Sources of Insight and Inspiration: Books and Podcasts We Love

Just as SAP Concur knows travel and expense solutions, members of our team and our customer community of professionals know good books and podcasts when they read and hear them. The kind you share with friends because they are enlightening, entertaining, or energizing. 

So here’s our current list full of recommendations by team members working in a wide variety of roles at SAP Concur and member from our customer community. And though nobody knows travel and spending like we do, the topics range well beyond business and management (there’s several of those, too). 

You’ll find podcasts on motivation and money. You’ll see books new and old, some fiction and much nonfiction, some classics and some newer. There’s advice from Barbara Bush, Stephen Covey, Dr. Becky Kennedy, and Dr. Seuss – oh, the places you’ll go! There are tales of swashbuckling adventure and ill-fated explorers. The founders of Nike and Pixar and a podcaster and one-time monk share memories and lessons learned. Books and podcasts on customer service, productivity, vision alignment, and parenting deliver insights readers can use in the office as well as their personal lives. 

This Year's Reading and Listening List

Barbara Bush’s advice, Dan Simmons’ historical thriller,  and the parenting and life tips from Dr. Becky Kennedy are just a few of our 15 recommendations. 

Get the Full List

Our team members and community of customer professionals use words like hope, perseverance, practical, authentic, wisdom, grit, hope, humility, failure, purposeful, and patience to describe why these books and podcasts resonated. Read on for their takes on the three entries atop the list. And then, in the spirit of a tantalizing back-cover blurb, you’ll have to click away and see the rest of the list. Because we didn’t want to give away the ending. 

Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice (That Go a Long Way) by Barbara Bush  

Recommended by Vikki, Staff Accountant: “First off, this book is not political, so it is a great, short read even if you are not a fan of the Bushes. But who could not be a fan of Barbara Bush, Mom, Grandmother, First Lady, and best of all wife! Great quotes for leadership, love, hope and perseverance.  I loved it and it touched me in many ways, personal and professional.” 

The Terror by Dan Simmons 

Recommended by Josh, Senior Market Development Manager: “This book is an outstanding work of historical fiction. The author takes the historical account of the doomed 1845 Franklin expedition to find the Northwest Passage and creates a suspenseful page turner (warning, there are 800 pages to turn!). I was drawn to the characters as much as their story of hardship, determination, and grit.” 

Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy 

Recommended by Kayla, Senior Manager: “As a working parent, I love the ‘Good Inside’ podcast because I can apply Dr. Becky’s tips and tricks both at home and at work. Practical approaches to everyday issues like reframing problems so that you and your counterpart(s) are on the same team working to defeat them, reflecting on your triggers and understanding their sources, and embracing the power of repair can improve the quality of all relationships, whether personal or professional.” 

Check out the full list to see what else we recommend and why.