Each quarter I list a group of books from my current personal reading list which will make you a better leader. This quarter’s collection will help you with personal growth, spiritual development, creativity, learning the secrets of championship teams, and even your marriage,
Also, I can’t recommend enough that you become a reader and continual learner. There are issues you are facing today which can be solved in 48 hours by simply purchasing one or more of the books listed below.
The following are The Top 10 Books Leaders Need To Read In Fall 2021 listed alphabetically by author:
- Dabo’s World: The Life and Career of Coach Swinney and the Rise of Clemson Football by Lars Anderson – If you like faith and football, this is the book for you! Anderson goes deep into Coach Swinney’s background to show it shaped on of college football’s teams. In addition, you will learn about culture-building, staffing, fundraising, overcoming adversity and so much more. Great gift for any leader.
- Let Them Lead: Unexpected Lessons in Leadership from America’s Worst High School Hockey Team by John U. Bacon – I gladly take recommendations and this best-selling book was a recommendation from my good friend Todd McGlinchey. An uplifting leadership book about a coach who helped transform the nation’s worst high school hockey team into one of the best. Bacon’s strategy is straightforward: set high expectations, make them accountable to each other, and inspire them all to lead their team. A true story filled with unforgettable characters, stories, and lessons that apply to organizations everywhere, Let Them Lead includes the leader’s mistakes and the reactions of the players, who have since achieved great success as leaders themselves. Let Them Lead is a fast-paced, feel-good book that leaders of all kinds can embrace to motivate their teams to work harder, work together, and take responsibility for their own success.
- The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership: Embracing the Conflicting Demands of Today’s Workplace by Tim Elmore – Tim just gave an incredible leadership lesson on this book which you can read about by clicking 60 Leadership Quotes From John Maxwell’s Live2Lead Conference featuring Jeff Henderson, Ed Mylett, Valorie Burton, and Others. Releasing on November 2nd, the readers will:
- Learn how today’s team members require a combination of different qualities from their leaders than they did in even the recent past;
- Grasp the importance of eight key paradoxes that are critical for next generation leaders to put into practice right now;
- Be inspired by historic and modern-day leaders who lived the eight paradoxes; and
- Understand how they too can lead with the eight paradoxes, guiding them to emotional and social intelligence that resonates with their teams and leads to outstanding collaborative results.
- Create the Future + the Innovation Handbook: Tactics for Disruptive Thinking by Jeremy Gutsche, CEO or Trend Hunter – Create the Future is an exciting, highly-visual guidebook for disruptive thinking, innovation, and change, paired with The Innovation Handbook, an updated version of the award-winning book, Exploiting Chaos. The 360-page bestseller is loaded with the same tactics, tools and frameworks that Gutsche’s team uses to accelerate 700 of the world’s most powerful brands, billionaires, CEOs and NASA. In short, you are capable of much more than you think, and our current period of chaos in presenting you with a unique window of opportunity. COVID-19 has entirely reshuffled the deck, and changed consumer needs. Millions of businesses have already been disrupted, many more are about to fail, and yet, new consumer needs are creating an opportunity that could reshape your future.
- Uncommon Leadership by Ben Newman – In Uncommon Leadership, performance coach and motivational consultant Ben Newman takes you inside the minds and hearts of eleven exceptional individuals: athletes, coaches, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and others whose unrelentingly high performance has made them not only the best in their fields but also unquestioned leaders in sports, business, and life. Ben breaks it down, honing in on the core qualities that drive these trailblazers to push for the best in themselves and others, every single day. Some of the leaders profiled are Nick Saban, Jon Gordon, Will Compton, Jerry Rice, and many, many more.
- At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof – After a season of burnout almost took him out, Carey discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you. At Your Best will help you
● replace chronic exhaustion with deep productivity
● break the pattern of overpromising and never accomplishing enough
● clarify what matters most by restructuring your day
● master the art of saying no, without losing friends or influence
● discover why vacations and sabbaticals don’t really solve your problems
● develop a personalized plan to recapture each day so you can break free from the trap of endless to-dos - If Jesus Gave A TED Talk: Eight Neuroscience Principles The Master Teacher Used To Persuade His Audience by Charles Stone – There are many ways to improve public speaking abilities, but in this compelling book, popular speaker Dr. Charles Stone offers a new approach, a way to move past your limitations and become a more confident speaker and stellar persuaded. Dr. Stone blends the latest neuroscience research on communication and learning with how Jesus, the Master Teacher, persuaded his audiences. It’s a revolutionary new method capturing the attention of speakers who want to lift their skills to the next level. Jesus was the most persuasive communicator in history. This book shows you how to craft and deliver your messages using the same neuroscience principles he practiced.
- Dynasties: The 10 G.O.A.T. Teams That Changed the NBA Forever by Marcus Thompson II – In Dynasties, Marcus Thompson II contends dynasties are good for the NBA and have pushed the sport to new heights. The ten teams identified have changed the game of basketball forever by raising the bar of greatness, introducing new skills and implementing never-before-seen strategies, all while having a lasting impact on society and culture. From the Bill Russell Celtics and the Michael Jordan Bulls to the Tim Duncan Spurs and the Steph Curry Warriors, each team had its own architect, star, villain, and unbelievable stats. It is extraordinary to win an NBA championship. It’s legendary to win multiple titles and forever change the game we know and love.
- It’s Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness by Seth Wickersham – In It’s Better to Be Feared, Seth Wickersham, one of the nation’s finest investigative sportswriters, presents the definitive account of the New England Patriots dynasty, capturing the brilliance, ambition, and ruthlessness that powered it. Having covered the team since Tom Brady took over as starting quarterback in 2001, Wickersham draws on an immense range of sources, including previously confidential game plans, scouting reports, and internal studies as well as hundreds of interviews gathered over two decades―with Brady, Bill Belichick, and other players, coaches, and front office personnel―to offer a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the dynasty’s three acts: the initial burst of Super Bowls from 2001 to 2005; the plateau period, 2006 to 2014, stalked by scandal, injury, and near-misses; and the second three Super Bowl victories between 2015 and 2019, which allowed the Patriots to make their claim upon history.
- Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact by Liz Wiseman – In Impact Players releasing October 19th, New York Times bestselling author and researcher Liz Wiseman reveals the secrets of these stellar professionals who play the game at a higher level. Drawing on insights from leaders at top companies, Wiseman explains what the most influential players are doing differently, how small and seemingly insignificant differences in how we think and act can make an enormous impact, and why—with a little coaching—this mindset is available to everyone who wants to contribute at their highest level. Based on a study of 170 top contributors, Wiseman identifies the mindsets that prevent otherwise smart, capable people from contributing to their full potential and the five practices that differentiate Impact Players.
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Also, 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.