At Remarkable Partnerships, we love reading around our subject. It makes us better at what we do, because it enables us to reflect on our approach and draw on the wisdom of those who came before us. 

With the holidays coming up, we wanted to share three of our all-time favourites to help you wind down in the weeks ahead. Each of these books is a treasure, with their own unique method and we couldn’t recommend them more.

The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Number one on our list is The Go-Giver. We first read it years ago and we picked it up again at the beginning of the pandemic in March.

Though it can be read in just a couple of sittings, the key messages stayed with us for a long time and now it helps define our corporate partnerships approach. Sharing an easily understood way to build success – including the value of generosity, the importance of connection and the power of authenticity – the Go-Giver has become our play book for building major partnerships, especially during the pandemic.

Many of the messages from the Go-Giver feel familiar, but they are expressed in a more articulate way than we have ever seen before. If you buy yourself one gift this winter, we recommend the Go-Giver above all else.

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant
In this extraordinary book, Kamal Ravikant tackles probably the most important question of our lives. This question is at the heart of how we relate to others, both professionally and personally. It underpins how confident we are – and we know that confidence is one of the biggest factors to professional success. The question is: how can we create a loving relationship with ourselves?

What could be more fundamental? If we can learn to truly love ourselves than we can go for our dreams without abandon, and without undermining ourselves. As corporate partnerships professionals, our relationships are everything – and our most important relationship is with ourselves.

This book is an inspirational quick read, with the author sharing his personal story in just 56 pages. If your New Year’s Resolution is to do with self-esteem, this is a must read.

Time To Think by Nancy Kline
We all know that we should become better listeners, but do we truly understand why it is so important? And even if we do know it’s important, do we know how?

In her sensitive and insightful book, Nancy Kline answers both questions. And she does it brilliantly.  One of the things we love about this book is you feel like you are having a personal conversation with the author herself.

It’s also full of great advice and useful techniques. We use some of them in our team meetings, in coaching sessions and in pitches, so it is particularly useful for leaders and line managers.

The book is useful for everyone, though. After all, listening is one of the greatest gifts we can give to another human being. Better listening will enable you to create stronger partnerships, deliver more on your promises and build a higher performing team. If you’re looking for a book that will change your approach to communication for the better, Time To Think is for you.

We hope that your personal development is enriched by one, two or all three of these special books. Also we’re excited to announce that Bob Burg, the author of the Go-Giver, will be speaking at our upcoming conference, Corporate Partnerships Everywhere, which you can find out more about here.