It is important for leaders to be readers? Reading is a demonstration of humility. It communicates a leader understands he/she has not arrived yet. There is a gap from where they are and where they need to be. Therefore, leadership demands continual learning.
Reading is also one of the fastest way to discover solutions to the issues leaders are facing. With usually one click on Amazon you can learn from proven experts who have already figured out how to solve your problem for only a $5- $10 investment.
As a resource to you, pictured above are some of the books which make up my 2018 Spring Reading List. If you do not have a reading list, I highly recommend each of these books. They are already making me a more effective leader.
Below is a brief synopsis of each and how they could help you as well. You can click the link to learn more and purchase.
- Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders by Brian Dodd – I am pleased to announce my new book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is now available for purchase. If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you! By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you. This book is not to be read alone. Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence. If you need further convincing, read The Top 21 Reasons Why All Pastors, Coaches And Business Leaders Should Buy The New Book Timeless!
- The Power Of Who: You Already Know Everyone You Need To Know by Bob Beaudine – Bob believes Networking is Not working for Americans any longer. This highly respected head hunter shares his philosophy on what really works in identifying what your dream in life is and how to get it. With his unique 100/40 principle, Beaudine takes the traditional networking concept, shakes it up and rebuilds it, explaining that individuals already know everyone they need to know. I loved this book.
- Church Growth Flywheel: 5 Practical Systems to Drive Growth at Your Church by Rich Birch – Are you ready to see your church impact more people than you have ever before? Are you tired of church leadership books that are long on theory but short on practical help? Have you wanted to reach more people in your community but you weren’t sure where to start? Are you worried that your church isn’t reaching its full potential? Rich has pulled together his own hard-fought experience leading within one of the fastest growing churches in the country as well as over 200 interviews with church leaders from prevailing churches to help you know how.
- The Culture Code: The Secrets Of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle – In The Culture Code, Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.
- Getting To Us: How Great Coaches Make Great Teams by Seth Davis – In Getting to Us, Davis probes the best of the best from the landscape of active coaches of football and basketball, college and pro—from Urban Meyer, Dabo Swinney, and Jim Harbaugh to Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim, Brad Stevens, Geno Auriemma, and Doc Rivers—to get at the fundamental ingredients of greatness in the coaching sphere. There’s no single right way, of course—part of the great value of this book is Davis’s distillation of what he has learned about different types of greatness in coaching, and what sort of leadership thrives in one kind of environment but not in others.
- Tribe Of Mentors: Short Life Advice From The Best In The World by Timothy Ferriss – I use this massive book as one of my primary reference tools. Ferris offers hundreds of 3-4 page profiles from interviews with the world’s most successful leaders. If I am researching a topic or person, this is one of the places I go. You have to skip certain people because of foul language but this book is an incredible resource for knowledge and best practices.
- How To Ruin Your Life: And Starting Over When You Do by Eric Geiger – Eric offers a sobering reminder that many great and godly people have imploded, and none of us are above the risk. Looking at the story of David’s infamous implosion, readers will learn how to ruin our lives (so we won’t), and also how to find hope if we do–as all of us need His grace.
- The Gospel According To God: Rediscovering The Most Remarkable Chapter In The Old Testament by John MacArthur – Often hailed as one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, the prophecy of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 foretells the crucifixion of Jesus, the central event in God’s ultimate plan to redeem the world. Written by one of the great theologians of this or any generation, this book explains the prophetic words of Isaiah 53 verse by verse, highlighting important connections to the history of Israel and to the New Testament—ultimately showing us how this ancient prophecy illuminates essential truths that undergird our lives today.
- Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore by Bryan Miles – In VIRTUAL CULTURE, my good friend and visionary entrepreneur Bryan Miles champions the benefits of remote working, which will save your company tons of money and create an atmosphere of trust between you and your employees. Productivity comes from people completing their tasks in a timely, professional, adult manner, not from mandatory daily attendance in a sea of cubicles and offices. When you recognize and respect your employees’ time inside and outside work hours, giving them the freedom to work from home, you will retain amazing talent and create a result-oriented virtual culture as a forward-thinking employer that embraces the future of work.
- The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change The Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier – In Stanier’s The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact. Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples’ potential. He unpacks sevenessential coaching questions to demonstrate how–by saying less and asking more–you can develop coaching methods that produce great results.
- Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently by Don Yaeger – I will recommend a bonus book since I authored the first one listed. Delivering an average of 80 keynote speeches per year, Don was approached by his most consistent client, Microsoft, to develop a talk on what allowed some teams to play at a championship level year after year. From Microsoft and Starbucks to the New England Patriots and San Antonio Spurs, what do some organizations do seemingly better than most all of their opponents? Building on the stories, examples, and first-hand accounts, each chapter comes with applicable examples on how to apply these characteristics in any organization. Great Teams is the ultimate intersection of the sports and business worlds and a powerful companion for thought leaders, teams, managers, and organizations that seek to perform similarly. The insight shared in this book is sure to enhance any team in its pursuit of excellence.
I hope you enjoy these books. Many have made a significant impact in my leadership.
Once again, my new book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is now available for purchase. If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you! By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you. This book is not to be read alone. Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence. Release date is March 13th. Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.