What missives should be at the top of your reading list? Start with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Two reasons: one, it is a heck of a book. And two, when you quote Mark Twain, people think you are witty and a little irreverent. Consultants need not – and should not – read consulting books exclusively. Any well-written book, or article, any blog post, webinar or podcast, that can plant a seed of an idea, grab your attention, and make you think and then rethink your role and how to improve and develop within it is worth your time.

The following is a short list of some of the books that have been instrumental in my thinking about people, technology, business, and leadership:

• The Last Lion. William Manchester and Paul Reid. Biography of Winston Spencer Churchill from 1940-1965. This is a portrait of leadership under true adversity.
• The Black Swan. Nicholas Taleb. Nothing is 100% and highly improbable events can happen more frequently than you think with devastating consequences.
• Dangerous Company: The Consulting Powerhouses and the Businesses They Save and Ruin. James o’Shea and Charles Madigan. Even the biggest and the best can provide bad information – a real eye opener.
• Where Have All the Leaders Gone. Lee Iacocca. He asks tough questions about leadership.
• Straight Talk. Lee Iacocca. This autobiography touches on everything from family to leading Chrysler to world economic issues.
• Jack Straight from the Gut. Jack Welch and John Bryne. Discusses how to be a leader and inspire performance.
• “Before the Meeting Adjourns, Tell Me What You’ll Do Next.” Not a book but a terrific New York Times interview with Bill Fleming, President of Skanska USA Building, Inc. A great take on leadership that meshes with my philosophy and how I strive to lead.
• The Art of War. Sun Tzu. My all-time favourite; just a fun read that puts business and competition in perspective.

There is not just one book, or a single list, of books or articles that you should read. Taking one or two books and trying to live by them does a disservice to you – and to the authors! You need a variety of perspectives, or risk becoming too narrow in your approach. If you can get a number of opinions, styles, points of view, and meld them into an approach that works for you as a consultant or project manager, that’s what you want.

I would rather take a buffet-style approach to reading and learning: You take a combination of a little consulting, a little psychology, a bit of philosophy, and add leadership. Read about Leaders: that is what really creates a balanced approach because, even if the challenges they are discussing are the same, each have a different experiences and story to tell. They each have something to contribute to your career, and your way of thinking.

Read voraciously; it is time well spent.