A friend of mine Christopher Schroeder recently wrote this post on LinkedIn, highlighting the best books he’s read this year. He worked through 110 books in 2019 and it made me wonder, how many books did I read in 2019 and what were they?
It turns out it was far less than Chris’ 110, though I still made it through some good ones. Here are the 15 that contributed to my life and businesses this year.
A Crisis of Conscience by Tom Mueller
This book was courtesy of Chris. The book talks about “whistleblowing in the age of fraud”. Fraud and corruption, of course, are not new, but whistleblowing in a time of new age media is, and there are some interesting ramifications as a result. It’s not a thin nor easy read though it’s incredibly compelling and made me think about the future of fraud and how our ability to use social platforms to advance propaganda is blurring the lines.
Play for a Living by Charlie Hoehn and McKenna Bailey
This came from my coach Steve Hardison and is a good book full of quotes from people who have found joy in their work. Lots of little golden nuggets of inspiration in that one. I’ve used this book to insert quotes into my presentations this year.
Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman
This book was left, possibly by accident, at my house by Caitlin Martinez, so I buzzed through it this last week. It’s a view on emotional intelligence and is a good read for anyone leading people. I’m a big believer in working hard on emotional intelligence and how that can really advance priorities in your business.
Read This If You Want To Be Famous On Instagram
No author mentioned. This book was given to me almost as a joke by Sarah Fausnaught. Turns out is actually a nice, basic practical guide to social media. If you’re getting started with the platforms, pick this one up.
A new book by my friend Josh Ritcher, detailing his personal story struggling with significant life challenges living in LA and working in the TV business on Shark Tank. He finds that understanding the brain became key to his recovery. It’s very inspiring. And real.
A new book by my friend Kubi Springer, an excellent read if you’re looking to enhance your personal brand and build a business that relies on the strength of your brand. Her raw, direct storytelling, combined with incredible experience in marketing and branding really comes together in a beautiful piece that I’m using as a guide to build my brand.
Immunity to Change by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey
Certainly not a fast read, it’s a very detailed look at how to manage, and effectively move through change in your organization and in your career. I love this one and have it sitting on my desk. Thanks, Jamey Stowell for this one!
This book really spoke to me about the reality of execution. Things rarely go according to plan and he has some thoughtful ideas on how to approach that. I’ve always thought of Plan B, and C – but Plan D takes it a notch further.
Bluefishing
By my friend Steve Sims. Talk about a brilliant man! Steve has made some amazing things happen in his life and for other people. He lays out a practical guide to increasing your productivity in whatever is important to you in his book.
Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson
I had a small group lunch with him early in the year and while I do not agree with much he says, I think it’s important to understand his and his followers’ perspective, so I appreciated this read.
Conscience of a Conservative by Jeff Flake
In most things, I do not consider myself a conservative. Many of my friends do however and I read this book to better understand the Jeff Flake version of conservativism vs Tucker Carlson’s.
Crushing It and Jab Jab Jab Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk.
If you’re not following this guy, you should. I really admire what this man has built-in his business life and his approach to giving back in the world and these are two solid reads about building a media machine, which is essentially what all of us are now doing as professionals on these platforms.
Pompeii by Robert Harris
I read very little fiction and this one was suggested by my Dad after our visit to Pompeii last year. History really comes to life when you visit the site, and I find research before and after the visit enhances it even more.
The History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks by Emma Marriot
My Dad gave this one to me too, thinking about our world travels. It’s a very digestible look at the complex topic of world history and I would certainly recommend it to my traveler friends.
And as a bonus for reading this far, this was my Frequent “go-to” list of books I read before and revisited this year.
Predictable Success by Les McKeown.
The Advantage by Patrick LencioniThe CEO Next Door by Elena Botelho
The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
50 Ways To Create Great Relationships by Steve Chandler.
Profit First by Michalowicz
Power vs Force by David Hawkins
The 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell
The Way Of Mastery
The Principles by Ray Dalio
It looks like I paced at a little more than a book a month. I’m happy with that. Though I’m quickly running out of space for my collection!
