Resources
The Books That Will Change Your Game
“Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths.”
“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari offers a sweeping exploration of human history, from the emergence of Homo sapiens to the modern world. Harari argues that humans became the dominant species because of their unique ability to create and believe in shared stories—myths, religions, nations, and money—that enabled large-scale cooperation. The book covers key revolutions in human history, including the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions, and explores how these transformations shaped societies, economies, and human identity. Harari ultimately raises thought-provoking questions about the future of humanity in an era of technological and genetic advancements.
“Remember, to know and not to do is really not to know.”
“Crucial Conversations” is a must-read for anyone navigating high-stakes conversations. It presents practical tools to handle disagreements, build trust, and create dialogue—even when emotions run high. No matter the situation, this book equips you to speak honestly while fostering collaboration and understanding.
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way”
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday focuses on the power of reframing challenges as opportunities for growth, rooted in Stoic philosophy. It teaches that obstacles aren’t roadblocks but the path to we should take, requiring clarity, resilience, and strategy.
“The sweet spot: that productive, uncomfortable terrain located just beyond our current abilities, where our reach exceeds our grasp. Deep practice is not simply about struggling; it’s about seeking a particular struggle, which involves a cycle of distinct actions”
“The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle shows how talent is grown through deep practice, inspiration, and master coaching, with repeated practice building stronger neural pathways. It argues that talent isn’t born—it’s developed.
“Success is the product of daily habits – not once in a lifetime transformastion”
“Atomic Habits” by James Clear explains how small, consistent changes lead to remarkable long-term results. It focuses on the power of tiny habits, showing how they compound over time. Clear introduces strategies like habit stacking, creating clear cues, and making habits easy, attractive, and satisfying, offering a practical framework for lasting behavior change.
“The Big Book of Mental Models”
Packed to the gills with mental models, the book Super Thinking by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann weaves in and out of various disciplines to provide us with different takes on our world to better help us see things from all angles.
“The world is changed by your example not by your opinion”
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss is a collection of insights and habits from top performers in business, fitness, and mindfulness. Packed with actionable advice, it’s a guide to optimizing your habits and achieving more than you thought you could.
“[Good leaders] have more than an open-door policy—they know the door swings both ways. They go through it and get out among their people to connect.”
John C. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership is a must-read for anyone aspiring to elevate their impact and influence. Maxwell breaks down leadership into five actionable levels: Position, Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle. This framework helps leaders identify where they are, grow through each stage, and inspire others to follow—not because they have to, but because they want to. If you’re looking to create meaningful connections and lasting impact, this book provides the roadmap.
“When the reward is the activity itself–deepening learning, delighting customers, doing one’s best–there are no shortcuts.”
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose, and If then vs Now that; Daniel Pink’s Drive takes a deep look into the motivations of teams and what really propels them to do tasks a the maximum of their ability.
“Motivational Interviewing requires a genuine desire to help people reach their goals.”
If there is any book out there that will help you become a better listener and a collaborative leader it is Motivational Interviewing. What motivational interviewing is is a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person’s own motivation and commitment to change.
“The best minute I spend is the one I invest in people”
In this short 112 page book, The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson teach us about the “one minute redirect” and to “look for the good” when leading teams.
“None of us is as smart as all of us”.
The Executive VP of Ops of Disney explains how they create their culture of success through their leadership strategies. From calling their employees cast members to learning how to truly care about those that work with you, this book will give you perspective
“Don’t Focus on Championships; focus on developing Champions”
Coach Mike Smith formerly of the Atlanta Falcons along with Jon Gordon of the “Energy Bus” explain their 7c’s to fostering a culture of winning team.
““Make sure that you are seeing each person on your team with fresh eyes every day. People evolve, and so your relationships must evolve with them. Care personally; don’t put people in boxes and leave them there.””.
Kim Scott goes into her 2×2 matrix and also describes how an effective leader moves their group forward by caring personally for the growth of each individual. A must read…
“It’s not what you teach it’s what you tolerate”
Jocko and Leif’s follow up to Extreme Ownership where they go over the different balancing acts a leader must deal with. Deciding where to spend your “leadership capital” can make or break your coaching ability
“Don’t Focus on Championships; focus on developing Champions”
Coach Mike Smith formerly of the Atlanta Falcons along with Jon Gordon of the “Energy Bus” explain their 7c’s to fostering a culture of winning team.
“There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.”
The personal accountability tome. Jocko and Leif describe many examples of leadership through stories from the military and how they apply in all facets of leadership.
“Your personal core values define who you are, and a company’s core values ultimately define the company’s character and brand. For individuals, character is destiny. For organization, culture is destiny”
The creator of Zappos goes deep into core values and what makes a successful culture tick.
“The number one job is to take care of each other…”
Daniel Coyle goes deep into the reasons some cultures are successful and some aren’t
“When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment”
Simple read with a lot of great quotes focusing on team
development and the positive mindset needed to encourage others
“Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary. It’s time for that to end.”
Sebastian goes deep into the reasons humans need that sense of belonging
“Great vision without great people is irrelevant”
People are your greatest asset and leaders need to make tough decisions to realize their vision
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways”
A book that helps you see all the angles
“Change the language in the tribe and you have changed the tribe itself”
Goes in depth into the different levels of cohesion a group has and how to manage and uplift each
“Once you become a victim you cease to become a leader”
Its hard to pinpoint exactly what makes great leaders of people. The emotional intelligence platform is probably the first place to go as this will list out exactly those attributes of those few people who get the job done.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader”
Simon breaks down the components of what make us tick as groups and how leaders pull the best out of people
“Habit is a mighty ally…the habit of self composure and courage”
This ancient tale still hold true as being one of the great lessons in how to lead a group of people by getting in the trenches with them
“I have become more aware of (1) how true emotions can feel during crucial moments, and (2) how false they really are”
In the business of management or coaching you’re bound to have a few conversations that need a delicate approach. This book walks you through how to handle these professionally.
“People leave managers, not companies”
Sometimes going against the grain is the best way to get the job done. This book shakes up the normal ways of doing things and challenges you to think differently at how you do things.
“Ego is wanting to be right more than finding out what is right”
Ray Dalio’s Principles will not only provide for you frameworks and rules to think through any professional struggles, but personal ones as well.
“What is the one thing you can do, such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
There are a number of books out there about productivity. Gary Keller and Jay Papasan’s “The One Thing” gives easy to implement strategies for you to find your “One Thing” to execute for what it is you’re trying to achieve.
“Don’t listen to give an opinion, listen to understand”
Legendary record producer Rick Rubin not only describes his creative process but how he coaches creativity in those he is trying to get the best out of. While it may feel out of place in a leadership context, Rubin’s ability to stay at the top of his game because of his ability to carve diamonds out of coal is something to be marveled at.
“Philosophy begins when one learns to doubt – particularly to doubt one’s cherished beliefs, one’s axioms and dogmas”
Covering philosophers and philosophy as far back as Plato and Aristotle, The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant is one of those books that goes in depth in to the most prolific thinkers in history. It is certainly a heavy read but well worth the mental effort. There will certainly be more times that we will reference this book so be on the lookout.
“We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary.”
No one has more of an in-depth look into the topic of Growth vs Fixed Mindset more than Carol Dweck’s book Mindset.
“Often we don’t realize that our attitude toward something has been influenced by the number of times we have been exposed to it in the past.”
Easily one of the best books on the science of persuasion out there! Robert Cialdini goes in depth on the 6 (I believe he’s recently added one more) Principles of Persuasion in this amazing book. If you work with humans…this is a must
