11 Must-Reads to Lead in Politics
+33 Insights
Books are an unfair advantage.
Years, decades, a life-time of experience & research captured on a few pages. Ready for us to digest and try out. A shortcut, a way to avoid a lot of experimentation and wrong turns.
But then again, there a lot of books out there. And we don't have time for unhelpful books.
So, here are my 11 must-reads for anyone in politics, or about to step into the arena:
Groundbreakers by Elizabeth McKenna and Hahrie Han
Don't think of an Elephant by George Lakoff
Speech on the Temptations of Power by Vaclav Havel
The Power Paradox by Dacher Keltner
Friend and Foe by Adam Galinksy and Adam Schweitzer
Practical Wisdom by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Into The Magic Shop by James R. Doty
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Stanier
Below are my top 3 insights for each book. That’s 33 gems for you to get ahead of the game. I hope this is helpful. If it does, please share with someone who'd benefit.
Let's start with books specific to politics, and then get more foundational.
Groundbreakers
by Elizabeth McKenna and Hahrie Han
If there's one book on campaigning you want to read, this is it. The subtitle says it all: 'How Obama's 2.2 million volunteers transformed campaigning in America'. Know how the 2008 Obama campaign succeeded? This book may change that story.
It's packed with practical blueprints and tactics straight out of the Obama campaign handbook.
My 3 key insights:
There is no silver bullet. Campaigning is hard, messy, often experimental work that involves a lot of puzzle pieces, and part of the challenge is to integrate these pieces.
Campaigns can strengthen democracy. They are not just a vehicle to win elections. A campaign centred around organizing volunteers empowers communities to organize for change far beyond elections.
'Respect, empower, include' was the motto of the campaign. Volunteers felt they were an integral part of the campaign, not just called up last minute to be here or there at a certain time.
Find out more here.
Don't think of an Elephant
by George Lakoff
Master the frame and you guide the debate. Frames are mental structures and they shape how we see the world.
Facts don't speak for themselves, they need to be embedded in a frame. We do not think about facts outside of frames. And when facts go against a frame, it's the frame that wins. Political views are the surface, frames are the bedrock.
This short book by the 'father of framing' helps you not only win a debate and create powerful messaging. It's challenging you to be crystal clear about why you're in politics, and what values are guiding your policy views.
My 3 key insights:
Most political debates come back to two dominant frames. Each is based on a different family model. The 'nurturant parent' model is linked to progressives and the 'strict father' model is linked to conservatives
(Re)framing is not spin or manipulation. It's the opposite. It's making the unconscious conscious. It's connecting with the deep beliefs of people under the surface of political opinions.
The negation of a frame reinforces the frame. 'Don't think of an elephant' reinforces the image of an elephant. Argue for your views using your language, not the language/frames of your opponents.
Find out more here.
Speech on the Temptations of Power
by Vaclav Havel
This text had a major impact on my view of politics and my decision to launch politicwise. It is a short read, a speech by Vaclav Havel, the last President of Czechoslovakia and former President of Czech Republic (1993-2003).
Here he receives an award for his contribution to European civilization - and uses it to describe the temptations of power.
My 3 key insights:
Power comes with its perks & privileges, and it makes sense (e.g. to have an assistant or driver). But it takes a high degree of self-awareness to check if you see privileges as resources for you to serve the public better, or if they become a sign of your own worth and to be taken for granted.
Power changes you. You may forget to do everyday things because they are taken care for you, or you monitor your behaviour much more. The office and power were meant to affirm your existence, but they can subtly dismantle it. The office, the power and the privileges can start to control you.
Politics requires significant self-awareness. In Vaclav Havel's words: "Those who claim that politics is a dirty business are lying to us. Politics is work of a kind that requires especially pure people, because it is especially easy to become morally tainted. So easy, in fact, that a less vigilant spirit may not notice happening it at all”.
Find the full speech here.
The Power Paradox
by Dacher Keltner
Politics is not only about power, but unthinkable without it. Luckily, social science & psychology give us good insights on how to gain power and how to handle it. This book is packed with insights on power.
My 3 key insights:
Power can lead us astray. We gain power through practices that contribute to the greater good, but once we have power we tend to ignore / dismiss these practices, and self-gratification creeps in. This leads to a loss of power.
Source of enduring power: empathy, giving, expressing gratitude and telling stories that unite
Powerlessness hurts people. There is a real cost to (the feeling of) powerlessness. It creates stress and makes us more sensitive to threat ('short fuse'), which hurts our health eventually. If health was not enough: imagine living in and trying to govern a society like that. Keep an eye out on the powerlessness around you - how are you contributing to it and how can you empower others?
Find out more on the book and the author's research at the Berkeley Greater Good Science Center here.
Friend and Foe
by Adam Galinksy and Adam Schweitzer
Is politics about competition or cooperation? Both, it's not either/or. Just like in the social world at large, in politics we need to be able to both compete and cooperate - and we need to know when one or the other is required.
Packed with some of the best social science & psychology on gaining influence, gender differences when it comes to power, building trust, noticing deception, negotiating and more.
My 3 key insights:
When to cooperate, when to compete? Three key dynamics that shape the answer: scarcity, human social nature, living in dynamic instability
Power helps us accelerate but we also need a steering wheel, like: taking into account the interests of others, considering expert opinions. Select those as leaders who already come with a good psychological steering wheel, i.e. those who respect others regardless of their status (and when nobody is watching)
More or less hierarchy depending on situation: when coordination is paramount, opt for more hierarchy. When needing to integrate diverse information for complex decisions, opt for less hierarchy.
