Do Great Work AND Live Your Best Life – Now!

Learning is a vital sustenance to a well lived life as water is to good health.  It matters not your stage or age in life, we are forever students — life long learners. And I love it! I love being a student as much as I love sharing what I know.  Learning is humbling and empowering. It keeps you fresh, interesting, youthful and even entertained as you regularly edit, challenge and transform your life; your thinking with new and exciting insights.  Habit 7 from Stephen R. Covey’s  7 Habits of Highly Effective People  — “Sharpening The Saw” has been a way of life for me since I was introduced to it over 20 years ago. JS2016_01It is the habit that’s kept me true to my desire to live a balanced life.  Stephen Covey was one of the great leadership thinkers of our time. “Sharpening the saw is about constantly renewing ourselves in the four basic areas of life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.” (SR Covey).  

I hope you find this reading list helpful as it represents some of my most treasured resources. For sure I am grateful as these tools enlightened and anchored  me over the years.  As long as you have breath, may you learn, practice, teach and live well!  xoxo — June 

For The Career Minded

  1. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. How Successful People Become Even More Successful!  Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter
  2. Difficult Conversations. Harvard Business Review
  3. The Essential Manager’s Handbook. DK Publishing
  4. Triggers Creating Behavior That Lasts. Marshall Goldsmith & Mark Reiter
  5. Crucial Conversations. Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
  6. The First 90 Days.  Michael D. Watkins
  7. The New IQ. Leading Up, Down, And Across Using Innovative Questions. Chris Coffey & David Lam.
  8. The Career RoadMap. Success Strategies To Accelerate Your Career & Get Ahead At Work.  Qiana Williams
  9. The Leadership Challenge. How To Make Extraordinary Things Happen In Organizations. James Kouzes, Barry Posner
  10. A Leader’s Legacy. James Kouzes & Barry Posner
  11. The Leadership Contract. The Fine Print To Becoming An Accountable Leader. Vince Molinaro
  12. Strengths Finder. Tom Rath
  13. Improving Performance. How to Mange the White Space on the Organization Chart. Geary A. Rummler, Alan Brache
  14. The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book. Travis Bradberry and Dr. Jean Greaves
  15. The Career Architect Development Planner. Michael Lombardo, Robert Eichinger
  16. Flawless Consulting. By, Peter Block
  17. The Consultant’s Quick Start Guide. An action plan for your first year in business. Elaine Biech
  18. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? Beverly Daniel Tatum, PH.D.
  19. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  Patrick Lencioni
  20. A Carver Policy Governance Guide, The Policy Governance Model and the Role of the Board Member. John Carver & Miriam Carver
  21. The Wisdom of Teams. Creating High Performance Organizations.  Jon R. Katzenbach, Douglas Smith
  22. Making Movies. Sydney Lumet
  23. Telling Ain’t Training. Harold D. Stolovitch, Erica J. Keeps
  24. The Stress of Organizational Change. A Survival Guide. Price Pritchett & Rob
  25. Kiss, Bow, OR, Shake Hands: A Guide To Doing Business in over 60 Countries. Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway
  26. Evaluating Training Programs. The Four Levels. Donald L. Kirkpatrick
  27. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People & Principle Centered Leadership. Stephen R. Covey
  28. Franchising For Dummies. By, Michael Seid, Dave Thomas & Accounting For Dummies.  John A. Tracy
  29. The Millionaire Next Store: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy.  Thomas J. Stanley

These books are >10 years old, but the lessons continue to be relevant:

  1.  The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. Strategies & Tools for Building A Learning Organization.  Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, Bryan Smith
  2.  Vital Friends. The People You Can’t Afford To Live Without.  Tom Rath
  3. Diverse Teams At Work. Capitalizing on the Power of Diversity.  Lee Gardenswartz, Anita Rowe
  4. The Phoenix Principles. Leveraging Inclusion to Transform Your Company. Randolph Brown, Janet Butler Reid, Ph.D.
  5. Human Behavior at Work. Keith Davis, John W. Newstrom
  6. POWER Mentoring. How Successful Mentors and Proteges Get the Most Out Of Their Relationships. Ellen Ensher, Susan Murphy
  7. Alliance Advantage. The Art of Creating Value Through Partnering. Yves L. Doz, Gary Hamel
  8. Workforce America! Managing Employee Diversity As A Vital Resource.  Marilyn Loden, Judy B. Rosener
  9. A Race Without A Finish Line. America’s Quest For Total Quality.  Warren H. Schmidt, Jerome P. Finnigan
  10. Beyond Reengineering. Michael Hammer
  11. The Secret of a Winning Culture. Building High Performance Teams.  Larry Senn, John Childress
  12. Monday Morning Leadership.  David Cottrell
  13. The Guru Guide. The Best Ideas of The Top Management Thinkers.  Joseph Boyett, Jimmie Boyett
  14. Making Feedback Work.  Joe Folkman, PH.D.
  15. The Morality of Leadership.  William J. Arthur
  16. Managing By Values. Ken Blanchard, Michael O’Connor
  17. Champions of Change. How CEOs and Their Companies Are Mastering the Skills of Radical Change.  David A. Nadler
  18. Employee Surveys That Make A Difference. Joe Folkman, PH.D.
  19. Mission Possible.  Ken Blanchard, Terry Waghorn
  20. The Loyalty Effect. Frederick F. Reichheld
  21. Empowered Teams. Richard Wellins, William C. Byham, Jeanne M. Wilson
  22. Organizational Diagnosis: A Workbook of Theory and Practice. Marvin R. Weisbord
  23. Organizational Surveys. Tools For Assessment and Change. Allen I Kraut
  24. Successful Manager’s Handbook. Personnel Decision, Inc.
  25. Quotes & Quips. Insights on Living The 7 Habits. Franklin Covey
  26. Action Learning. How the World’s Top Companies Are Re-Creating Their Leaders Themselves. David Dotlich, James L. Noel
  27. The Handbook of Business Strategy. Faulkner & Gray

 

“Soul” Food

  1. The Purpose Driven Life. Rick Warren
  2. Instinct.  TD Jakes
  3. Maximize the Moment.  TD Jakes
  4. Before You Do.  TD Jakes
  5. Your Best Life Now. 7 Steps To Living At Your Full Potential.  Joel Osteen
  6. Scriptures & Meditations for Your Best Life Now.  Joel Osteen
  7. The Game of Life & How to Play It.  Frances Scovel Shinn
  8. Aging: A Hairy Experience. Gerald Nilsson-Weiskott , Vincent Caputo , Fred Juhl
  9. The Alchemist.  Paulo Coelho
  10. Jesus CEO. Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership. Laurie Beth Jones
  11. Jesus Life Coach. Learn From The Best. Laurie Beth Jones
  12. Commanding Your Morning. Unleash The Power of God In Your Life.  Cindy Trimm
  13. The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge.  Tony Dungy & Nathan Whitaker
  14. Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now. Maya Angelou
  15. The Great Investment & Reposition Yourself.  TD Jakes
  16. The Prayer of Jabez.  Bruce Wilkinson
  17. The Untethered Soul.  Michael A. Singer
  18. God On A Harley.  Joan Brady
  19. Letter To My Daughter.  Maya Angelou
  20. The Evidence of Things Not Seen.  James Baldwin
  21. The Shack. Wm. Paul Young