Rebecca Wilson's Digital Habitat of Business Books

And She'll Even Share Her Recommendations With You

One of Scotland-based Rebecca Wilson’s life mantras is to never stop learning. In her case as a business efficiency expert involved with process streamlining, productivity optimization, and profitability improvement, Rebecca enjoys building expertise around what makes a business run optimally.

Her favorite way to learn? Upon looking at her popular YouTube site, it becomes evident that she has a healthy appetite for business books. But what’s really cool is her willingness to share book recommendations through Business Book Bites, a site where you’ll find her rhapsodizing video book reviews.  She notes: 

“Every Wednesday on LinkedIn, I recommend my favorite business books. Simply follow the hashtag #BusinessBookBites on LinkedIn to see my latest reviews.”

I had the opportunity to interview Rebecca about her work in highlighting some of the world’s top business and professional development books. Here is what she had to share: 

Tell us a little about you, your life, and your professional journey

I grew up in Scotland, UK, and went to university in Glasgow to study business. After graduation, I moved to London where I thought the corporate careers would be. I stayed there for 10 years rising the corporate ladder in the field of business operations with roles spanning data analysis, performance management, change leadership, and operations management.  I reached a point where I could see the next role above me was the same with more stress and more travel and it no longer felt exciting.

What happened next for you? 

All along, I was instructing others what ‘to do’ but not actually ‘doing’ those very things myself anymore.   So I made the decision to move back home to Scotland to be near my family. Now armed with the skills I’d developed,  I started a small business helping swamped post-startup B2B business owners achieve hands-off control by facilitating and optimizing the everyday world of their businesses.  live in the countryside with my partner and his spaniel Patch and my husky, Akira.

How did your love for business books develop?    

Reading has always been my preferred way to learn. The ability to set my own pace seems to work best for how my brain works.  I started reading business books early in my career through necessity. As a graduate living in London, my budget was tight. That’s where books offer incredible value for the money when it comes to learning.  I have always been ambitious in my chosen field of business operations, yet it often didn’t come with formal training, many mentors, or teams bigger than one or two people.  So self-learning was the only option.  My love of books has grown from there.

What prompted your decision to launch Business Book Bites?

I launched #BusinessBookBites to serve people like me.  I love business books and appreciate a good recommendation but often people would just recommend ‘book X’ without any context.  In other words, there was little to no information about whether it would be worth your time or not.  

Can you elaborate more? 

I find it really frustrating when you invest time in reading a book and it doesn’t connect to you or you don’t get it.  So in the short videos, I focus on the content I would want to find.  My reviews are structured based on how I assess whether a book was worth my time or not once I have read it.  

What are the main things you look for when assessing a book? 

Simply, did I learn something new?  Did it make me think differently or spark new ideas? What actions did it drive me to take? And have those actions had an impact on me or my business?  My intent is to outline why I think a book was worth my time so that readers like me can assess whether they think it might be worth their time. 

Ultimately, what are you hoping to impart to your viewers through your business book reviews?

My aim is to answer the question “should I read this book?” I only review books that I recommend while recognizing that every book that’s for me will not be for you.  In the end, it depends on what you want to learn about, what you already know, along with the particular style that you like.  My intention is to give you a flavour and improve your chances of picking a book that will add value to your life.

What sorts of books are you looking to cover in the months ahead? Any sneak previews?  

I used to choose books for four core reasons. One, because I need/want to learn something and am seeking an answer to a question; Two, to keep up with the current thinking in my field – operations, project management, change management, productivity, process, etc; Three, I want to further my understanding of my client’s world; And four, because someone has recommended it to me and I trust them.  

Recently however I have been trying to select books that I wouldn’t normally select to expand my horizons and make connections to things I already know.  So I am excited that I don’t know what is around the corner for my upcoming reads.  Given my propensity for leaning towards the more scientific end of the spectrum, I have been focusing more on arts with my reading recently, wanting to learn more about creativity, mindset, and psychology from that perspective.  I am always all ears for any recommendations.

Can you share a bit about the evolution of your own reading journey? Are there any books that have had a particular impact on your professional growth trajectory?  

Yes, there are a couple of books that really moved the dial for me. 

 Switch by Chip and Dan Heath single-handedly took my career path from the manager track to a leadership track.  Prior to reading this book my business operations skills focused on logic and pattern, data and excel, and process and systems. It was this book that introduced me to the field of people and change management.  

What sorts of other nuggets did you uncover from it? 

Given that nothing in business happens without people, this book is about how to encourage people to get and stay on board with your new ideas or changes you want to implement.  I read it probably 15 years ago and still refer to it often.  Chip and Dan Heath write very succinctly and work hard to make their advice memorable.

Are there other books that have stood out for you? 

Content DNA by John Espirian is another book I found to be very special.  It’s easy to read, easy to digest, and really clear.  It’s about how to become recognized, remembered, and preferred by your target audience by showing up consistently and congruently to your audience through content.  Implementing what I read in this book got me my first inbound LinkedIn client. 

And finally, Everybody Writes by Ann Handley. This book is about how to write well, and how to convey your message succinctly with style.  It definitely checks off the action box, filled to the brim with tips on how to write well. But the big reason I love it is the spin-off thoughts it generated.  This book made me realize that the grades you got in English at school in no way reflect whether you have a shot at being a writer.  I was brilliant at Math and only ok at English. This book changed my mind on what that actually means out in the real world!

Describe your own personal reading habits? Where are your favorite places to read books? Do you prefer hardback/paperback, digital, or audiobooks? 

Nothing beats hard copy, in my opinion, I find physical books the easiest to digest and not get distracted from.  I read hard copies in bed at night mainly as I have little time at other points during the day.  I do listen to a lot of books on audio though, mainly for time efficiency.  Between my husky and my boyfriend’s spaniel, I do 2 hours of walkies a day where I listen to my audiobooks on the morning walkies and the midday meander (we are accompanied by my partner for nighttime walkies).  If I like a book, though I always buy the hard copy for note-taking purposes, I am one of those people who adds pencil notes so I can refer back, and often do.

Before we conclude, I’m curious as to what your 3-6 month roadmap is in terms of what’s next for the evolution of Business Book Bites? 

I have been doing #BusinessBookBites for about 15 months now and feel it needs a refresh. And honestly, it is hard at times to keep up with all the reading.  To get one good recommendation per week I need to read at least 2 books which can be tough.  I have a YouTube channel (of the same name) now with all my reviews on there, which is over 50.  I have been thinking about the possibility of doing a deep dive on my favorite books or perhaps a book revisited. But for now, I am enjoying simply answering the question “Should you read this book?” and the conversations that are happening on LinkedIn as a result of my posts.