Books That Shaped My Career in International Development

The Books That Built a Career

“What are you reading?”

My supervisor in Geneva asked this during our weekly one-on-one in 2015. I had just started as a senior advisor on strategic information at UNAIDS headquarters. I felt overwhelmed by the scope of global HIV monitoring.

The question surprised me. Epidemiological reports, country data submissions, and strategic frameworks were overwhelming me. Reading for pleasure felt like an unaffordable luxury. But he pressed further. “Not work reports.

Books. These are real books that have changed the way you think.” I paused, realizing that three specific books had fundamentally shaped my approach to statistics, leadership, and international development. I didn’t rely on academic textbooks from Southampton or Surrey. Instead, I relied on books I discovered at various stages of my career. Books arrived at the perfect time, providing viewpoints that revolutionized my understanding of my work.

Growing up in Seychelles, books were precious. The National Library had a limited selection of international titles, and ordering books meant waiting months for delivery. When you find something worthwhile, you read it carefully, repeatedly. You made it count.

These three books made it count.

“The Signal and the Noise” by Nate Silver: When Data Tells Stories.

I discovered Nate Silver’s book in 2012. This was during my final years leading the National Statistics Bureau. The title alone grabbed my attention. Here was someone discussing the eternal struggle every statistician faces. It’s about separating meaningful patterns from random noise. Silver’s approach to prediction and uncertainty resonated deeply with my work on the census.

During the 2002 census in Seychelles, we encountered a puzzling demographic pattern in one of our districts. The preliminary data showed an unusually high concentration of elderly residents, far exceeding national averages. My team’s initial reaction was scepticism—this had to be a data collection error.

However, Silver’s book taught me to interrogate assumptions differently. Instead of dismissing the anomaly, we investigated. It turns out that the particular district has become an informal retirement community. Families were relocating elderly relatives there for the slower pace of life and lower cost of living.

What seemed like noise was actually a significant social signal we nearly missed. This lesson proved crucial in my work with UNAIDS. HIV surveillance data is full of apparent anomalies. There are sudden spikes in certain age groups and geographic clusters that don’t match risk profiles. There are trends that contradict established patterns. Silver’s framework for distinguishing signal from noise helped me guide countries toward more nuanced interpretations of their epidemic data.

The book changed how I approach uncertainty in professional settings. I no longer present statistics as definitive truths. Instead, I communicate probability ranges and confidence intervals. I also highlight the inherent limitations of predictive models. This shift improved my role as an advisor. I became more effective for health ministers and program managers. They needed to make decisions with incomplete information.

“Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder offers insights into medicine, miracles, and global health.

Tracy Kidder’s biography of Paul Farmer arrived in my hands in 2003. This moment coincided with my consideration of the WHO opportunity that would launch my international career. A colleague in the Health Ministry had brought it back from a conference in Nairobi. He passed it along with the comment, “This might interest you.”

The book chronicles Farmer’s work bringing high-quality healthcare to Haiti’s poorest communities. What struck me wasn’t just the medical heroics but Farmer’s systematic approach to addressing structural inequalities in health systems. He understood that treating individual patients without fixing underlying systems was like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. This perspective transformed my approach to health information systems development across Africa.

During my WHO years, I focused on technical solutions—improved data collection forms, enhanced statistical software, and refined reporting mechanisms. Farmer’s work showed me that building sustainable health information systems involves tackling deeper structural issues. This includes staff training and retention. It also requires community engagement, political commitment, and effective resource allocation.

In South Africa, this insight led to an entirely different approach to a struggling health information systems project. We chose not to install better computers or train more data clerks. Instead, we spent months understanding why health workers weren’t completing reporting forms. The answer wasn’t technical—it was cultural and organizational.

Health workers viewed data collection as an administrative burden. They perceived it as a mandate from distant bureaucrats. Instead, it should serve as a tool for improving patient care. The solution involved redesigning the entire feedback loop. We developed straightforward dashboards that illustrate the relationship between local health data and resource allocation decisions.

We established meetings where health workers could see how their data influenced decisions on drug procurement and staffing. Suddenly, data quality improved dramatically.

Farmer’s approach to “pragmatic solidarity”—working within existing systems while pushing for structural change—became my template for international development work. You can’t ignore immediate needs. You must maintain a clear focus on the larger picture.

“Good to Great” by Jim Collins: From Managing to Leading.

Jim Collins’ “Good to Great” found me in 2007. This happened during my transition from director general roles in the Seychelles government to international advisory positions. I was struggling with a fundamental question: what’s the difference between managing operations and leading transformation?

Collins’ research on what distinguishes great organizations from merely good ones provided a framework I’d been missing. His concept of “Level 5 Leadership”—leaders with personal humility and professional will—resonated with me. This was particularly true because of my upcoming move to UNAIDS.

The book’s emphasis on “getting the right people on the bus” proved invaluable when I later became multi-country director. Managing HIV programs across Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles required building teams that could work effectively across vastly different contexts.

Collins’ insights about hiring for character and adaptability helped us make recruitment decisions. These choices proved crucial during crisis periods. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our usual operating procedures were disrupted. However, team members continued to run programs. They embodied Collins’ principles of disciplined thought and disciplined action. The team adapted the HIV response delivering to maintain continuity during lockdowns.

Collins’ “Hedgehog Concept” involves identifying three things. First, what you’re passionate about. Second, what you can be the best at. Third, what drives your economic engine. It helped me understand my own career trajectory. My passion is for evidence-based decision-making. Combined with my expertise in small-state contexts, this helps my career. The “economic engine” of international development funding has created a unique professional niche. This niche spans statistics, health systems, and cross-cultural program management.

Books as Career Companions

These three books didn’t just inform my thinking—they became reference points for navigating professional challenges across different continents and contexts. Silver’s framework for handling uncertainty guides my approach to epidemiological analysis. Farmer’s model of pragmatic solidarity influences how I work within UN systems while advocating for structural change.

Collins’ leadership principles shape how I build and manage international teams. Each book arrived at a moment when I needed its particular wisdom. I found myself struggling with intricate census data. I turned to Farmer when I was contemplating career options in international development. Collins assisted me during my shift from operational management to strategic leadership.

The best professional books don’t just transfer knowledge—they provide frameworks for making sense of experience. They help you see patterns across different situations, cultures, and career stages. They become part of your professional toolkit, references you return to when facing new challenges. In our digital age, we have endless podcasts, articles, and online courses competing for attention.

Despite this, books demand sustained engagement and remain irreplaceable. They force you to grapple with complex ideas over time. You need to sit with concepts until they become integrated into your thinking. What books have shaped your professional journey? The question my Geneva supervisor asked me a decade ago remains relevant today. In a world overflowing with information, the books that truly impact us are the ones that enhance our understanding. They help us clarify everything else.