Reading a good book is food for our minds and our souls. Although, I admit a book does not have the power to change you, they do have the power to plant the seeds in your mind and light the fire within to drive you to change. This past year I was fortunate enough to read 30+ books and most of them I would highly recommend; however, I am forcing myself to call out just three and one I am very excited to see hit the market this month:
The Little Things by Andy Andrews. This book pushes us to break the conventional thinking of “don’t sweat the small stuff” and realize how the little details in life can really add up to affect the big picture. Short read, but definitely a great read. Side note: I would recommend as an audiobook because Andy Andrews is a riveting speaker and his story telling ability take the book to a whole other level.
Radical Candor by Kim Scott. I will be honest, I have judged this book by the cover for a couple of years and figured it would just tell me to be honest with others…I was wrong. I was very pleased after finally reading it and kicked myself for taking so long to get to it. It was a book about being honest, but so much more. It was a crash course on how to be a supervisor willing to challenge those on your team. The recurring theme of “care personally, challenge directly” is an area where all of us can improve and our teams will benefit from it immensely.
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. This new book by one of my favorite authors challenges us to look towards the future and to think in a transformational way. We are all leaders and we are leading teams. Most often it feels like the goal is to accomplish the mission at hand. This is the cost of admission. A real leader is developing those on her team to lead the next generation of leaders. Simon teaches us to think generationally and not just in the moment.
In addition to these three, I am adding a book that will release this month. I have been fortunate enough to get an advanced copy and am 80% through it. The book, Welcome to Management by Ryan Hawk is going to be the one book that I recommend to ALL NCOs. Ryan covers how to lead yourself and others. This book articulates and teaches through the challenge we all face as new leaders transitioning from technicians to leaders of people.
These are must reads for all leaders and you should add them to your reading lists.
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Deliberate Development 