Over the past couple of weeks, my blog posts have focused on personal growth. Two weeks ago, I shared how to be a lifelong learner, and last week I wrote an entry about strategies for continuing self-education.
They don’t teach success in schools, and because I’ve always wanted success in my career, I have looked to books for knowledge on how to become successful in business. This week I will give you a starting point for personal empowerment as I share my top 10 book choices that will provide timeless principles for energy, motivation, and success.
Get them. Read them. Study them.
When you’ve digested the contents of these personal development books, you will be more than ready to get to the important part of your success journey—getting into action.
These are listed in no particular order (click on book to be directed to Amazon):
1. The Sandler Rules: 49 Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply Them – by David Mattson
Have you ever wondered why some salespeople work hard and struggle for every deal, while others consistently—and almost effortlessly—close sales and uncover new opportunities? Why is it that two salespeople selling the same product in the same market can have such different results? The Sandler method is a fantastic selling system that allows a salesperson to understand the physiologic aspects of selling within a system.
2. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 – by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
To be successful and survive in today’s society, individuals need to have the necessary communication and organizational skills to make sound decisions and interact with each other. This book helps you develop key skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management to aid in your everyday decision making at work and in your personal life.
3. The Compound Effect – by Darren Hardy
When I graduated from college, I weighed 185 pounds. Over the course of ten years, I managed to balloon up to 227 pounds. After my annual physical and a lecture from my caring primary physician, I realized that I needed to make some changes. I was reading The Compound Effect at the time—this book is based on the principle that small decisions shape the course of our lives. Over the next few months, I began applying this principle and lost 50 pounds! We can all apply the principles in this book to many key areas of life: business, career, family, and health.
4. Strength Finder 2.0 – by Tom Rath
In today’s business world, we are often so focused on fixing weaknesses that we can easily forget about tapping into our natural talents and strengths. We would do well to devote more time to finding and maximizing our strengths! This book, along with an online assessment (activation code included in the book), will enable you to discover your top five talents and will then give you strategies for developing your unique skills.
5. The One Minute Manager – by Kenneth H. Blanchard
This book is a must read for anyone in or pursuing a leadership position. The One Minute Manager is a concise, easily read story that reveals three very practical secrets: One Minute Goals, One Minute Praisings, and One Minute Reprimands. This is an invaluable resource for any new manager.
6. Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership – by Kenneth H. Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi
After you have read the One Minute Manager, your next read should be this book. People who feel good about themselves produce good results. This book teaches managers the art of situational leadership. You’ll learn how to tailor your management style to individual employee’s competence and commitment levels while also learning when to delegate, support, coach, or direct in each situation.
7. Monday Morning Mentoring: Ten Lessons to Guide You Up the Ladder – by David Cottrell
Everyone needs a mentor—someone who has seen it all before and can share experiences of success and failure, thus teaching valuable lessons. This book is presented as a parable in which a struggling businessman seeks out a tremendously accomplished executive, who agrees to mentor him every Monday morning for ten weeks. In the course of these insightful sessions, you will discover the secrets of real leadership on your own road to success.
8. Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times – by Donald T. Phillips
As leaders, we all go through different phases in our companies. The tough times are when our companies needs us most, and who better to set an example for leadership in challenging times than President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln on Leadership tells the tale of one of the most influential presidents in American history. It’s a quick read that really touches the core of leadership, and the author does a terrific job in extracting crucial jewels of leadership wisdom by analyzing Lincoln’s actions.
9. The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership – by James C. Hunter
When leading people, you have two choices: to lead with power or to lead with authority. Effective leaders lead primarily with authority, and one way to develop that skill is to lead people with a servant mentality. In this book, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraling out of control. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery. The principles in this book are neither new nor complex, and they can be applied by anyone, anywhere.
10. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable – by Patrick Lencion
This is a great book for anyone who works in a team environment. The author does a nice job exploring the basics of why teams fail. Lencioni illustrates principles through the telling of a fable, and he also provides suggestions for overcoming team dysfunction—all in a very structured and concise delivery. This is a great book for everyone in all levels of leadership or for anyone who works with people in general.
I hope you enjoy these timeless classics. Please let me know about your favorite books, as I am always looking for a good book to read. Happy reading!!!
