The 26 Books I Read In 2017
My New Year’s resolution in 2017 was intentionally vague. I declared I would read more books. To be completely honest, I have never really enjoyed reading because of all the bad literature most are forced to read throughout their education. From the many stories and books I read in high school and college, only three were ones I really liked because most of them were either overly theoretical, or complete fiction (some fit into both categories). There is nothing wrong with books based on fiction or theory, but they are just not my preferred reading.
I listened to Dave Ramsey in my past because his radio show was very compelling and at the time my understanding of personal finances was slim. Dave states all the time on his show that "leaders are readers." As my desire to lead grew, his concept of reading became paramount to me, so I started with his website to delve into some great books. Here is the link: https://www.daveramsey.com/store/books/daves-library/cBOOKS-cDavesLibrary-p1.html).
I soon read Good to Great by Jim Collins, and discovered I am intrigued by business books. Finding time to sit down and read them without falling asleep was a great barrier for me. I have always worked two to three jobs while trying to keep my wife's interest and raising four kids. Making reading a priority was tough! I am in my vehicle for extended periods of time and I found this was the best time for me to listen to audio books. Audible has become very impactful for my recent reading explosion, but if you don't want to spend the money you can get audio books from Overdrive. Below is the list of books I read and a brief synopsis. If you want to know more about the books, please feel free to contact me.
2017 Reading List (26 Books)
The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffery Gitomer – This is a quick, easy read and Jeffrey lays out everything you need to know about being great at sales. There is very little fluff in this book, it is mostly meat (this is the second time I have read this book in the past three years).
Visioneering by Andy Stanley – This book provides great insight into how to cast a vision for your future. If you are trying to start something new, grow something bigger, or make something have a more meaningful, lasting impact, this is a must read.
Great by Choice by Jim Collins & Morten Hansen – This book is just another phenomenal read in the list of books from Jim Collins (Good to Great). Jim and Morten thoroughly evaluate what has set competing companies apart. They look at why company X has consistently out-performed company Y over a thirty year period on the stock exchange.
Start with Why by Simon Sinek – Simon helps business and industry professionals to become leaders by helping them understand why they should want to grow their business and train their staff to perform at their best.
Chase the Lion by Mark Baterson – “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it’s not big enough,” is the main concept for this book. Mark does a great job of illustrating how our “impossible” dreams (from others’ perspectives) are possible and are only limited by our excuses and lack of planning.
Rhinoceros Success by Scott Alexander – This is an extremely cheesy book and Scott makes no apologies for it. Despite the cheesiness of the book it is still very motivational and helps you stop making excuses and get stuff done (read this twice this year).
The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews – Andy is a tremendous story teller and his stories require a great deal of introspection. The only way to advance in life is to know and understand who you are and what motivates you. These are fictional based stories that help you to be more pensive and understand what your motivations are and what they should be.
Next Generation Leadership by Andy Stanley – There is a huge difference in the way things were operated and led in the past versus how we must operate and lead things today. This book provides great insight into getting yourself to think of how to lead in new and better ways.
Psychology of Selling by Bryan Tracy – Sales requires a different way of thinking and often requires a great amount of reflection and development. Bryan does a great job of laying out how to think more like a sales person. While I disagree with some of Bryan’s psychology (he is not a psychologist) I do agree with most of the approaches and tactics he recommends. I do highly recommend you do not take the psychology portions too seriously as they are mostly his conjectures.
5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell – John always does a fantastic job of defining what leadership should be and in this book, he gives you practical steps to be a leader. This book explains the differences in the levels (1-5) of leadership and how to build from a level 1 leader to a level 5 leader. John does a tremendous job of laying out how rare level 5 leaders are and why they receive and deserve accolades.
Little Things – Why the Small Things Matter by Andy Andrews – Andy does a great job of laying out why taking the time for seemingly little things can make a huge difference. Putting a little extra effort to make something more impactful is worth the extra time and will yield better results.
Hero by Dr Meg Meeker – This is a great book on how to be a great father. We have an epidemic of absent fathers (whether they are in the home or are absent altogether). Meg addresses how to be a great father regardless of the circumstances and why your kids need you to be a great father.
Private by James Patterson (this was a free download) – Typically I don’t read fiction but the storyline in this spy/thriller series was enjoyable. I did not particularly care for most of the characters but the way the story was told made them more likable (PG-13?).
The Insanity of God by Nick Ripken – This was truly a tough book to get through due to the circumstances God places the author in. The book takes place prior to the conflict in the 90s with Somalia and the cruelty and brutality depicted against the people is horrible. It is important to realize just how blessed we are and understand what other people in the world go through. The book needs to be read and discussed with anyone who has any level of compassion for people.
Kingdom Man by Dr Tony Evans – This is a great book about what it takes to be the man God wants you to be. Often, we ascribe to become what we think we should be instead of relying on God to shape us into who He wants us to be.
Divine Direction by Craig Groeschel – Craig does a great job of laying out why we need to surrender control and allow God to do what He does best. It is only by the grace of God that we are allowed to be used for His glory and grow organizations and impact the lives of generations of people. (I am reading this one for the second time this year)
Sex and Money by Paul David Tripp – Another tough book to read as it address our obsession and misuse of pleasure. Money and sex both reveal symptoms of the problems deep within us and they reveal where our heart (true intent) is. God created pleasure and He wants us to find and have pleasure, but our society has gone insane in the pursuit of pleasure.
Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow – Having grown up and having been involved heavily in church my whole life, I never completely understood why I felt like such an outcast until I read this book. David does a brilliant job of explaining out why men don’t want to be seen at any church (regardless of denomination or theology). He also does a great job of laying out what will get men back into church and then takes it a step further into how to get them engaged/involved in church (and how the church should respond to their involvement). My neck got sore from nodding yes to every statement he makes and supports with undeniably well-researched facts.
Intentional Living by John Maxwell – I had a privilege of attending a seminar where John discussed what this book was about. We waste so much time with silly things that will provide little to no meaning or impact on our lives. We must take better strides to improve ourselves and the lives of all we can.
Find Your Why by David Meed, Peter Docker, Simon Sinek – If you are interested in going through the process of finding your ‘why’ after reading Start With Why by Simon Sinek, this book lays out how to lead your team through the process. The interesting thing about this is that you must read through both books before you can lead a team though the process. The team does not need to read either to go through the “find your why” process.
Play The Man by Mark Baterson – This book does a good job of challenging men to become the man God created you to be. We each have our own path, but so many men don’t even know where the path to true manhood begins, much less how to find their God-given purpose. Mark Baterson does a great job of giving you practical, biblical steps and guidelines to take.
H3 Leadership: Stay Hungry, Be Humble, Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick – This is a great book with practical examples of where Brad has seen his insight work. I truly enjoyed the influence Mark Burnett (Survivor, Shark Tank, The Apprentice) provided for Brad. The book had a great amount of spiritual application through sound biblical teaching too.