?? 11 Great Books I LOVED In 2022 ??

I read 11 inspiring books in 2022. I am thrilled to have a subscription from Audible and Blinkist — both are provided to all team members at 凯易讯 when you join and have taken my continuous learning to new heights as we enter 2023 ?? -- I recently listened to Daniel Pink Drive on Audible which is an 11/10 and countless Blinks including The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life 2 days ago on a walk.

If you are wondering why I am sending this on Dec 31st --- I set a personal goal at the end of 2021 to read 10+ books in 2022 and proud to say that I finished the 11th in the picture above just last week #storybrand ?? Thanks for the recommendation J. Matthew Collins , as this is by far the most important book I read over the last year and one of the best frameworks I have learned in my career. #storytelling

I am super selective on which books I read, as they all come from recommendations from family, close friends, colleagues, mentors and through Harvard Business Review and my Apple News customized news feed. ?I try to focus on books that teach me something and ignite my own passions — specifically around topics that inspire me to learn and grow.? I love autobiographies, memoirs, and business leadership books.

Albert Einstein once said “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” — so I will try to give a sentence or two max on each book -- and I hope there is a recommendation here that inspires you as much as each of these reads inspired me this past year ??

1. Turn the Ship Around - Awesome leadership book by L. David Marquet where a US Navy Captain literally “turned the ship around” by treating his crew as leaders, not followers and providing autonomy to each of them to exceed even their own expectations.? Thanks Andy Wright for the awesome recommendation.

2. Where Good Ideas Come From - Author Steven Johnson explores the origin of innovation through awesome storytelling. Johnson talks about seven patterns that drive real innovation with tons of scientific evidence to back it up.?

3. Business Adventures from John Brooks - John was an award-winning writer best known for his contributions to the The New Yorker — this one has been on my list for a while, after I read that it was one of Warren Buffet’s all time favourites.? This book was originally published in 1969, and is a collection of stories from Brooks around business models and philosophies.?Ford Edsel was my absolute favourite chapter ???--- great quote "If you fail, accept it, learn from it, and move on." So many great reminders around accountability and leadership as the 'Ford Edsel' to this day still remains one of the most disastrous product launches in corporate history.

4. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller -- I shared an entire post on this a few days ago, as this was my last read of 2022 and might have been my favourite as well --- IT IS IN ONE WORD -- AWESOME! If you want to take advantage of the best story-telling framework I have seen in my career and make sure you are communicating with simplicity and clarity to your customers --- this is a MUST read. I am so excited to be seeing Donald Miller Live at our 凯易讯 Sales Kick-Off Event in less than 2 weeks time. Ken Grelck & Mark Dressler --- I am thrilled to be joining you and your incredible sales team in person to kick-start 2023.

5. The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins - I have read this more times than I can count over the last decade. Thank you Michael Weening for inspiring everyone at 凯易讯 to always be learning, to invest in the success of others to be successful, and for the "better, better, never best - work culture here at Calix."

In my opinion, The First 90 Days - is the quintessential guide for starting a new leadership role and provides the single best framework using extreme knowledge and depth on what to do and when. The best analogy I can think of: 'This book shows you the chessboard and helps you make better moves' --- it's that important to your strategy and execution in your first 90 days in a new role. Thank you Devorah Lithwick for handing me this book back in 2009, you might not even remember that you shared a copy, but I have had it ever since :)

6. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates - there has been a lot of people that loved this one and some that didn't love it quite as much --- I really loved it. I started to drive an electric car three years ago, and I am working on a not-for-profit solar initiative with my City of Toronto Board, that has the potential to really change things for our local community over the coming years. So this read was on my 2022 list and it was clear, concise and well researched. Gates has a simple message: "Get to Net Zero by 2050" --- and outlines 5 areas of focus through the book to get there. If you have never heard of Dandelion Energy , this disruptor is the perfect example around what Gates is talking about and I feel super fortunate to have spent an hour with their founder earlier this year. #sustainability -- Also 凯易讯 is another awesome example leading the pack and read from one of our customers and partners AcenTek on how they differentiated in their market with their green broadband experience.

7. Play Bigger -- I am so grateful that Bernadette Butler sent me this sensational read and her company StoryTap is putting storytelling first - turning true stories into video that builds trust. Play Bigger is all about category design, reading about category leaders and is so freaking cool! It is written by 4 co-authors and below is a great summary that explains more about Category Design with a Marketing Lens. I shared this book with a close friend Sobhan Etemadi and I cannot wait to see what 2023 brings ??

8. The One Thing --- This book helped me refine my own professional/personal development plan and got me into a simple one-page format. The co-authors Gary Keller & Jay Papasan created a self-help book that is a total game-changer --- I wrote down more quotes and reminders than I could ever do justice in a sentence or two --- but this is the basic premise "Focus is a matter of deciding what things you're NOT going to do.” And sharing this simple diagram below --- if you don't think PURPOSE matters --- well feel free to check out 凯易讯 because we are hiring and it's fundamental to everything we are doing together as a team.

9. Think Again was written by bestselling storyteller & author, top rated Wharton professor, and is one of TED, TEDx, and Motivational Speeches top speakers of all time -- Adam Grant . This amazing book is all about rethinking, it's all about aiming for more self- awareness, more humility --> it's an essential read for anyone looking for lifelong learning and curiosity.

10. The Happiest Man on Earth -- I posted about this a few weeks ago and is a heart warming memoir about Eddie Jaku who is a Holocaust surviver, and a born storyteller with incredible authenticity and a remarkable ability to choose optimism in life. Below is a great TEDxSydney that shares his story of love and survival. If there is one quote that brings together this inspiring book it is this one from the video below "Remember these words - please do not walk in front of me, I may not be able to follow - please do not walk behind me I may not be able to lead - just walk beside me and be my friend. May you always have lots of love to share, lots of good health to spare, and lots of good friends that CARE. ~ Eddie Jaku

BTW - I have shared my C.A.R.E. Sheet exercise with 1000's of people over the last decade and many from across the Globe over the past year. I am always happy to pay it forward and to share --- so just let me know if you would like a copy -- I learn more from this exercise than anything else I have created over my career for teams and to genuinely connect with people on your team in a 1:1 and authentic way. It works exceptionally well as part of your First 90 Day Plan --- so if you are starting something new this year, I am thrilled to share this with you.

11. Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy - written by author and the Chairman & Founder of 四季酒店 - Isadore 'Issy' Sharp. Thank you Lee Grunberg for this amazing recommendation as this kicked started my 2022 reading list. Four key lessons from this book (1) Outstanding and reliable customer service is a competitive advantage (2) Innovation comes best from listening to your customers (3) Don't be all things to all people --- Last but not least the entire book is really all about (4) "The Golden Rule" --- “The reason for our success is no secret. It comes down to one single principle that transcends time and geography, religion and culture. It’s the Golden Rule – the simple idea that if you treat people well, the way you would like to be treated, they will do the same.” ~ Isadore Sharp. If you have not picked up this book, I highly recommend adding to your 2023 list.

As we say goodbye to 2022, wishing everyone a year ahead filled with only happiness, health and amazing memories with their family, friends and loved ones. If you have book recommendations for 2023, I am working on that list over the next few days and would love to hear from you.

Peace & Love to all.

Jeff