A practical book list for those who practice security, risk management and leadership.
This column has previously cited or recommended books on security, risk and leadership. Having just submitted a book manuscript to a publisher that explores the confluence of those three topics, I discovered that I drew most inspiration for my approach and analysis from works that don't directly relate to any of these subjects. (I should note that I tapped this column for content that I updated or more fully developed in the book).
The lesson is, some of the most useful and profound readings in our profession come from insights that cut across genres, geographies and industries. Here is my list of some of the best general-interest non-fiction that particularly resonates for those who practice security, risk management and leadership.
-- Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool (2016)
What It's About: Expertise is less about genetics than about deliberate practice on specific elements of your craft, targeted feedback and hard work. Which is why I've played 1,000 games of ice hockey in my rec league career and have only marginally improved because I don't work on edge drills, pivot transitions, or breakouts.
What It's About: A fittingly massive volume on a man with a massive ego and a mixed legacy on his massive construction projects that transformed New York. He built highways, parkways, bridges, beaches, parks, and public works, but at the expense of public transportation, long-time communities, and equal access to amenities. How he built his power is a study in savvy and tenacity.
What It's About: A literary biography and philosophical guidebook to the life and thinking of Michel de Montaigne, the 16th-century French essayist who invented the personal essay and questioned everything, especially himself.
What It's About: Private reflections by the Roman emperor on how to live, lead, and endure with integrity, humility, and discipline.
What It's About: Illiterates can't read. Innumerates don't grasp numbers, especially statistics. A highly readable exploration of how poor quantitative thinking leads to flawed decisions, including on crime risk.
What It's About: Writing with clarity, simplicity, and strength begins with thinking with clarity, simplicity, and strength.
What It's About: Even smart, well-intentioned people miss critical information in plain sight. Bazerman helps leaders become more aware of what they're overlooking.