Find a Google Talk here and the book on Amazon.
Practical Wisdom
by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe
We all want to do the right thing. In the abstract, you may know what the right thing to do is.
But politics requires you to make decisions in concrete situations. And in a complex world, these situations involve tradeoffs between multiple valid principles, exceptions, emotions of those involved.
Practical wisdom is a guide to make the right choices in the real world.
My 3 key insights:
Beyond rules. Rules and incentives alone cannot do justice to the complexity of the world. We need nuanced judgement: gaining an understanding of the specifics of a situation and the different principles at play. Blindly & absolutely following any particular principle can do real harm.
Practical wisdom is a skill we develop. Key characteristics of practical wisdom are knowing the aims of a particular practice (e.g. a hospital is committed to the health of its patients and this can guide everyone: the director, nurses, cleaning personnel, doctors), deliberation, empathy, perception, emotional intelligence, experience.
Genuine happiness. Practical wisdom isn't just about understanding or knowing; it's about the application of that knowledge in ways that are meaningful. When we can act in alignment with our deeper understanding and values, it cultivates a sense of purpose and fulfilment. And that contributes directly to our happiness.
Find a TED video by the author here and the book on Amazon.
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
How to live a good life and handle tough times: the Roman emperor captured his reflections, but never intended them to be published.
The fact that an emperor took time out of his day to reflect rather than be swept away by the daily challenges, is a great reminder for us when we believe we are 'too busy' to take a step back.
My 3 key insights:
We can't control everything. Focus on what you can control and don't worry about the rest (capturing a great Stoic belief).
Doing the right thing because this is what we are here to do, not because of glory and recognition.
The humility to reflect, acknowledge we are work-in-progress, aware of one’s shortcomings even at the height of success.
Find the book on Amazon.
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
If there is a lot on your plate - and there probably is or will be - read this book. It's a way out of overworking. Habits are the key lever to becoming more productive, to achieving more with limited time. This book gives a proven framework to build good habits & break bad ones.
My 3 key insights:
Incremental gains: Big changes? Overrated. It's the tiny, consistent shifts that lead to outsized results in the long run.
Habit blueprint: Here's a simple formula to cement habits - make the new behaviour:
Obvious: Create clear and undeniable triggers.
Attractive: The task should feel compelling.
Easy: Eliminate unnecessary complexity.
Satisfying: You need an immediate feedback loop—a quick win.
Become the change: Habits are more effective when they are aligned with your identity. Instead of merely performing a task, embody the identity. Want to take more time for your family? See yourself as a family person. Want to develop your team? See yourself as a feedback giver or manager-coach. Align habits with who you aim to be, and they'll stick.
Find out more about James Clear and his book here.
Into The Magic Shop
by James R. Doty
Not everyone is into practicing mindfulness & compassion. This book changed my mind.
This is the story of how a small boy from a dire background was taught how to focus his mind and connect with his heart through exercises in mindfulness and compassion, became a successful neurosurgeon, only to feel isolated and unhappy, realizing he had put his mind & intellect over everything else.
My 3 key insights:
Practicing mindfulness consistently can deeply shape how we view the world and how we respond to it. It can increase our focus, discipline, and sense of personal power. It helps us be a bit more conscious about what we do and how we think
Practicing mindfulness without compassion (mind without heart) means being efficient but perhaps not effective: doing things very well, but perhaps not doing the right things.
There is a lot of serious research on mindfulness & compassion; if you think it's all fluff, please read this book, or look up the research the author is involved in
Find our more about compassion research here and the book on Amazon.
Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
A psychological examination of human nature, the role of meaning in our lives, the pursuit of happiness and a first-person account of surviving Nazi death camps. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl recounts how the lessons from his theory, logotherapy, helped him find meaning and survive.
A must-read for everyone.
My 3 key insights:
There is a gap between what happens and how we respond to it. In that gap is the power to decide what we will do and who we will be. When we aware of the gap, we stop reacting and start responding
Life does not have a meaning of its own, but we create that meaning
Every human being unites both the potential for ‘good’ & ‘evil’ inside of themselves. ’Good’ and ‘evil’ are not properties of people, they are potentials either acted upon or not. And they are not markers differentiating people – or groups of people – from each other; rather, they are potentialities in each of us
Find the book on Amazon.
The Advice Trap
by Michael Bungay Stanier
The prevailing image of a politician is to answer questions, not to ask them. It's to have answers ready, instead of being curious and asking to see if a better answer is out there. Written primarily for those who lead teams, I believe this book is essential reading for politicians.
It dives into our habit of jumping to giving advice, the harm that comes with it and how we become a better leader by taming the 'advice monster'.
If you decide to read this book, think: How will this change how I lead my team? How will this change how I talk with citizens?
My 3 key insights:
We often think we have the answers when we don't really. Quickly giving advice might make us feel better, but not help as much as we think
Asking questions can lead to deeper understanding & competence. It allows others to think and find their solutions
Being a good listener is powerful. It helps build stronger relationships and makes conversations more meaningful
Find out more here.
There it is.
What do you think is missing & why? Let me know at daniel[at]politicwise.org
And please don't forget to share with someone who might find this helpful 🙏
More in-depth book-notes coming out over time.