The Official "Top 10" List of Books to Read in 2014 Part 1
Hopefully, as you dive into the New Year, you’re already thinking, “What can I read to help me grow in the coming year?” And if you’re anything like me, you’re also thinking, “Who’s got time to weed out what’s good, great and just mediocre?”
Well, as a way of #AddingValue to you in the New Year, I want to give you what I hope will become my annual “Pre-Screened Reading List” for you New Year.
In 2013, I read 49 books. Some were good, some were great. Some didn’t keep my attention, while others I wished had gone on longer. So, over the next 2 weeks, I want to share with you my “Top 10” (even though there are actually 16) books and do some “Screening” for you. I’ve put my “Top 10” into 7 categories to help you decipher which ones to read that are most relevant to you as well as a link to Amazon where you can instantly purchase the book either on Kindle or in print.
* Today I will start with my Top 3 Reads for “Leadership Development.” and my Top 2 in “Marketing.”
* Then on Thursday, we’ll tackle my Top Reads in “Organizational Growth.”
* Then Monday the 27th, I’ll give you my Top 3 in “Personal Growth.”
* And finally, next Thursday, January 30rd, we’ll conclude with a conglomerate of 4 Categories:
- Marriage
- Prayer
- Parenting
- Soul Health/ Devotional
Feel free to pass along the link to this List to other leaders who could benefit from someone else doing the screening for them. (Just copy and paste this link to Twitter, Facebook, or email) LINK Thanks.
Enjoy. I hope 2014 is your greatest year of growth ever!
In the Leadership Development Category, my Top 3 Books are:
1. Whatcha Gonna do with that Duck? by Seth Godin
This is the book that has taken me over a year to read and I’m still working on it. When I finish, I intend to open to page 1 and start all over again. Such a collection of nuggets from, in my opinion, one of the wisest marketing minds on the planet. If you’ll read Seth Godin for a year, it will change the way you think about your leadership. I promise.
2. Heart, Smarts, Guts and Luck by Anthony K. Tjan, Richard J. Harrington, Tsun-Yan Hsieh
Alright, so this business book is a great read! The way these guys speak of the 4 categories of leaders in an organization is extremely helpful. This is a great book to take your leadership team through in the near future. This one had to be a Top 10 pick for me for sure this year! I can’t wait to begin to download podcasts and talks that these guys have done to learn more. This book will help you identify where your leadership tendencies lie and give great talking points for your team as well.
3. One Question by Ken Coleman
This is a great book for any leader who wants a high level survey of some of the top leadership voices in the world right now. Ken is a master question-asker and in this book, he does a great job of asking a question and then getting out of the way. Beautifully done Ken!
In the Marketing Category, my Top 2 picks are:
This is a really good marketing book on how to make your message, you guessed it, contagious. It’s worth the read. Well worth it.
2. Growth Hackers by Ryan Holiday
Okay, so this is THE book I wish I had written. He basically blows up the old model of “Launch Big and Huge and Spend a Boat Load of Money to get a bunch of fluffy hype around your product launch.” And instead says, focus on tribes and watch how your message will spread! Woohoo! I love this $2.99 download!! It’s short, sweet and to the point. Just like our marketing should be. Read this!