5 Books on Leadership, Productivity, Prosperity and Mindset
With 2019 in full swing we all have resolutions and goals we want to achieve. We also want to make sure this excitement doesn’t just last for two weeks but lasts for the entire year. So how do you keep this excitement going for a long time?
For me one of the ways to keep this motivation ongoing is to keep reading. Reading is one way to be positive about your future and it is also relaxing for me. It also provides a great relief from the negative news cycles. So here are some good books I enjoyed reading this year.
Leadershift by John Maxwell – These are 11 changes every leader must embrace. I have read most of John Maxwell’s books. I would say it is surprising to me how he keeps coming up with new insights on a topic he is world renowned for. I would say this is his best book since the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. He is in his elements and has hit this one out of the park. He says you can’t get too far in your second half in life without a strong mission. The other chapter I liked was the one on calling. Overall a wonderful primer and resource on leadership.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – This is all about reducing the digital clutter. Though he is not in any social media account and while I don’t agree with all the ideas presented there is some merit in considering some of the ideas. For example, not having too many social media apps in your phone is a good start. Taking a digital detox occasionally is also a clever idea. The basic thesis is to enjoy life without digital interruptions. If we remove the apps the times we do check social media will reduce.
The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant– This book is good in the sense it shows the price Kobe paid to be one of the best. He worked out like crazy and if there is anything called luck then it doesn’t apply to him for sure. He had crazy workouts and still managed to do something for his family. My main takeaway from this was there is not shortcut to any place worth going as Beverly Sills had said. Practice is the price of super-stardom.
The Prosperity Paradox by Clayton M Chistenen and Efosa Ojomo – This is an informative book on how innovation is the reason for prosperity. There are numerous examples and prescriptions. Their main thesis is every nation has potential for growth through what they call non-consumption. They give examples of Singapore, South Korea and innovative organizations.
Leaders by Stanley McChrystal and Jeff Eggers – The best news is Gen. McChrystal has been a leader, a four-star general in the U.S. Army so he has real world experience in the trenches. He defines leadership as “Leadership is a complex system of relationships between leaders and followers, in a particular context, that provides meaning to its members.” This book has great biographies of where the authors put leaders together under the following categories: Founders (Walt Disney and Coco Chanel), Geniuses (Albert Einstein and Leonard Bernstein), Zealots (Maximilien Robespierre and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi), Heroes (Zheng He and Harriet Tubman), Power Brokers (Boss Tweed and Margaret Thatcher), and Reformers (Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr.). Then at the end there are a few suggestions on how they can be applied. There are three myths that I found interesting the formulaic myth, the attribution myth and the results myth. Overall a different take on leadership and not a formulaic one for sure.
Check out these books and they are pretty good for you to have a great 2019.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.
For me one of the ways to keep this motivation ongoing is to keep reading. Reading is one way to be positive about your future and it is also relaxing for me. It also provides a great relief from the negative news cycles. So here are some good books I enjoyed reading this year.
Leadershift by John Maxwell – These are 11 changes every leader must embrace. I have read most of John Maxwell’s books. I would say it is surprising to me how he keeps coming up with new insights on a topic he is world renowned for. I would say this is his best book since the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. He is in his elements and has hit this one out of the park. He says you can’t get too far in your second half in life without a strong mission. The other chapter I liked was the one on calling. Overall a wonderful primer and resource on leadership.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – This is all about reducing the digital clutter. Though he is not in any social media account and while I don’t agree with all the ideas presented there is some merit in considering some of the ideas. For example, not having too many social media apps in your phone is a good start. Taking a digital detox occasionally is also a clever idea. The basic thesis is to enjoy life without digital interruptions. If we remove the apps the times we do check social media will reduce.
The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant– This book is good in the sense it shows the price Kobe paid to be one of the best. He worked out like crazy and if there is anything called luck then it doesn’t apply to him for sure. He had crazy workouts and still managed to do something for his family. My main takeaway from this was there is not shortcut to any place worth going as Beverly Sills had said. Practice is the price of super-stardom.
The Prosperity Paradox by Clayton M Chistenen and Efosa Ojomo – This is an informative book on how innovation is the reason for prosperity. There are numerous examples and prescriptions. Their main thesis is every nation has potential for growth through what they call non-consumption. They give examples of Singapore, South Korea and innovative organizations.
Leaders by Stanley McChrystal and Jeff Eggers – The best news is Gen. McChrystal has been a leader, a four-star general in the U.S. Army so he has real world experience in the trenches. He defines leadership as “Leadership is a complex system of relationships between leaders and followers, in a particular context, that provides meaning to its members.” This book has great biographies of where the authors put leaders together under the following categories: Founders (Walt Disney and Coco Chanel), Geniuses (Albert Einstein and Leonard Bernstein), Zealots (Maximilien Robespierre and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi), Heroes (Zheng He and Harriet Tubman), Power Brokers (Boss Tweed and Margaret Thatcher), and Reformers (Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr.). Then at the end there are a few suggestions on how they can be applied. There are three myths that I found interesting the formulaic myth, the attribution myth and the results myth. Overall a different take on leadership and not a formulaic one for sure.
Check out these books and they are pretty good for you to have a great 2019.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.
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