Successful leaders are continual learners. As a result, leaders are readers.
I love books and an am avid reader. Each quarter I want to share with our leadership community what is on my reading list and why.
The following are 10 Books Every Leader Should Read During Spring 2019 in alphabetical order by author. You can purchase any title and add to your personal library by simply clicking the link provided.
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. I’m going to be very transparent here – I can’t seem to lose the weight I want to lose. I’m 53-years-old and I am too heavy for my age. It is my biggest challenge and I need help. That’s why I’m diving deep into this book. No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
- Here and Now: Thriving in the Kingdom of Heaven Today by Robby Gallaty. We have been taught that salvation is getting man out of earth to live in heaven when the Bible teaches that God desires to bring heaven to earth through man. In Here and Now, readers will journey together to uncover the nucleus of Jesus’ messages, which says the opposite. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God (both are synonymous as we will see) more than any other topic. No other concept is even close.
- Justice. Mercy. Humility. A Simple Path to Following Jesus by Rusty George. More than two thousand years ago, the prophet Micah implored Israel to return to its true calling: “Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” Could this plainspoken Bible verse not only sum up how we should live today but breathe a fresh purpose into our souls? In this practical and freeing book, pastor Rusty George shares the simplicity of what God desires from us. Living a faithful life should not be a chore, and George teaches how to put away our checklists and walk humbly according to God’s will for our lives.
- Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees by Bob Klapisch and Paul Solotaroff – Just a great, great book on leadership, organizational structure and systems, developing millennials and staying relevant. Using the 2018 baseball season as the backdrop, this book will tell you everything about the storied franchise of the New York Yankees and what makes them currently tick.
- Measuring Success: Your Path to Significance, Satisfaction, & Leading Yourself to the Next Level. by Shawn Lovejoy. Releasing this week, my good friend Shawn Lovejoy has written another excellent book. What is success? Will you know it when you see it? Shawn has seen false measures of success do damage in his own life and has lived to tell about it. He has since radically recovered and rediscovered healthy leadership and leading healthy organizations. He has spent nearly two decades now helping thousands of leaders do the same. This book will help anyone struggling with the “success question”.
- The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and Inside the Heads of Basketball’s Best Players by Idan Ravin. As someone who works with ELITE pastors and church leaders, I wanted to learn from someone who works with elite NBA players. I cannot tell you how much better I got from reading this book. Ravin shares the fascinating story of how he transformed a passion for the game into working with iconic basketball stars such as Chris Paul, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Dwight Howard, and many more. He offers a rare unguarded glimpse inside the lives of these great athletes, drawn from his intimate connection with them that is the basis of his success. Showcasing his unorthodox drills and improvisational techniques in action, Ravin reveals how faith, effort, dedication, and passion can make a player into a superstar—and anyone (even pastors) into a success.
- Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise by Horst Schulze. Another great, great book which I cannot recommend enough. Schulze knows how to win. In Excellence Wins, Schulze, in his absolute no-nonsense approach, shares the visionary and disruptive principles that have produced immense global successes over the course of his still-prolific fifty-year career. As the co-founder and former president of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Schulze fearlessly led the company to unprecedented multi-billion dollar growth, setting the business vision and people-focused standards that made the Ritz-Carlton brand globally elite. If you’re searching for the blueprint to beating the competition and out-performing everyone around you, look no further than Excellence Wins.
- Holy Noticing: The Bible, Your Brain, and the Mindful Space Between Moments by Dr. Charles Stone -Many today think mindfulness is dangerous, unchristian, or associated with Eastern religions—and often it is! But Dr. Stone reveals that the art of holy noticing—purposefully paying attention to God as he works in us, our relationships, and our world—is a spiritual discipline Christians have practiced for millennia. Holy Noticing explores the historically Christian and biblical roots of this lifestyle, as well as Dr. Stone’s BREATHe model, which teaches you to be more engaged with Christ in the everyday moments that too often slip right by us.
- 21 Great Leaders: Learn Their Lessons, Improve Your Influence by Pat Williams. I purchased after hearing Pat speak in person. To improve your own leadership influence, study the lives of great leaders—you’ll find 21 of them in this book. As a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, and author of over 90 books, Williams has devoted much of his life to the study of leadership—and shares the stories and principles of individuals from George Washington to Nelson Mandela, Billy Graham to Walt Disney, and Margaret Thatcher to Steve Jobs.
- LeBron, Inc.: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete by Brian Windhorst. I want to do a better job increasing my personal brand and various income streams. That is why I am so looking forward to this book and its April 9th release. LEBRON, INC tells the story of James’s journey down the path to becoming a billionaire sports icon — his successes, his failures, and the lessons both have taught him along the way. With plenty of newsmaking tidbits about his rollercoaster last season in Cleveland and high-profile move to the Lakers, LEBRON, INC. shows how James has changed the way most elite athletes manage their careers, and how he launched a movement among his peers that may last decades beyond his playing days.
And if you have not picked it up already, my book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is 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. Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.