This quote by President Harry S. Truman should be in every leadership program’s orientation. Leaders face challenges and must be quick to respond. They must remain curious and not assume they have all the answers or that their perspective is the only way to view a situation. By continually reading, they continue to learn and to question their assumptions.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be in the habit of reading at least 20 minutes each day. I was going to put a number of books to complete, but I didn’t want to focus on the number of books so much as the act of reading and seeking new information. And I wanted to include not just books on business and policy but also novels and short stories. Often, I learn just as much from a story – how the characters respond to situations, what they learn about themselves and from each other.
If you’re planning to read more, there are a number of leaders who share their list of books they planned to read this year. They range from celebrities such as Oprah to political leaders like Barrack Obama. The website Favobooks.com with the “famous people’s favourite books” headlines favorite reads of today’s leaders and political figures from history. (My favorite novel of all time is Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which I read as a teenager growing up in pre-Netflix days in Cullowhee, NC. New Earth by Eckhart Tolle is my favorite self-improvement book.)
After reviewing my upcoming assignments for content needs and a review of trade publications, here are the 12 on my list. And it’s no surprise that the first one is all about my New Year’s Resolution of making small changes that over the course of the year will make a big impact on my goals. I don’t know if I’ll complete both of these, but sure am wanting to use habits to make a big impact on my goals this year. If any of you have read either book, let me know if you recommend one over the other.
- Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear (also Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything by B.J. Fogg)
- The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane
- The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success by Maria Ross
- All You Have to Do is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success by Wayne Baker
- HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations by Nancy Duarte
- You’re Not Listening (What You Are Missing and Why It Matters) by Kate Murphy
- The Non-Obvious Guide to Emotional Intelligence by Kerry Goyette
- Contagious You: Unlock Your Power to Influence, Lead, and Create the Impact You Want by Anese Cavanaugh
- Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with The leader You’re Meant to Be by Hortense le Gentil
- What Makes Training Really Work: 12 Levers of Transfer Effectiveness by Ina Winbauer and Mash Ibeschitz-Manderbach
- The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek