By Michael Holland –
Great leaders are life long learners consuming blog posts, podcasts, articles, videos and books to gain perspective and increase knowledge.
Leverage that driving or flying time – or get away from the in-laws time – this holiday with a good book!
Here are 4 books I’ve read and recommend for this year.
Get Motivated. . .
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven – On May 21, 2014, Admiral McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day.
Taking inspiration from the university’s slogan, “What starts here changes the world,” he shared the 10 principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves – and the world – for the better.
Get Back to Basics. . .
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute – Through an entertaining story everyone can relate to about a man facing challenges at work and at home to expose the fascinating ways that we blind ourselves to our true motivations and unwittingly sabotage the effectiveness of our own efforts to achieve happiness and increase happiness.
We trap ourselves in a “box” of endless self-justification. Most importantly, the book shows us the way out.
Gain Perspective. . .
Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines – The funny and talented Chip Gaines is well known to millions of people as a TV star, renovation expert, bestselling author, husband to Joanna, and father of five in Waco, Texas. But long before the world took notice, Chip was a serial entrepreneur who was always ready for the next challenge, even if it didn’t quite work out as planned.
Whether it was buying a neighborhood laundromat or talking a bank into a loan for some equipment to start a lawn-mowing service, Chip always knew that the most important thing was to take that first step. This is a good book for anyone looking to succeed not only in business but more importantly in life.
Get Educated. . .
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip and Dan Heath – While human lives are endlessly variable, our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. If we embrace these elements, we can conjure more moments that matter.
This book delves into some fascinating mysteries of experience: Why we tend to remember the best or worst moment of an experience, as well as the last moment, and forget the rest. Why “we feel most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel most alive when they’re not.” And why our most cherished memories are clustered into a brief period during our youth.
Be a life long learner and lead well!
I read 30 to 40 books a year. Click here to see a list of the books I’ve read in 2018 on my personal blog, Instigating Men.
