21 inspirational books to help you think differently

Working outside your comfort zone in an industry you don’t know means you read as much as you can. As a teacher by trade, I’ve grown a library that stretches way outside my comfort zone bubble of education research and practice.

For over a decade, our firm NoTosh has been appealing to people in the education industry because we spend a chunk of our time working outside education in engineering, fashion, media, or consumer products. These are some of my top reads from over the years , that are not necessarily from the popular ‘life improvement’ shelf or New York Times’ bestsellers list that we all read (or pretend we read). So if you can grab a copy of some of these, whether you’re a teacher or not, you’ll sharpen your curiosity saw.

Managing Creative People, Gordon Torr

This isn’t a big seller, and it’s not the best-written book about creative people. So why read it? Because Gordon Torr speaks as an agency lifer, about all the quaint and frustrating parts of managing creative people, and what you can do to keep yourself inspired while you do so. Its lessons have often served me when it’s far too late to do anything about it, but it’s reassuring to know the challenges are faced by many, often. And it was the first book from outside my world of education that I remember reading and applying almost straight away.

One+One=Three, Dave Trott

Dave Trott’s books are all so good that I assumed he was dead — the kind of author who is so legendary he couldn’t possibly be amongst us. I discovered that dave trott is not only alive and well but a jolly good sport when it comes to borrowing his creative work with clients (as long as I shift a few more copies of his books!). If you can afford it, just buy them all.

Winners: And How They Succeed, Alastair Campbell

The Art of Possibility, Benjamin Zander

If you’re in the business of creating, sharing or getting people to buy into your vision, there are view who can beat the guidance from pianist and conductor Benjamin Zander. I read this book when I was starting NoTosh, writing that year about the ingredients of a great vision, and it’s been a regular go-to over the years since.

Let my people go surfing, Yvon Chouinard

I’ve made as many mistakes as the next person when it comes to hiring, firing and retaining talent. One thing I’ve always done right is trust people to do the right thing. This is a book written over many years about how to do that, told by the founder of Patagonia.

Lateral Thinking, Edward de Bono

A lot of de Bono’s books are rinse-and-repeats of previous ones, but this is the 1963 “ground zero” of his thinking, and shapes a lot of my work in creativity. I’ll give special mention to “Simplicity” as another fascinating book, if only for its layout — the lefthand pages are all for people who have no time, summarising the key idea on the righthand, detailed pages.

Good Services: How to design services that work, Lou Downe

This doesn’t just smell good. But it does. A 2020 release from one of my design heroes, Lou talks about the small things that make all the difference, and how to design for people from the start. It should be easy, and not need a book to explain it. Until you see why it needs explained.

A Smile in the Mind, Beryl McAlhone, David Stuart

So much communication in education is in words — we trade in ideas, not action. Graphic design is an action step, translating words into an illustration, art or photography, or an artefact. Done well, it helps the message stick. This bible shows what it means to avoid coming up with “Cup and Saucer” ideas, and for seven years was the introductory reading to any NoTosh staffer.

Gamestorming, David Gray, Sunni Brown, James Macanufo

If you can’t find or don’t want to buy this co-design classic, the accompanying website is a treasure trove of facilitation techniques to get you out of the most sticky debate and onto solid ground.

Setting the Table: Lessons and inspirations from one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, Danny Meyer

It does what it says on the tin. If you run any kind of organisation, this would be on my must-read list. Reading might be painful, in fact, as you realise the mistakes you share with Danny, and what you could have done differently. But learning on every page.

Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen

Productivity is key, but pointless if ideas don’t flourish. This is an older book in the category (Do Pause, You are not a to do list would be another, different take on the same idea) but the first to inspire me into moving beyond sheer productivity and into beautiful creative work at every step.

Playing to Win, Lafley and Martin

Roger Martin’s books are always worth a read — his Design of Business is a superb insight to Design Thinking. But this one lays out what strategy actually is in plain English, with plenty of examples from the business world. It forms a mainstay of NoTosh’s work on Strategy, too.

Write to Sell, Andy Maslen

Andy Maslen is not a copywriter any more — he’s an author of fiction. But this is a top introductory book for anyone wondering how to get people to buy into their written ideas.

The Art of Looking Sideways, Alan Fletcher

I added this to a Christmas wishlist years ago, thinking it was a pocket book. When I opened it on Christmas Day morning in 2005, I nearly broke my foot. This tome by one of Britain’s most incredible graphic designers is art in itself, and one I’ve still not finished reading. I dip in for inspiration. It’s hard to come buy, and this copy even more poignant, as Fletcher died a few months after I received my copy.

Disciplined Entrepreneurship, Bill Aulet

Bill was my mentor when I started NoTosh, and for about three years his advice in Edinburgh University masterclasses and informally when he published this book helped grow the business tenfold. If you’ve ever wondered what order to run all the steps when you’re building a business, this is the one for you. But it also helps on non-profits’ or schools’ business challenges, trying to work out what matters most.

Hegarty on Advertising, John Hegarty

Hegarty is an advertising genius, and the mentor to our own Associate Creative Director, Gerry Farrell. This book is a bible on creative thinking, and how to apply it, told through his own case studies of incredible work over the years.

Persuasion, the Art of Influencing People, James Borg

I was so frustrated with pitches being rejected when I was selling internally at Channel 4, that I was ready to quit. Instead, I read this. The next week I sold six ideas to colleagues, and invested £1.2m in some of Scotland’s best digital talent within months. That says it all, really.

Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss

Negotiation is something I have to do every hour of my working day, and actually, in my personal life, too! Doing it well means that you have to listen first, and really understand people, not just push what you want onto them. Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator, explains it well. Reading back-to-back with Igor Ryzov’s Kremlin School of Negotiation shows how closely aligned all negotiators are.

Not Invented Here, Cross-Industry Innovation, Marc Heleven, Ramon Vullings

This is a beautiful wee book that provokes and pleasures the curious in equal measure. How do ideas from one industry transform another? There are no examples from education. Yet.

Whatever you think, think the opposite, Paul Arden

Arden is another adman whose books have helped no end when thinking differently is required. They take half an hour to read, but you dip into them for a lifetime.

Rotman on Design

Not cheap, but worth it. One of the few research-led books on design thinking and how to apply it meaningfully. Not one glib maker-type activity in sight.

Exercices de Style, Raymond Queneau

Matt Madden’s comic book 99 Ways to Tell A Story might be more accessible and recent, but this is the French original, published in 1947, showing how you can tell one incidental story in so many different ways as to create an oeuvre. This point is sometimes lost on the school board who want a six word mission at all costs (and even better if it’s three!)

Conceptual Blockbusting, James L. Adams

A 1970s classic on all the things that get in the way of you, and your team, having great ideas and making them happen. It’s been a bible at NoTosh since the start.

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