What book had a massive impact on how you work?
Most information goes in one ear and out the other. Great books have a lasting impact on how we think and who we become.
Since we don’t read for fun like we used to, we’re peer-pressuring you into better habits through this newsletter. This month, we asked our community:
What book had a massive impact on how you work? And what did you do differently as a result?
We asked our team the same question and our WhatsApp group went bananas. The passion for reading is still alive and well, folks. Their top answers are at the end.
Unreasonable Hospitality by restaurateur Will Guidara
We first came across this book through Sean Ingles at our Grootbos Regional Hub Meeting, where he trains his team to become ‘Dream Weavers’, someone who listens carefully to the people they serve, then uses those insights to create wildly creative, unforgettable experiences.
Andrew Dixon, Owner of Nikoi Island and Board Member of The Long Run explains, “We have spent some time training staff on the concept of Unreasonable Hospitality. They have developed a few ‘template solutions’ to use with guests.
“As they get better at it, they are starting to come up with more and more ideas which then get shared amongst all staff.”
Andrew flagged two other books that had a lasting impact on his work: Nature’s Last Dance by Natalie Kyriacou, and Six Capitals, or Can Accountants Save the Planet? by Jane Gleeson-White.
Into the Magic Shop by neurosurgeon Dr. James R. Doty
The name of this book sounds a little woo-woo, but Aryna Sabalenka credited it for the mindset shift behind her 2025 US Open win (so don’t judge a book by its name!).
So much of our work starts with the battle of the mind: learning to control your thoughts rather than letting them control you. It’s written by a neurosurgeon, Dr James Doty, and it tells the story of a boy who learns mindfulness, visualisation and compassion from a woman in a magic shop, and changes the course of his life.
Adrián García, CIO at Böëna Lodges (Lapa Rios & Pacuare Lodge), says, “What struck me most, especially in my role at Böëna Lodges and our work with The Long Run, is how these inner practices directly support the outer work we do. Visualisation helps us hold a clear, long-term vision for conservation and sustainability, while compassion deepens our connection to the communities and ecosystems we serve through the 4C framework.”
Let my People go Surfing by Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard
When a book opens with the lines, “I’ve been a businessman for almost fifty years. It’s as difficult for me to say those words as it is for someone to admit to being an alcoholic or a lawyer,” you know you’re locking in for a wild ride.
Simon Heyes, Founder of Senderos, notes, “Like many people, I loved reading Let My People Go Surfing many years ago. We are all making it up as we go along :) don’t be afraid to do things differently and there is no separation between personal and business ethics.”
From the Desk of The Long Run
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
One book the whole team came back to is Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Johanna’s father read it to her as a child, another of us discovered it through a psychologist.
Rosie says, “Once a year I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I can’t find the words for what it does for me; my mind and soul, but it’s a very important ritual.”
My Family and Other Animals by naturalist Gerald Durrell
A lot of us read this one as young adults, and it made its mark. My Family and Other Animals was meant to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a magnificent account of Durrell’s chaotic family’s experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the endless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.
A true classic.
Bonus notes from the field
More community members weigh in
Ed Beukes | Tswalu
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
I think work is an expression of self. Impact on life inevitably means impact on work. I can't point to a single, isolated input that impacted my work alone, but when I was quite young I read a novel called The Alchemist.
Little did I know Paulo Coelho would become a household name in later years, but the book had a significant impact on me, and it still teaches me something new every time I pick it up in a different phase of life.
In terms of impact on work specifically, I'd highlight this: no detour in a career is ever wasted, as long as we're able to learn from it. No matter how insignificant it feels at the time, sometimes the smallest keys unlock the largest vaults, the ones holding the opportunities that carry us into the next chapter of our lives. Stay teachable, always, and open to new things.
Oliver Marchesin | Lost Road Travel
Actually, this book didn’t just change the way I work but more the way I’m living my life (still working on it😅).
It help me to slow down, stop to create negative patter, breathe, listen, be present, stop letting my mind control me, react without thinking etc...I feel that so much could change positively in this world if more people could discover consciousness. It’s all here inside.
OLI DREIKE | Sasaab, The Safari Collection
The Safari Collection has long been inspired by the Remembering Wildlife series: photography books that bring together leading wildlife photographers to celebrate a species and raise funds for its conservation.
What resonates most is the series' habit of championing the overlooked "underdog" animals rather than only the headline-grabbers. That mirrors The Safari Collection's own shift towards species that rarely dominate attention but badly need it: pangolins, African wild dogs, black rhinos and giraffes. It's a reminder that visual storytelling can turn admiration into action. The Safari Collection is backing the next book in the series, Remembering Giraffes, out in October 2026, in support of giraffe conservation across Africa.