reads that might help your prospects apply some unexpected lessons to their own strategies:
- The Marketer’s Support Group: My 3-Step Guide to Plan Pivoting
- Extreme Makeover: How SmartRecruiters Flipped Their Marketing Strategy During COVID-19
Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data
By Rishad Tobaccowala
Tobaccowala was once named one of the top 5 “Marketing Innovators” by TIME Magazine. He now turns his attention to leadership and management in a technology and data dominated world.
He advocates for more balance, empathy, and humanity which will, in turn, help nurture collaboration and company-wide transformation.
Managing isn’t easy. Here are a few quicker reads that dispel some practical advice on leadership and balance:
- Women Leaders: Embrace Imperfection During This Time
- You Had Help Along the Way, So Be a Mentor (Not a Boss)
Send the Gift of Growth
While the holiday season is a very competitive time for booking meetings on people’s calendars, a thoughtful gift can go a long way in securing a meaningful connection.
Now, when I say “thoughtful” I mean it. Send your prospects a book about something you truly think will help them grow and reach their goals.
To really impress, try personalizing your gift by including a handwritten note expressing that you hope they find the book helpful and that you’d love to discuss how else you can support their goals.
Plus, with a timely gift, you’ll be top of mind as they ring in the new year.
