Last week while in one of my manager’s meetings, one of the managers asked me if I had any podcast, books, Netflix, etc. recommendations that he could devour to help him continue down his path of growth. And sitting there, I realized I was not using one of the BIGGEST tools I have to spread this information. A tool that was legitimately created to share just this kind of thing… THIS BLOG. So, duh, here’s the fist installation of book recommendations.
This is a shortlist of the top 5 books I’ve read about personal development and growth! I read a good deal, and I think that growth always happens when reading. Some of these are the good old classics that people should read REGARDLESS of your industry, ideology, or goals. One thing that I’d challenge you with though whenever reading or learning is to do your own research. So many people I see read a ton and they have all of the “knowledge” of books, but really have no practical application of that knowledge. They can talk the talk, so to say, but have never walked the walk. Do your research, form your own opinions, and take all the information you can and fold into your ever-growing knowledge base.
Note: I actually listen to more books that I read because I am in the truck so often traveling for work. Also, I am a more auditory learner and it keeps me more engaged than reading. You can change the speed to 1.5x and cut off a good deal of time.
1 | Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey – This is one of those timeless books that anyone from a person with an idea about starting a business to a seasoned CEO (they probably already have) should read. It shows that by combining the traits of an entrepreneur and a leader, you too, can build a successful company. Even if you aren’t planning on starting a company, the qualities and habits discussed in this book apply to personal lives. The topics include setting goals, time management, avoiding debt, deal-making, managing people, and creating a successful marketing plan.
Dave Ramsey draws on his 20+ years of incredibly successful entrepreneurial experience to share his professional secrets on how to start and grow a company from one to 400 employees from the ground up.
2 | How To Win Friends And Influence Others by Cale Carnegie – Possibly one of the most well-known personal and professional development books out there, this book teaches you how to deal with people at home, with friends and within professional settings. It was written in 1936, but the lessons still translate (literally into almost 40 different languages) in today’s world.
The key purpose of this book, in my opinion, is how to positively impact people, to think about how you can help them and not take advantage of them, and how to get your team members on the same page without creating any resentment of harboring ill feelings. It also focuses on the fact that we create our own emotions. If you want to be interesting to people, be interested in them. People love talking about themselves, so listen.
3 | The 5 Second Rule – No, we aren’t talking about the fact that apparently it takes 5 second for bacteria to grab onto you food…
Mel Robbins’ book is one of the first developmental books that I read in this new quest, and I think it may have been the impetus to keep me charging forward. This book takes a person who is in the middle of knowing what they should do to solve their problems, but just not doing it. Not for any particular reason other than they just didn’t have that push they needed.
So she created the 5 second rule. The book goes into the science behind why it works and is truly fascinating. I still use the technique to this day. GET TO MOVING!
4 | High Performance Habits – I’ll start this off by saying that I am somewhat of a science nerd, especially when it comes to the body and performing your best. I measure a LOT. Diet, exercise, heart rate, weight, VO2 max, and so on and so forth. And if you are interested in the science behind high performing individuals, this is for you. And even if you’re not, it’s still a pretty incredible book.
This book is comprised of 6 key habits that we have to undertake and make part of our lives to really live a complete life. Developed by the largest study ever done on high-performance individuals, this book by Brendon Burchard (a leader in high-performance coaching for the last 10 years) has created an incredibly powerful book that blends incredible story-telling, graphics, science, mental exercises and (most importantly) actual real-life applications of the lessons.
The six lessons of clarity, energy, necessity, productivity, influence and courage are the ingredients we all can develop further.
5| Rhinoceros Success – This fun, quick read was sent to me by Matt Stafford of the Stafford Brothers who live and unbelievably jam packed life. DJ’s, World Travelers, Incredible Entrepreneurs, and Fitness BEASTS, among many other things, these guys live like Rhinoceros’
This book by Scott Alexander teaches you to break away from your mundane existence and push yourself to new heights in the 6 major areas of your life- FINANCIAL, WORK, PHYSICAL, FAMILY, SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL. To do this, you have to take your life by the horns and charge after it like a rhinoceros.
There are obviously plenty of other AMAZING books relating to personal development and this is just a cross-section of all of the MANY books that I’ve read on this topic. I will continue to put these out to keep the information flow going.
Let me know if you have any specific questions about this or anything else pertaining to any developmental items you’d like to see.
GO, DO, & Grow