The Human Skills Books I Recommend

Essential reading for subject matter experts & entrepreneurs to quickly improve key soft skills for greater influence in the AI era

Sharpen Your Soft Skills & Scale Your Influence

I have good news and bad news:

Good: I've curated the 6 books that actually transform how experts and entrepreneurs lead, influence, and scale their impact.

Bad: They're not quick fixes - they're game-changers that require real engagement. But I'll give you the frameworks now.

In an AI world, your competitive edge isn't just your expertise—it's your ability to:

  • Make decisions that drive action

  • Turn knowledge into influence

  • Lead through complexity

  • Build resilient teams

Whether you're:

  • An expert whose deep knowledge needs broader impact

  • An entrepreneur scaling your vision through others

  • A technical leader managing high-performing teams

  • A founder building sustainable growth

These books deliver what most advice misses: practical frameworks for turning expertise into influence and building teams that execute.

The Essential Collection

1. Simply Said by Jay Sullivan

Ideal for:

  • Technical experts who need wider influence

  • Entrepreneurs pitching complex solutions

  • Subject matter experts scaling their impact

  • Leaders translating vision into action

Summary: Simply Said transforms how you communicate complex ideas into messages that drive action. Sullivan provides practical techniques for structuring your thoughts, crafting your story, and delivering your ideas with impact.

Sullivan's framework helps you:

  • Turn deep expertise into compelling stories

  • Command attention in any room

  • Make complexity accessible without diluting it

  • Build trust through clarity

Why It’s On My List: After using Sullivan's techniques, I watched technical experts transform from being avoided to being sought out for their clarity. It's the only communication book that actually makes you better, not just aware.

2. Think Again by Adam Grant

Ideal for:

  • Experts navigating rapid change

  • Entrepreneurs adapting business models

  • Technical leaders evolving strategies

  • Founders challenging assumptions

Summary: Grant shows how intellectual humility becomes a superpower in times of change. He provides frameworks for constructive disagreement and leading through uncertainty—essential skills when your expertise needs constant evolution.

Learn to change how you think about being wrong:

  • Why the best experts value curiosity over certainty

  • How to foster environments where ideas evolve

  • How to rethink without undermining authority

  • How to make learning your competitive advantage

Why It’s On My List: In a world where expertise can have an expiration date, this book gave me the mental models to stay both confident and curious.

Ideal for:

  • Experts negotiating the value of their work

  • Entrepreneurs in high-stakes deals

  • Technical leaders advocating for resources

  • Founders handling critical conversations

Summary: Voss turns FBI hostage negotiation techniques into tools for business and life. His approach helps experts and entrepreneurs navigate high-stakes conversations where both relationships and results matter.

This FBI negotiator's toolkit teaches you to:

  • Read and respond to emotional undercurrents

  • Use tactical empathy to build instant rapport

  • Handle crucial conversations with confidence

  • Get to yes while strengthening relationships

Why It’s On My List: This book transformed how I handle resistance to complex ideas. The techniques work equally well in boardrooms and one-on-ones.

4. The Thin Book of Trust by Charles Feltman

Ideal for:

  • Experts building influential relationships

  • Entrepreneurs establishing culture

  • Technical leaders scaling their impact

  • Founders managing stakeholder trust

Summary: Feltman breaks trust down into four actionable components: sincerity, reliability, competence, and care. These frameworks help experts and entrepreneurs build the foundations for scaled influence.

Learn the foundation of all relationships by:

  • The four dimensions of trust

  • How to rebuild trust after setbacks

  • Simple language to create safety

  • Ways to make trust concrete and actionable

Why It’s On My List: This book is deceptively powerful – I've seen entire organizations transform using just one chapter's worth of ideas.

Ideal for:

  • Experts leading through knowledge

  • Entrepreneurs building partnerships

  • Technical leaders driving change

  • Founders scaling influence

Summary: Cohen provides a practical framework for leading when your expertise is your authority. Essential for experts and entrepreneurs who need to influence without direct control.

Learn to influence modern style:

  • Build coalitions around complex ideas

  • Trade currencies of influence

  • Lead through expertise, not position

  • Create voluntary commitments that stick

Why It’s On My List: In knowledge-driven organizations, these approaches are essential. I return to its frameworks whenever I need to drive change through influence rather than authority.

6. Fired Up! by Mia B. Russell and Girvin Liggans

For:

  • Technical leaders building sustainable teams

  • Entrepreneurs scaling without burnout

  • Experts managing high-performers

  • Founders creating resilient cultures

Summary: This book provides the missing link between expertise and execution—showing how to build teams that can sustain high performance without burning out. Russell and Liggans combine research with practical applications to transform how experts and entrepreneurs lead teams.

Learn how to:

  • Build engagement in knowledge-driven teams

  • Create cultures where expertise thrives

  • Support sustainable high performance

  • Lead with both results and resilience

Why It’s On My List: First, because I cowrote it. But more importantly, because it solves the crucial challenge facing every expert and entrepreneur: how to scale your impact through others without burning out your team or yourself.

Books I’m Excited to Start (or Still Working Through)

These are the books I’m either slowly savoring or haven’t cracked open yet—but they’re on my radar! Once I’ve read and loved them, you’ll find them recommended above.

For now, consider this my personal "in-progress" pile.

Quick Wins to Try First

Before you get lost in these books, give these simple, effective practices a shot.

They’re perfect for experts and entrepreneurs looking for quick results!

  • For Scaling Your Expertise: Before you share complex information, ask: “What does my audience need to believe to take action on this?”

  • For Trust: After you share your expertise, pause with: “What might I be missing here?”

  • For Influence: When you hit resistance, bridge with: “Help me understand what matters most to you in this situation.”

  • For Team Engagement: When you’re driving results, check in with: “What do you need to make this stick?”

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  • Turning expertise into influence

  • Making smarter decisions faster

  • Building resilient, high-performing teams

  • Leading with impact in the AI era