Many of you all actively seek excellence.
What books have made the most impact on your journey?
Why did they have an impact?
Feel free to add a quote to a book already listed. I’ll go first and will add to this list as people add books in the comments.
Table of Contents
Professional Development
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
by Katie Anderson
Katie had the amazing opportunity to spend many hours interviewing, learning from, and discussing leadership with one of Toyota’s key executives. It’s an interesting window into wise leadership through ups and downs throughout his career. -
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The Toyota Way to Service Excellence
by Jeffrey Liker and Karyn Ross
This book uses stories and down-to-earth explanations of how to build a lean organization. It gave me a love for the lean mindset (not what you think it is). This book isn’t the key to transforming our company, because lean works best with a mentor, but it’s a great start for anyone interested in achieving service excellence. -
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Personal Development
Crucial Conversations (Third Edition)
by Joeph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory
I’ve read this book three times and plan to put it on my list to read once a year. It introduced me to powerful tools for communication with the leaders in our small firm. I have been able to rescue conversations after they turn acrimonious using some of the principles inside. -
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The Power of When
by Michael Breus
In my experience in the US, those that get up early and work hard are the ones who are rewarded and end up running departments, organizations, and groups. For many years I tried to force myself into this model, but this book introduced me to the idea that some people operate differently, and with those differences can come advantages. I fit this books description of a wolf and have completely changed how I approach sleep to fit. It has made a substantial impact. -
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Fun Books
The Enderverse
by Orson Scots Card
There are many books in the Enderverse. Different people say you should read them in different orders, so hit up Wikipedia for some context. Though these are children’s books written about children, they are well-written and are filled with a surprising amount of leadership wisdom and philosophy. -
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The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
In many ways, this was a difficult book to read. It tells the story of a small proud town and its council members fighting amongst themselves about how to deal with a low-income neighborhood project that sits between it and the next town over. It addresses several difficult topics, the cost of caring for the downtrodden, the ravages of addiction, the complexity of mental health, among other things. The book shows how different these things are perceived depending on your social status. -
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Biography
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
by Jack Weatherford
This book does an excellent job of telling the stories of the Mongols from their own recently recovered secret histories. It’s an excellent portrayal of leadership, wisdom, and a fascinating perspective on world history. I would recommend to anyone who wants to understand how to lead. -
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Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
One of the founding fathers of the US. He was a great thinker, but he’s most known for his doing. He’s a politically polarizing figure, but regardless of his politics, he’s a great example of leadership and moving a country through continual effort and relentless oratory. -
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