Did you know that our Uncommon workspaces have book swaps for our members? Sometimes we just need to switch off from work, step away from our office and get stuck into a book that transports us to a different world.

Whether you’re looking to start new business ideas, find your purpose or simply are in need of a spark of confidence – a deep delve into a book may just be what you need.

Here are our selection of books from thought leaders, visionaries and those that changed the world to inspire you and spread their stories to your circle and beyond. Be Inspired and Inspire.

Steve Jobs by Waater Isaacson

“One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are.”

An unfiltered and raw account of Steve Jobs. This biography highlights not only his great achievements as a leader and creative entrepreneur, but we also gain insight to his personality and life. This worldwide bestselling biography is based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years. There are interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues all offering an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

“Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be?”

Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. The First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, she invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

“Enthusiasm makes up for a host of deficiencies.”

A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making, from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy. A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making.

Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action by Simon Sinek

“Leadership requires two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it.”

Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or who wants to find someone to inspire them. In studying the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way—and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma

“Society frames people with disabilities as incapable of contributing. And yet, these kids treat me like someone with gifts to share and lessons to teach.”

Born with deaf-blindness, Girma grew up with enough vision to know when someone was in front of her and enough hearing to know when someone close to her was talking. Relying on her own problem-solving skills, Girma overcame roadblocks while simultaneously obtaining her undergraduate and then law degree. In the process, she developed new methods of communication and found her calling in advocating for the deaf and blind communities in more accessible communication, education, and employment opportunities. As a lawyer and advocate, Girma shares a collection of vignettes illustrating the defining points in her life.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

“The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”

Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity–principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future by Ashlee Vance

“I would like to die thinking that humanity has a bright future.”

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius’s life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits.

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Every single detail helps create an environment in which you can feel good about where and how you work.

Visit our locations in Borough, Liverpool Street, Highbury & Islington, and Fulham to experience our unique vision of working life.