Your Summer Reading List (and mine too)

Ah, Summer.  That magical time of year when my home state will be flooded with pasty people who will suffer through the act of sitting in sand for the chance to not be pasty any more.

Frankly, I've never much understood that.  Even having grown up in the Sunshine State, I've never been much for the beach.  It's hot, which leads to sweating.  And it's sandy, which when mixed with sweat, creates an aweful "stick to everything" reaction that takes me a day or two to feel better about.  I love Florida as much as anyone can, but I'll never be a beach person.  Go figure.

I do, however, love books.  And knowing as I do that when you're waiting to not be pasty any more a good book can help pass the time, allow me to share with you my recomendations for your summer reading list.  Some of these are on mine as well.  Others I've already read.  All of them will make you smarter. And who couldn't use a little of that?

Small Giants, by Bo Birlingham
Bo's book is perhaps one of the greatest reads I've ever had the pleasure to find.  This book changed the course of my career by helping me understand the kind of company I wanted to work for.  If you want to really understand what makes great companies great, pick this one up.

Insanely Simple, by Ken Segall
I just finished this one recently and it is inspiring.  Ken offers a unique and insightful look into the Apple that Jobs built.  But it's his keen observations and how they can apply to your company, your team, and even your life that makes this book so worth while.

EntreLeadership, by Dave Ramsey
I've read the book, taken the course, and I will say again and again- this is how it's done.  Not theory, not some great "ideal" but the hands-on playbook of how to be a leader who wins.  You absolutely must read this if you want to lead.  Absolutely must.

How to Be a Presentation God, by Scott Schwertly
This was a surprising gem, and one of the most inspiring books I've read this past year.  Scott's direct, approachable style overlays one of the most powerful messages I've read in a long time.  Whether you present to anyone or not, this book is a great read on what it takes to inspire.

Linchpin, by Seth Godin
I'll never be able to recommend this one enough.  It changed my life.  It will change yours too.  I promise that.  Read it.

As for my next books; I'm in the middle of Start With Why by Simon Sinek and then Platform by Michael Hyatt is up in the queue.  If anyone has read either yet, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So off you go.  Find some sand (or if you're like me, a hammock with a nice view) and enjoy.  And in the end, you'll have something that lasts much longer than tanlines; you'll have the knowledge to be a better you.

Don't go shopping when you're hungry

Everyone gets the logic of this simple statement.  We don't make our best decisions when we're influenced by high desire.  Better to shop when you're not hungry and make more thoughtful, rational decisions.

Hiring is the same way.  If you only recruit when you have a desperate need, you won't make rational, thoughtful decisions either.  You'll take the first thing you find that looks yummy.

Don't go hiring when you're hungry.  That's a good way to end up with a stomachache.

The Big Blue Bear

Standing 40ft tall outside the Colorado Convention Center is a blue bear. 

Don't worry- it's not real.

That would be terrifying.  I can’t imagine anyone wanting to attend a conference if they had to sneak past a 40ft bear to get there.  There are very few breakout sessions that you'd risk your life for.

But this bear is not terrifying at all.  In fact, he's curious. 

The artist designed the bear to stand on his hind legs and peer into the expo hall, as if he's curious about what's going on inside.  And who can blame him?  We've all had the urge to take a peek when we walk by a busy conference; wondering what could be so special about the activities inside.  But there's been something extra special about this bear to me as I've attended the ASTD International Conference and Exposition these past few days.  Seeing him has been a constant reminder to me to be curious as well.

See, far too often when we are at a conference we try to make the most of it by planning every session, every moment, of every day.  We mark the sessions we think are best, we star the vendors we don't want to miss, and we arrive early at every session to get a good seat.  We create such a detailed plan for ourselves that we forget that our best laid plans always have a fatal flaw.  We don't know what we don't know.  We don't know that the course description was off and missed out on great information.  We don't know that the vendor we walked by had the perfect solution to our biggest problem. 

We're focused.  We're determined.  But we sacrifice curiosity.

Not the bear.  He's just curious all the time.  And a great reminder that we should be too.  Which is why I skipped a session just to take more time in the Expo Hall.  And you know what?  I found some great vendors I would have missed.  Then I changed my morning session and you know what?  The new session was the BEST one I took all week. 

We love our plans and our strategies.  And they are important.  But don’t let them stop you from being curious.  That’s important too.  Because you never know what you don’t know until you take the time to be curious.

Poof!... A Dog House

Some things just don’t happen by accident.  Like dog houses.  You never wake up on Monday after a long weekend, head to the kitchen, pour your coffee, then look out in the back yard and think “where did that dog house come from?”  It’s never like that.  You can’t accidently make a dog house.  If you want a dog house, you need a plan, a trip to the hardware store, a weekend of work, and if you’re like me, a box of Band-Aids.  It takes thoughtfulness and, more importantly, effort if you want to keep your puppy dry in the back yard.

Leadership is like that too.  You’re not going to wake up one Monday, head into the office, pour your coffee (seriously?  More coffee?  Kick the habit…) and look around surprised as you think, “Huh, when did I become a leader?”  Nope.  Leadership also requires planning, thoughtfulness, and effort.  It’s not an accident.  It’s the result of intentional action done the right way all the time. 

When I’m teaching new leaders, I belabor this point because it’s so important.  See, you can learn all kinds of skills as a leader, be exposed to the countless theories on how to best manage people- but that’s no different than looking at pictures of dog houses and wishing one was in your backyard.  It’s fun, but it’s not going to keep the puppy dry.  You need action.  You need effort.  You can’t just think about it- you have to do something.

So if you’re waiting around for your team to suddenly start trusting you, or communicating better with each other, or engaging and being more productive, you’re wasting time.  It won’t happen any more than you will wake up to a dog house in the back yard.  Whether it’s a team or a dog house, building takes effort.  So get going!