“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time—none. Zero. You’d be amazed at how much Warren reads—and how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I’m a book with a couple of legs sticking out.” – Charlie Munger
It has been said many time that leaders are readers. Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett would agree. Every quarter I share my reading list with you. This summer delivered an especially strong collection of leadership books. These dealt with decision-making, expanding your mental capacity, business, sports, and culture. Make sure you check out each and if you have not done so, add them to your library.
The following are The Top 10 Books Leaders Should Read in the Summer of 2023:
- The Secret Power of Kindness: 10 Keys to Unlocking Your Capacity to Change the World by Greg Atkinson – The old axiom is true: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We find ourselves in a cultural moment where people simply want to feel seen, heard, and loved. The good news? A little kindness goes a long way. It’s time for this overlooked and under-appreciated fruit of the Spirit to get its due.
- The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action by Eduardo Briceno – To succeed in a fast-changing world, individuals and companies know they must create a culture of growth, where experimentation and feedback are encouraged, and learning is integrated into the everyday. Yet we often get stuck in a well-worn pattern of habits that don’t move us forward. Why? Fostering growth mindset to elevate performance is Eduardo Briceño’s specialty. As CEO of Mindset Works and in his work with Fortune 500 companies, he discovered that mastering growth—personal, organizational, and financial—hinges on navigating the crucial balance between learning and performing.
- Culture Shock: An unstoppable force has changed how we work and live. Gallup’s solution to the biggest leadership issue of our time. by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter – The COVID-19 pandemic caused an awakening that shocked the world — a structural change in how and where people work and live. One thing we now know for certain: Nothing is going back to normal. How organizations adapt to this culture shock will determine whether they thrive or even survive and whether U.S. and global productivity will go up or down. It’s clear now that an unstoppable force has changed how we work and live. Culture Shock offers a solution that outlines a better world of work and life — one with far higher productivity, greater customer retention and better wellbeing. It’s Gallup’s solution to the biggest leadership issue of our time.
- A Giant Win: Inside the New York Giants’ Historic Upset over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII by Tom Coughlin – Super Bowl XLII was the greatest upset in NFL history. In A GIANT WIN, Coach Tom Coughlin recounts the strategies and people that made it possible. Coach Coughlin reveals the intricacies of the game, revealing details only a coach would know. He also details, more than ever before, his relationships with some of the greatest, most iconic players of those Giants teams, like Eli Manning and Michael Strahan. I also wrote the article 10 Benefits Of Hiring Intelligent People which originated from lessons contained in this book.
- The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever by Jack Curry – Discover the inside story of the Yankees’ unprecedented talent with this gripping account from a reporter who was there for the team’s 125 wins. Curry revisits that season to discuss how that team was built and why the Yankees were such a talented, refreshing and successful club. This book includes new interviews with more than 25 players, coaches and executives, who revealed some behind-the-stories about the magical journey and who also discussed the depth of this historic squad.
- The One Truth: Elevate Your Mind, Unlock Your Power, Heal Your Soul by Jon Gordon – The One Truth, by 14x best-selling author and thought leader Jon Gordon, guides you on a path to discover revolutionary insights, ancient truths and practical strategies to elevate your mind, unlock your power and live life to the fullest. The One Truth is that our state of mind, the thoughts we think, the words we say, the life we live, the power we have and everything we experience is ultimately influenced by oneness and separateness.
- The Art of Clear Thinking: A Stealth Fighter Pilot’s Timeless Rules for Making Tough Decisions by Hasard Lee – Based on a career of making high-stakes, split-second decisions as a U.S. fighter pilot, The Art of Clear Thinking teaches readers to apply Lee’s combat-tested techniques in everyday life. The training to become a fighter pilot is among the most competitive and difficult in the world with fewer than one in a thousand succeeding. In The Art of Clear Thinking, Lee distills what he’s learned during his career flying some of the Air Force’s most advanced aircraft. With gripping firsthand accounts from his time as a fighter pilot and fascinating turning points throughout history, Hasard reveals powerful decision-making principles that can be used in business and in life.
- Hidden Genius: The secret ways of thinking that power the world’s most successful people by Polina Marinova Pompliano – After five years of writing The Profile, Polina Marinova Pompliano has studied thousands of the most successful and interesting people in the world and examined how they reason their way through problems, unleash their creativity, and perform under extreme pressure. The highest performers don’t use tricks or hacks to achieve greatness. They use mental frameworks that fundamentally change the way they see the world. They’ve learned how to unlock their hidden genius in order to reach their full potential. This book will help you do the same. After learning from the world’s most successful people featured inside, you will have a mental toolkit to help you tackle thorny problems, navigate relationships, and use creativity and resilience in times of uncertainty.
- To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision by Admiral James Stavridis – At the heart of Admiral Stavridis’s training as a naval officer was the preparation to lead sailors in combat, to face the decisive moment in battle whenever it might arise. In To Risk it All, he offers up nine of the most useful and enthralling stories from the US Navy’s nearly 250-year history, and draws from them a set of insights that we can all put to use when confronted with fateful choices. Conflict. Crisis. Risk. These words have a distinct meaning in a military context that we hope will never apply identically in our own lives. But at the same time, as Admiral Stavridis shows with great clarity, many lessons are universal.
- Awaken Your Genius: Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity, and Become Extraordinary by Ozan Varol – Extraordinary people carve their own paths as leaders and creators. They think and act with genuine independence. They stand out from the crowd because they embody their own shape and color. We call these people geniuses—as if they’re another breed. But genius isn’t for a special few. It can be cultivated. This book will show you how. You’ll learn how to discard what no longer serves you and discover your first principles—the qualities that make up your genius. You’ll be equipped to escape your intellectual prisons and generate original insights from your own depths. You’ll discover how to look where others don’t look and see what others don’t see. You’ll give birth to your genius, the universe-denter you were meant to be.
- ***BONUS*** Football Done Right: Setting the Record Straight on the Coaches, Players, and History of the NFL by Michael Lombardi – Releasing September 5th, this book is from my favorite author and I wan to give you a chance to pre-order it. The former NFL general manager and three-time Super Bowl winner takes readers on the ultimate journey through the NFL’s history to present his calls on the greatest players and coaches the sport has ever seen. From Monday Night Football to Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL is a dominating force in the lives of millions of fans who tune in and passionately cheer for their favorite teams. And when the games are over, the conversation is just getting started. Who’s the greatest player of all time? Which coaches truly shaped the game we known and love today? What was the most unforgettable game? Why is professional football such an undeniable part of our culture? Lombardi has done it all—from scout to executive to coach—and now he sets the record straight on these questions and more.
- ***Special Request*** Mighty: 7 Skills You Need to Move from Pandemic to Progress by Brian Dodd – Yes, this is my latest book and I hope you purchase several copies if you haven’t already. Production. Passion. Resilience. Teamwork. Contentment. Courage. Faith. These seven skills were embodied over three thousand years ago by a group of elite warriors known as David’s Mighty Men. These highly-capable individuals helped take David, the man who had previously defeated Goliath, from a wilderness experience to leading a nation. I want you to know the same skills used by David’s’ Mighty Men still work today. In my new book Mighty: 7 Skills You Need to Move from Pandemic to Progress, I show you how applying these skills can help you become Mighty and move from the Pandemic to Progress.
What other great books are you reading?
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