The Most Interesting Books I Read in 2020

Given the break from normal work, this past week was a great time to reflect on the past year. Though most of these were published before 2020, here are the books that I read this year and found to be most memorable and impactful.

Presence by Amy Cuddy

You may have seen Professor Cuddy’s TED Talk on power posing, but this book goes into much more detail about how one can leverage the body to create greater presence and a sense of power. 

“When we feel present, our speech, facial expressions, postures, and movements align. They synchronize and focus. And that internal convergence, that harmony, is palpable and resonant—because it’s real. It’s what makes us compelling. We are no longer fighting ourselves; we are being ourselves.”

Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis

Because he’s a Marine, Secretary Mattis is grounded in the warfighting doctrine that speed of operations is essential. What I found most compelling about the book—beyond the salty language and funny anecdotes—is his articulation of what kind of leadership actually produces great speed and agility in an organization.

“Operations occur at the speed of trust. If, unlike Nelson, senior commanders don’t sufficiently train their subordinates so they can trust their initiative, then those commanders have failed before combat begins.” 

Duty by Robert Gates

This book is littered with leadership gems. But I most appreciated Secretary Gates’s insight—and his personal restraint—to ignore the many problems he couldn’t impact in a large organization so that he could deploy his time, attention, and leadership capital on the things he could. One funny example:

“I remember sitting at the witness table [at a Congressional hearing] listening to this litany of woe and thinking, What the hell am I doing here? I have walked right into the middle of a category-five shitstorm. It was the first of many, many times I would sit at the witness table thinking something very different from what I was saying.”

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

While this book is a memoir, President Obama highlights many of his leadership beliefs in it. This is one of my favorite passages about having the courage to go the hard route:

“‘But I need to tell you, Barack,’ [Michelle] said, ‘I think what you want to do is really hard. I mean, I wish I had your optimism. Sometimes I do. But people can be so selfish and just plain ignorant. I think a lot of people don’t want to be bothered. And I think politics seems like it’s full of people willing to do anything for power, who just think about themselves. Especially in Chicago. I’m not sure you’ll ever change that.’ 

“‘I can try, can’t I?’ I said with a smile. ‘What’s the point of having a fancy law degree if you can’t take some risks? If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.’ 

“She took my face in her hands. ‘Have you ever noticed that if there’s a hard way and an easy way, you choose the hard way every time? Why do you think that is?’”

(It was also interesting to read what Mattis, Gates, and Obama had to say about each other and their differing perspectives on decisions they faced together. It’s definitely a reminder of how the values and beliefs a leader brings to a situation are often more important than the “technical” dimensions of the situation itself.)