Let’s start with my No. 1 book. If you read no further, go out now and get the Excellence Dividend by Tom Peters. The book is easy to read, and conceptually will grab you from the opening chapter to the end… The sub categories of EXCELLENCE runs from the “next five minutes,” to “email excellence” and pure gold in between.
As for this rest of this, I truly have no idea how to condense this list to a best of the best. In my May 10 blog, I highlighted 5 books that are definitely must-reads. If you don’t have time to open the blog and read, they included…
- The Little Big Things, Tom Peters
- The Daniel Dilemma, Chris Hodges
- The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath
- When, Daniel Pink
- Principles, Ray Dalio
On May 14, I blogged about the Soft Edge by Rich Karlgaard, and its emphasis on the importance of dialing in on trust. And on August 8, I did a deep dive on The Blue Zones, by Dan Buettner, which helps us understand the characteristics of the environments and much more of the longest living people on earth. I think we need to add those two to the list for sure!
Since 13 is my lucky number, I’ll roll out 6 more here that I feel can be life changing for you. My full list of books from are included below, because there are so many amazing lessons to be found.
I’m Still Here, Black Dignity in a world made for Whiteness, Austin Channing Brown —This book is the one we ALL need to read. This book begins to help us understand our biases and, and “is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words.” You’ll be better for reading this one, and then acting on what you learn.
The Motivation Manifesto, Brendon Burchard — This came out in 2014, but somehow I believe I just found out about it… I’m certainly not sure how because the title alone fires me up. This book offers nine declarations to claim your personal power, stretching from reclaiming our agenda to amplifying love and slowing time. It’s pure gold.
The Business Romantic, Tim Leberecht — The words on the inside cover, “How can work be delightful – perhaps even magical?” had me at hello. Simple messages like, “Most great partnerships begin with the simple act of ‘breaking bread together,” and “I encourage you to prioritize joy over optimization” (by identifying and implementing small, enchanting changes…moments of surprise in the business day).
Imagine it Forward, Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz — I have this book marked up so much, I don’t know which direction to take you. The book is more or less a classic business book which pushes us to creativity through courage with a great deal of storytelling. The idea, “What’s needed are the skills of a social architect, someone who is committed to collaborating in a psychologically safe zone that allows for what I call agitated inquiry. Agitated inquiry is the practice of evolving an idea into action steps through heated exchanges and debate.” That captures the book well. If you are a business geek like me, you’ll love this one for sure.
Dare to Lead, Brene Brown — I loved this so much, I turned it into a leadership development program for our team. The subtitle, “Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts,” is the underlining focus. As a seasoned author, Brene raises the bar on her already stunning work. The book challenges us to think about how we “show up,” to truly dive into “the story I’m telling myself at any moment,” and to embrace that being clear is kind — always. So good. And even though lead is in the title, it is so much more than a leadership book… it’s a life book.
Becoming, Michelle Obama — I ended 2018 with this one on New Year’s Eve! It took me nearly the whole month to read, but it was worth it. I am so glad I took the time to dive deep into this one because I learned that I really had no idea who our former First Lady was, and the power of her story. Her ending focused on the idea of “becoming” and it’s a perfect way to end the year and today’s blog. “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. It’s all a process, steps along a path. Becoming requires equal parts patience and rigor. Becoming is never giving up on the idea that there’s more growing to be done.”
Full List of 2018 books:
- One Day All Children, Kopp
- Boost your Brain Power, Harmon
- The Rhythm of Life, Kelly
- Enough, Bogle
- The Weight of Water, Shreve
- In Her Own Right, Griffith
- Crushing it, Vaynerchuk
- Serious Play, Schrage
- LOVEMARKS, Roberts
- The Experience Economy, Pine II & Gilmore
- The Genius of Birds, Ackerman
- Nudge, Thaler & Sunstein
- Sway, Brofman& Brofman
- The Pixar Touch, Price
- Powerful, McCord
- When, Pink
- The Leadership Gap, Daskal
- Prescription for the Future, Emanuel
- Strength in Stillness, Roth
- Power of Moments, Heath & Heath
- RePresent Jesus, Daniels
- The Excellence Dividend, Peters
- A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Quindsten
- Ayurveda- Beginner’s Guide, Weis-Bohlen
- The Soft Edge, Karlgaard
- I’m Still Here, Channing Brown
- The Business Romantic, Leberecht
- White Houses, Bloom
- The Blue Zones, Buettner
- The Motivation Manifesto, Burchard
- Life’s Golden Ticket, Burchard
- Tailor Made, Seeley
- Rebel Talent, Gino
- Hope in the Dark, Groeshel
- Do Something Beautiful, Moore
- Wisdom at Work, Conley
- Imagine it Forward, Comstock
- The Person you Mean to Be, Chugh
- Healing the Soul of a Woman, Meyer
- Whiskey in a Teacup, Witherspoon
- 5 Second Rule, Robbins
- It’s not Supposed to be this way, Terkeurst
- Dare to Lead, Brown
- Becoming, Obama
- Principles, Dalio
- Awaken devotional, Shirer
- Little Big Things, Peters
- Daniel Dilemma, Hodges
- Back to Balance, Fisher
- Mandela’s Way, Stengel-Richard
- Giving it All Away, Green & High
- Discerning the Voice of God, Shirer
- Building an A Team, Johnson
- The New Jim Crow, Alexander