Learning List

Each month we'll publish a top 10 list of books recommended by you - to kick you off here are a few we think are interesting, fun or developmental.

A guide to improving career prospects, drawing on 27 years of experience since Meredith Belbin's ground-breaking best-seller: 'Management Teams - why they succeed or fail.' Includes managing stress, dealing with difficult people, and various management tips. Recently reviewed in Training & Coaching Today, who described it as 'chock-full of clarity and advice... should be available on prescription'

Aimed at getting people to think more creatively, Hurson advocates using your gut instinct to assess possible solutions. Hurson runs a company that advises other organisations on problem solving and productive thinking. Recently reviewed by the ILM in their Edge magazine and described as 'highly recommended not just for those seeking fresh answers to tricky problems but for individuals who want to sort out their personal lives'.

A guide to making your way up the career ladder, by making yourself 'promotable'. Covers the practical aspects, such as polishing up your CV and finding out about hidden job opportunities; as well as developing your presence and building good relationships with useful people.

Mike is a spiritual teacher and motivational speaker, who is also a regular trainer for Reed Learning - delivering courses on stress management, personal effectiveness, emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. Mike also runs retreats all over the world, designed to allow people to step away from the treadmill of daily life and rediscover their natural rhythm. The 7 AHA's are moments of profound insight into our own lives, which will open up new ways of seeing our problems and our potential - truly inspirational reading.

Recently featured in the Metro, Gael Lindenfeld is a trained psychotherapist and successful author of several self help books, whilst Stuart is also set to become one of our Networking for Business Success trainers in the new year. All delegates to our Networking course will receive a free copy of this fun book which makes the key skills of networking easy to replicate. Stuart Lindenfeld says, "From my masterclasses in networking it became apparent to me that self-confidence was the key ingredient that gave some people the edge over others. So we decided to write a self-help program that would build inner psychological strength as well being a practical guide on how to strengthen and extend your network."

You probably need to be a little bit interested in economics to really enjoy this book but it is a remarkable explanation of how markets work and often don’t, which will help you see the world of business from a much more informed viewpoint.

An entertaining tour of the human side of systems.  Ariely, a leading behavioural economist, writes in an fluid engaging style on a host of subjects that should be required reading for anyone in business.  Particularly good on the nature on pricing and "free" offers.

Written with infectious enthusiasm and occasionally bristling anger, Taleb set out of burst the bubble of those who purport to be experts.  Although this may look like a dry tome on statists, this is not at all the case as Taleb leaps from subject to subject with humour and insight.  If you have read more than one "business book" you really should read this one before you read anymore as it might protect you from their effects in future.

A delightful satire of modern work from the FT's scourge of management nonsense Lucy Kellaway.  If you were unfortunate enough to have read, "Who Moved My Cheese" (or any of its equivalents) by accident or design, this book is the antidote.  Hysterically funny!