Book Club: Memorable Reads of the Year

I am an avid reader of business books and biographies and would like to share my most memorable reads from this past year. I hold self-improvement at high-importance, so even though my days are filled with my commitments as a business owner, consultant, husband and dad, I make time to take a break and read a new book every week. The following four books are my current favorites and have made such a positive impact on my life both on a professional and personal level that I feel compelled to share them with you.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Daniel H. Pink

Drive provides great insight on techniques for motivating yourself and others, professionally and personally, by focusing on internal rewards as opposed to external. The author draws from forty years of scientific research on human motivation as a basis for his argument that, as humans we have a natural need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

A favorite because: I found this book highly applicable to my consulting practice. It was an eye opening read that provided me with out of the box ideas that I draw upon when advising clients. This is a great book for someone looking for alternative strategies to set them apart from the competition.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Simon Sinek

Start with Why takes an in depth look at the behaviors of the world’s most influential leaders and how they inspired others around them to achieve extraordinary accomplishments. The author uses a variety of real-life stories to illustrate his theory that it all starts with ‘the Why’. Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it; but very few can articulate why.

A favorite because: A compelling book that discusses how business icons (such as Steve Jobs) have historically implemented their strategies by articulating their ‘Why’. After reading this book, I began incorporating the concept of Starting with Why in my life which has lead to significant breakthroughs professionally and personally.

 

Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles between Vision and Reality
Scott Belsky

Scott Belsky discusses ways to strengthen your ability to make ideas happen through developing organizational skills. He spent six years studying the habits of highly productive creative individuals and teams that have a high success rate of making their ideas come to life. The book then provides simple, yet impactful, guidelines to follow in order to execute ideas more effectively.

A favorite because: Even if you think you are hyper organized and productive, the author points out ways to execute an even higher level of efficiency. He provides strategies to overcome obstacles for collaboration, leadership, and the successful implementation of ideas. 

Lone Survivor
Marcus Luttrell

On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less than twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.

A favorite because: All I can say is WOW. I have personally read over 1,000 books and can say that this masterpiece falls into my top five of all time. It does not matter who you are; if you want to learn about courage, leadership, passion, commitment, honor and patriotism in the most spectacular way – this is a must read.

Colleagues and friends that know me well are aware that I am a strong believer of alternative learning strategies. I am confident that your takeaways from these books I have shared will be eye opening and allow for continued personal and professional development. I am always eager to learn about interesting book others may have read, so if anyone has a favorite, do email me your suggestions at DMansbach@HVS.com.