10 Books Worth Reading, and Why.

Those who know me well, will tell you that I'm not much of a reader. I'm much more at home pouring over spreadsheets and Power Point decks. Sitting down for an hour to get lost in a book is something I struggle with. Plus, who has the time (says the unemployed guy making excuses!) A couple years ago a mentor of mind told me how he uses Audible to listen to books on his daily commute, and wow, what a game changer. I've gotten through more books in the last 2 years that probably the previous 5 combined!

Enter the other challenge with reading sales/business/leadership books- they all sound the same. We've gotten to a point where authors are quoting their own previous work and churning out books just to say they did it again (looking at you Blanchard.) I'm a big believer that you only need to take ONE thing away from any given book, to make it worth reading. Especially if you are going to use that ONE thing over and over again.

So I've decided I'm going to write 10 posts about the top 10 books that have really helped me shape my personal or leadership beliefs. I'll edit this as I add new books/posts weekly so in the end you'll have all 10. Agree/Disagree/Debate but enjoy!

1- It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership. Colin Powell.

What I liked about it: The 13 rules. I always start this conversation with this book because it's such a great and direct guide for new leaders. Hearing someone say, "get mad, and then get over it" or "Be careful what you choose, you may get it" speaks to me in a way few authors have before. Powell and I sit on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and he does a great job of putting partisanship aside to focus on what really matters as a leader, like "Share credit" and "Remain calm, be kind". These rules became common lingo for myself and my teams to quote as we navigated daily leadership challenges. "Check the small stuff" is still something I think about daily. I highly recommend this as a read, especially since it reads more like a memoir than a traditional leadership book. Enjoy!

2- Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High. Grenny, Switzler, and McMillan.

What I liked about it: This book is a game-changer when it comes to having tough conversations. Whether it's with your team, an employee, or your spouse; there are a TON of great tactics in this book that make having tough conversations easier. My two favorite take-aways were:

A- Mastering your stories. We ALL tell ourselves stories. True or not, we create a story in our heads of what someone else was thinking when an action was taken. They go through a great example in the book on how if someone cuts you off in traffic, we make up a host of negative things about what a jerk they are. I prefer a more real life example: Let's say you have an employee who keeps showing up 5-10 minutes late. It's easy to tell yourself that this person doesn't care, or isn't taking this job seriously, but in reality you have no idea what's going on until you talk with them about it. Which brings me to the second part I really liked:

B- STATE your path. This methodology was a HUGE step forward for engaging in tough conversations. It involves telling the other person what you are observing (fact), the story you are telling yourself (story), and then asking them for their side so you can have a productive discussion (dialog). For the belated employee above, the conversation make look something like, "Hey Jim, I noticed you've been late twice this week (fact), The story I'm telling myself is that you might not be taking this very seriously (Story), Can you help me understand what's going on so we can come up with a solution that works for both of us?(dialog)" This allows Jim the opportunity to have a discussion about his side of things. You might find out he has kids he drops off at school every day, or his commute is terrible. The answer might be an adjusted schedule that makes him more productive and works better for both of you. Either way, you'll never know unless you have the Crucial Conversation!

I highly recommend this book for leaders at all levels. I personally have a pretty direct (cough) communication style, so I try to re-read this yearly to get me back on track. They also do some pretty killer one and two-day workshops for groups which are worth looking in to.

Book 3- No Excuses. Brian Tracy.

What I liked about it: Honestly, everything. I love the straight forward message that you control your own destiny. There are no evil forces holding you down, it's just you. If you want to be successful at anything, you have to discipline yourself to do the hard work. Period. There are no shortcuts in life. While I'd put Tracy on my list of authors that may have written a few books just to do it, I really like the pragmatic approach he used here. He walks the reader through not only the power of self discipline, but how to apply it to a variety of aspects in work and in life. I don't think of this as a leadership book per-se, but I think its a great read for everyone who wants to level up.

Book 4- Sell Or Be Sold. Grant Cardone.

What I liked about it: I have a love/hate relationship with Cardone. Some of his stuff is outdated, or over the top. But this book is fundamentally sound and can really help a sales person put their career in to perspective, and take the next step to becoming a real pro. Here are a few parts I really liked about this book in particular:

Sales is not a job, it's a life skill set. You are constantly selling in life. Either selling yourself, your ideas, or your results. Knowing how to do it properly will help take you a long way. While not everyone is cut out to be a daily salesperson, everyone needs to know how to sell.

Professionals vs amateur's. There is a great tie in this book to professional sports. The idea that we need to consider ourselves professional salespeople the same way a professional athlete does really resonated with me. What to professional athletes do in the offseason or between games? They practice, they train and they prepare. If you are not making a sales you should be working on making your sale better. That way you don't fear objections, you hope to get them so you can show off your skills. Pros consider sales their career, while amateur's are just here until they get fired.

