At Summiteers, we never stop learning. Reading is part of it and the Christmas season is the ideal time to pick up another book. In this blog, Dolf L'Ortye and Paul van Bekkum, co-founders of Summiteers, share which books you shouldn't miss (and which ones you might want to leave as they are).

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1. 'Getting Naked'by Patrick Lencioni

In this book, Lencioni describes how — by showing vulnerability in the form of humility, selflessness and transparency — you can bring more to your customer.

Dolf: “When I started consulting, I was advised to read this book. With my stubborn head — and then still an aversion to reading — I didn't do that. Little did I know... When I finally read it three years ago, I was completely surprised! The book is about vulnerability in advisory relationships and made it clear in one fell swoop why our approach at Summiteers is so distinctive and successful.”

If you're looking for new insights into customer relationships and consulting work, read 'Getting Naked'by Patrick Lencioni. Here you'll discover how showing vulnerability is the key to bringing more value to your customer.

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2. Diana Chapman's 'The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership'

This book provides practical guidelines for cultivating conscious leadership, combining individual needs and effective leadership.

Paul: “Today, we are busier than ever. At the same time, we also attach increasing importance to our individual needs. This book describes how to combine these two aspects. This book delves deeper into how we live and how we relate to others. I firmly believe that if everyone reads this book, the workplace would be a lot more pleasant. And it also makes you a nicer person yourself.”

If you want to learn how to combine personal growth and leadership in these busy times, 'The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership'by Diana Chapman is a must-read. It offers valuable tools for becoming a better leader — actually: a better person — and improving your work environment.

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3. 'The Trusted Advisor' by David Maister

This book is about how trust works in professional relationships, and it offers concrete insights and steps to build and maintain relationships of trust, especially in the consulting profession.

Dolf: “A bit tough, but if you work your way through this classic, you'll really come to valuable insights. As consultants, we often tend to jump straight to solutions, but 'The Trusted Advisor' reminds us that it's essential to fully understand the problem first. The book explains why trust-based working is beneficial for both the advisor and the client, and provides practical guidelines for professional development. Not very easy to read, but very concrete.”

If you want insight into building trust in professional relationships, 'The Trusted Advisor' by David Maister highly recommended. This book analyses and explains how trust works in counseling relationships, and offers concrete tips for building that trust.

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4. 'Grip — The secret to smart work' by Rick Pastoor.

This book is about gaining control over your work and life through practical organizational and time management skills.

Paul: “I can be quite brief about this. No matter how well we know how to do it all, every now and then we're all overwhelmed with how much we still have to do. Then I always go back to this book by Pastoor.”

If you need more control over your agenda and want to work more productively, 'Grip — The secret to smart working'by Rick Pastoor, your book.

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5. “The Seven Qualities of Effective Leadership” by Stephen R. Covey

This is a book that covers the fundamentals of personal and professional development and provides leadership principles for living and working more effectively and successfully.

Dolf: “I can't imagine anyone hasn't read this book yet. Should that be the case, now is the time!”

For the classic in personal and professional development, read 'The seven traits of effective leadership'by Stephen R. Covey. It remains a timeless guide to growth and success.

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6. “Flawless Advising — A Practical Guide to Advisory Skills” by Peter Block

This is a comprehensive guide that covers the art and skills of giving effective advice.

Paul: “It's sometimes a bit dry, but if you want to understand what an advisor does, this book explains it from start to finish. It is therefore mandatory in our training program, and I would like to say to any novice advisor: read this book.”

'Flawless advice — A practical guide to counselling skills“by Peter Block is a must-read if you want to understand what an advisor does, how to build trust, and how to navigate through complex counseling situations.

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7. 'The Power of the Now' by Eckhart Tolle

This book is about achieving awareness and peace of mind by living in the present, letting go of past mental baggage and concerns about the future.

Dolf: “This is my personal bible. I think it's such a brilliant book that I'm already reading it for the sixth time. And believe it or not, I get something out of it every time.”

Are you in the consulting business? Then the concepts described in this book are also incredibly relevant to you. 'The power of now'by Eckhart Tolle is full of brilliant insights.

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8. 'The Big Con - How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies' by Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington

This book describes how the consulting industry is weakening the business world, infantilizing the government, and disrupting the economy.

Paul: “This book is one big complaint against the advice industry. This describes everything we, as an agency and as a person, do not want to be, but you can only learn from that too. When you finish this book, you will understand how the advice industry can fail and therefore also what you, as a customer, should — be aware of. Note: it's not an easy-to-read book and that's actually a shame because that makes it less accessible.”

If you want to know how not must, then 'The Big Con - How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies'by Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington, an absolute must.

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9. “McKinsey's Power - The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Important Consulting Firm” by Walt Bogdanich

This book takes a very critical look at McKinsey & Company and reveals the hidden and negative influence that this consulting firm has on the world we live in.

Dolf: “If you're not quite sure how it works after the previous book not must, then this is a must-read. This is a fairly accessible book, though. Each chapter is a scandal. It's about issues such as the absence of ethics and the human dimension and total focus on personal gain at the expense of literally everything. Of course, I had already read left and right about some of those scandals in the newspaper, but when you look at them like that, it's crazy that this kind of behavior can continue to exist.”

If you're looking for the all-time complaint against the world's most famous — or most notorious — consulting firm, then “McKinsey's Power - The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Important Consulting Firm” by Walt Bogdanich your book.

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Still on the nightstand

10. 'The Art of Action - How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results' by Stephen Bungay

This book explores how leaders can act effectively to close the gap between plans, actions, and results.

Paul: “This management classic is staring at me from my nightstand. 'The Art of Action' is based on military history and describes how the armed forces have evolved from top-down orders to achieving goals as a team, in an agile way. These lessons can also be used in business. The book mainly focuses on the 'how' of change. The 'what' should also be clear, but how things lead to change is what inspires me the most.”

Looking for insights into how effective leaders drive change and action in their teams and organizations? Then 'The Art of Action - How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results'by Stephen Bungay is on your list.