Are you wondering what business books are essential during COVID-19?
Look, there are a lot of books that are really good to read, but there are three essential business books for this moment at this time, and let me show you each of them. And I’ll show you the one that I think is probably the most important. Now, this is my favorite business book of all time, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. I love this book, Absolutely fabulous, a fabulous business book. But this is not my favorite one for this time, but it was one of the three essential ones you should read.
Having said that, because Crucial Conversations is all about talking in difficult times, and that’s most of the conversations you’re going to have. In fact, all three of these books that I’m showing you all are about how do you communicate in a difficult time.
And let me show you book number two. This one still isn’t my favorite, but it’s really good. It’s Alan Alda’s book. And this is If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating is the name of the book and this is a great book. I love this book. And just as an aside, Alan Alda looks exactly like my dad if my dad was still alive. So anyway, it makes me think of my dad every time I see that book.
But the book is a great book. And the reason why I love If I Understood You, it’s all about using an actor’s skills to learn how to communicate and improvise are involved in everything else. Again, a great book for the moment we’re in right now. Love that book.
But here is the most important book you can read in this time of COVID-19. It’s the third leg of the stool. And here it is: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss. My absolute perfect favorite book for this time. Now, why do I love Never Split the Difference? Well, the reason why I love Never Split the Difference at this time. It’s teaching you how to negotiate.
And there’s a common thread between all three of these books, but Voss probably does it the best of all. Now Voss is the ex-lead hostage negotiator for the FBI. And one of the things that he learned, as crazy as it sounds, was when you’re dealing with a terrorist when you’re dealing with kidnappers, what’s the most important tool in your tool book? You won’t believe it, but it’s true and it will be true for you now and that’s tactical empathy. In other words, understanding and communicating whether you agree with the other person or not, that you understand where they’re coming from.
And think about this right now, all of us. Every single one of us is going through really tough situations and tough times. Be it with employees, be it with vendors, be it with clients, be it with customers. It’s tough out there. And if you don’t show that you understand where the person you’re talking to is coming from, you know, be it that client, be it that employee, then you know what? You’re in deep trouble. So learn from this. Never Split the Difference. Great book. This is my favorite for COVID-19 reading.
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