An unlikely book for our recommended list but a client recommended it to us and when we read the Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, we all really enjoyed it. Very little about sport directly but some great gems within that you’ll be interested to know and keen to implement. (Click here to read the article that we refer to The Checklist Manifesto book.) More for the avid reader than someone looking to build their knowledge on sport and coaching, but if you have any family or friends in the medical industry – it is a must-read for them.

To bring some lightness and fun to our book recommendations, it wouldn’t be complete without this one. Not only a cheerful children’s book, we can all benefit from the great insights this book shares on the highs and lows of life. Along the theme of teaching our athletes to be resilient, use it as an activity or case study on how to bounce back from a poor performance.

As one of the leading management and leadership writers of all time, Covey’s books are outstanding and this book is one of his best and most popular. We regard it as a ‘must read’ and while written over 25 years ago, it is more relevant than ever.

Why we recommend it: All of Gladwell’s books are exceptional reads, but Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is our all-time favorite. If you only read one book, this is it. His specific gift is in taking complex research and concepts and explaining them in an easy to understand way. Most importantly, when you read his work, you can start applying the lessons in your own situations.

Overall Strengths Based Leadership is an excellent book about the benefits of focusing on and working on people’s strengths. It shares an enormous body of research on leadership and real life examples. There is an excellent chapter about why people follow, which is a must read for everyone. (Click here to read our article on the book’s chapter about Why People Follow)