There is plenty of money in the world. Go get it! Cardone does a great job pointing out that every salesperson hears the no/too much money objection. But there is PLENTY of money in the world. Look around. There is literally money everywhere. And if you don't have it, a bank does. Don't assume your prospect is telling you the truth because YOU don't have any money. Instead realize that YOU DESERVE THAT MONEY TOO!

Finally- have a process. A good sales process is like a road map. It tell you where you are going, and if you are on or off track. The best salespeople follow the same sales process over and over again because it works! It's not magic, it's math. Have a process that works, do it enough times, see results.

Book 5: Never Split The Difference- Chris Voss

What I liked about it: A good friend and peer turned me on to this book, and I have to say I'm really glad they did. Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiator, and he shares the skills and tactics he used to free hostages as a guiding principal for negotiating in business. Couple parts that really stuck out to me:

The goal is to pay nothing. $0. And free the hostage unharmed. Compromise means both sides walk away unhappy. Start by setting extreme anchors so that the other side feels like they are winning.

Listen, validate, and mirror. The other side wants to be heard. Show them that you understand their side. You don't have to agree with it, but you need to mirror their concerns and give them a label.

Ask them to provide solutions. Too often we try to come up with the answer. Asking "how can I do that?" is a powerful way to get them involved in solving the problem, or seeing that their solution is unrealistic.

Book 6: Can't Hurt Me- David Goggins.

What I liked about it: This book is not for the weak at heart! Goggins story is incredibly inspirational, to the point of being too much at times. Most of us will never be Navy Seals, or run an ultra marathon to the point of broken legs and kidney failure, or attempt to break the world pullup record. But everyone can take one thing away from this book: Don't quit! Goggins does a great job explaining that your mind is your biggest obstacle for most people. We get tired, we get hungry, we start to doubt ourselves so we quit. You have to fight that feeling! You have to tell yourself NOT TO QUIT despite how much your brain tells you it wants you to. The body can endure more than the brain allows you to believe. Goggins estimates that most people give up at 40% of what they are actually capable of. That's why Marathon runners "hit the wall" around mile 14, and still finish. I finally broke down and tried it on my mountain bike a year ago. I was dreading going up this pitch that I typically don't make it up without stopping. This time I kept repeating the words "Don't Quit" as I pedaled. My lungs hurt, my legs were burning, and my heart was beating so hard I thought I would die. But I made it. And I make it every time now. Don't quit!

Book 7: Leading At A Higher Level- Ken Blanchard.

What I liked about it: I give Blanchard a lot of shit, mostly because I've literally seen him quote his own books as sources in.....his own books. However there's no doubt he's written some great things, and personally this book was one of them for me. I especially LOVE the section on Situational Leadership. As leaders it's easy for us to get in to a routine and coach everyone the same way on the things we know work. But if you think about it, that means coaching you new hires, and your tenured folks the same way. That makes zero sense, as those people are in different places mentally. Blanchard does a great job drawing a curve and comparing it to a child learning how to ride a bike. At first that child (new hire) is excited and willing to try anything, but has no idea what they are doing. They need instruction and praise for doing the right thing. After a little while, that child has fallen down a few times and starts to get discouraged, at that point they still need direction, but they also need a cheerleader to assure them to keep going. Fast forward to once that child has mastered riding, and doesn't think it's quite as fun anymore. Now they don't really need instruction, they need to be challenged to try something new or harder to re-ignite their passion. Now I'm not saying sales people are like children, but I can draw some pretty clear comparisons here. Absolutely a worthwhile read, and a concept I team my newer leaders regularly.

Book 8- Extreme Ownership- Jacko Willink and Leif Babin.

What I liked about it: This book was a real eye opener for me and many of my managers, as well as a really fun read. They do a great job of telling real life war stories, and then tying the leadership concepts used by Navy Seals in Iraq to every day business leadership. Some great concepts for me were:

As a leader, it's your fault- Ouch! No one likes to hear that, but it's true. If your team screws up, it's on you. You own the results. A leaders job is to communicate the mission and expectations to their team, and ensure they understand and execute. When they don't, it's on you. You have the obligation to make it right, or replace them with someone who can.

Working together with other departments/teams is crucial- They tell a great story about an almost fatal friendly fire accident between two squads because of a communication breakdown on who was where. While most of us will never face life-and-death situation in businesses, it's easy to think of time where one team acted without knowing what another team was doing, resulting in lost productivity and revenue. It's imperative that team leaders communicate their positions and actions to other teams effected, and that companies work as one team to win the battle.

Communicate up- I can't tress this enough, communicate up to your superiors. Make sure they know your thoughts/concerns, and that you can articulate your processes. Most of the time business decisions are made without thinking of the front line directly, so having leaders who can give feedback, and help educate the higher ups as to the impact of moves is crucial to success and morale. Inevitably there are times where you are going to have to adjust to the new plan and create new processes that allow it to work. But you want to make sure you can articulate what those are so that everyone is on the same page of the overall cost and impact.