Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of books that changed my life.
1. Leadership
Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life From a Championship Program
Summary
Full stop. This is the best book I have ever read on leadership. Hat tip to Brandon Brewer for bringing it to my attention. The impetus for reading it was to continue my learning journey as coach of the Salt Lake Stars 12U baseball team. And the surprise in this book is that the same lessons learned on how to coach a sports team can be applied to leadership in the workplace. If you love leadership…this book is incredibly valuable.
Insight: Leadership isn't a difference maker, it is the difference maker. Talent will get you about seven or eight wins. Discipline pushes it to nine wins, maybe. But when you add leadership, that's when the magic happens.
Insight: Every team faces some kind of adversity. Mediocre teams are destroyed by it. Good teams survive it. Great teams get better because of it.
Principle: Leaders create culture. Culture drives behavior. Behavior produces results.
Quote: Make sure the habits you have today are in alignment with the dreams and goals you have for tomorrow.
Author: Urban Meyer
Themes: Leadership, Culture, Peak performance, Sports, Running a business
My personal notes from the book
2. Entrepreneurship
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Summary
One of the best books on customer service and entrepreneurship. In fact, this book laid the foundation for how the company I founded in 2011 conducted its customer service. And I recommend it to every entrepreneur who is starting a business.
Principle: Rely less on building buzz, rather focus on building engagement and trust.
Insight: Your culture is your brand.
Quote: There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. -Morpheus, The Matrix
Author: Tony Hsieh
Themes: Entrepreneurship, Culture, Customer service, Running a company
My personal notes from the book
3. Personal finance
The Gone Fishin' Portfolio: Get Wise, Get Wealthy, and Get on with Your Life
Summary
If you get overwhelmed by all of the advice circulated by personal finance pundits, podcasts, books, and TV shows–then this book is perfect for you. The content is beyond elementary personal finance, yet is written in such a way that you do not need advanced personal finance knowledge to understand it. This is one of my favorite personal finance books and one that I often re-read.
Principle: Wealth is not the same thing as income.
Insight: Investment success begins with a strong dose of humility.
7 common denominators among those who build wealth:
Live below your means
Allocate time, energy, and money efficiently, in ways conducive to building wealth
Believe that financial independence is more important than displaying high status
Parents did not provide economic outpatient care
Adult children are economically self-sufficient
Proficient in targeting market opportunities
Choose the right occupation
Author: Alexander Green
Themes: Personal finance, Investing, Wealth creation
My personal notes from the book
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!
I received a few replies last week with excellent book recommendations. Please continue to share with me the books that changed your life!
Best,
Adam
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