Book Club

Building Knowledge Together

We believe that part of our individual and collective journey to be the best at getting better includes a continual quest for knowledge. One way we accomplish this is through reading and discussing a range of books as part of our quarterly book club.

We also believe that part of the quest for knowledge includes exercising the creative and imaginative side of our brains so we are excited about mixing in what many would consider traditional “business books” with a fair dose of enjoyable “mental snicker bars”.

Books We’ve Recently Enjoyed

‘Supercommunicators’ by Charles Duhigg in Q1 2025

Maya led the team through Charles Duhigg’s exploration of what makes certain people exceptionally skilled at communication. The book breaks down the science behind meaningful conversations, explaining how the best communicators effortlessly shift between different types of communication—practical, emotional, and social—to build deeper connections. We discussed how applying these principles can improve not only workplace dynamics but also personal relationships, helping us all become more intentional and effective in how we engage with others.

‘Unreasonable Hospitality’ by Will Guidara in Q4 2024

Nate led the team through Eleven Madison Park’s journey to becoming the top restaurant in the world by offering hospitality that was so memorable, so over the top, it could only be described as unreasonable.  The book offered lessons from Will Guidara about service and leadership learned over a career in hospitality.

‘Legacy’ by James Kerr in Q3 2024

Bobby led the team through the fifteen powerful lessons for leadership and business that are foundational to one of the world’s most consistently successful teams. The study of intentionally building a repeatable culture based on principles that are passed down certainly resonates with our approach at Unity!

‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius in Q2 2024

Colin led the team through the thoughts and reflections of the Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and regarded as one of the world’s most powerful persons of his time. After a serious of discussions, it is safe to say we all felt more introspective with our own thoughts and behaviors.  The journey through reflection was timely as we look to grow in all ways in 2024 as a firm and as individuals that want to live full and meaningful lives.

‘Red Notice’ by Bill Browder in Q1 2024

Alex led the team through our first nonfiction / biography, where we started with a relatively lighthearted discussion about Bill’s early adventures in High Finance before moving into the heavier topics the book covers including the jailing and eventual death of Bill’s lawyer and how Bill has lived each day of his life in fear that he could be next.

‘Astrophysics for People in a Hurry’ by Neil deGrasse Tyson in Q4 2023

Jim led the team on a journey through the cosmos as we slowed down to think about questions like ‘What is the nature of space and time?’, ‘How do we fit within the universe?’ and ‘What is matter and what matters?’. Throughout our discussions, we were reminded that it’s important to live in the known as we look to drive action daily while also maintaining our curiosity about the unknowns.

‘Trust’ by Hernan Diaz in Q3 2023

John led the team through our first novel, a winner for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and a great mental snicker bar for the team as we moved through the summer months. As we read the book we discussed a great range of topics including how you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover…but you can enjoy a good discussion of what the cover means as you read the book!  We also discussed how the ordering of events impacts perspective and how the perspective of the character impacts the “facts” around events.

‘Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court’ by Coach John Wooden and Steven Jamison in Q2 2023

Brett led the team through Coach Wooden’s observations on life, with insights that go far beyond sports (we wear socks and/or shoes to work so we better know how to put them on right!), addressing ways to build our lives better every day by investing in ourselves and our relationships with our families and friends. This one is full of simple, though not easy, things to put into action every day!

‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek in Q1 2023

Peter led the team through a discovery of why starting with “Why” before getting to “How” and “What” is key for long-term business success as it allows great leaders to inspire organizations to take action. For Unity Partners, our Why is grounded in our desire to build better together, which we believe can be measured by the amount of economic surplus that we create and share with all stakeholders.

‘The Happiness Advantage’ by Shawn Achor in Q4 2022

Hannah led the team through a journey that had us explore ways that we can bring positive thinking to the forefront of our toolkit as we look to support each other and all of our partners. One way we are living this mindset is through frequent notes of appreciation shared amongst our team!

Co-Founder, Chairman
Vice President, Finance
Vice President, Propel
Co-Founder, CEO
Team Lead, Investments
Vice President, Investments
Vice President, Propel
Associate, Investments
Vice President, Investments
Office Manager
Senior Associate, Investments
Vice President, Propel
Associate, Investments
Team Lead, Propel
Partner, Head of Propel
Vice President, Investments

DISCLAIMERS:
The information contained herein is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to purchase any investment. No investment shall be offered or sold to any person without such person first being provided with a subscription agreement or similar document setting forth the risks associated with any such investment. The information provided above reflects summaries of larger topics and is being provided for informational, illustrative, and discussion purposes only. The above is qualified in its entirety by reference to the final governing documents of the relevant fund. An investment in any fund managed or advised by Unity Partners LP is speculative and investors can lose some or all of their capital.

For illustrative purposes only. Actual diligence process may vary based on market and company dynamics and/or other factors. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to implement its investment strategies, or that the fund will be able to achieve its investment objectives.