|
7 Habits of Highly Effective People |
|
|
|
This is one of Steven Covey’s foundational books on how to be effective and productive. There are many great tips and strategies in this book. One of the most common is the 4 box grid which helps identify the important vs. urgent. In our society today it is almost unavoidable to NOT get swept up in the urgent, reacting to all the things that pop up around us and demand our time. If you do not deal with the important eventually everything becomes urgent and a crisis.
You have a choice every day. Will your day run you or will you run your day? Will you live in the urgent or important? The feelings of unproductivity, insanity and chaos occur when you constantly live in the urgent. To shift and balance urgent with important and actually RUN your day, you must have a clear handle on what is important and know how to handle the urgent things that come up so they do not derail you from accomplishing the important. Check out this book to master your skills. |
|
Eat that Frog! |
|
|
|
With the new year just around the corner, there are all kinds of intentions floating around. But, be it the cold weather or the less than pleasant tasks involved, procrastination quickly sets in and our resolutions are tucked away, never to become a reality. If you’re ready to take on your resolutions with intention this year, Brian Tracy’s “Eat the Frog!” is the book for you. In his powerful book on overcoming procrastination, Tracy shares 21 ways to organize, prioritize, and move ahead with any project! If this is the year that you’re serious about your resolutions, I highly recommend that you “eat your frog!” |
|
|
|
A great quick-read to inspire and motivate. Based on the story of a fish market in Seattle, “FISH” offers wisdom for everyday living. The book focuses on four key concepts:
These 4 simple lessons help to teach how you can have more power over your environment and improve the working relationships you have. Whether you are looking to build a team or just have day-to-day peace, learning how to apply these easy principles will give you a life that is more enjoyable and has better results. A fun story that is short to read makes this book entertaining and educational. A classic book for your library. |
Manage Your Energy: Fill with Energy/ Empty “Time Management”
In the book, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, a new paradigm for time management is presented. The premise focuses on encouraging people to leverage their energy rather than time. We have all known for years, you cannot get more time, no matter what you do you only get 24 hours a day. Loehr says, “The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time we have.” Focusing on the concept of harnessing your energy to be in FULL ENGAGEMENT will help you to empty your plate and get what you need to accomplish done. A few tips the book emphasizes are:
· Manage your energy, not your time
· Downtime is key for your success
· Rituals help to maintain focus
· Purpose fuels performance
· Work in sprints (small bursts of focused energy)
|
MONDAY MORNING LEADERSHIP |
|
|
|
This is a great book that can be read in one sitting and then re-read over the course of 8 days or 8 weeks. Phenomenal MUST read. It includes 8 easy to digest mentoring sessions that David had sitting at the feet of a business master. Each chapter/session includes great reminders for every business person to remember and integrate into how they work personally and with others. Whether through work, volunteerism, family or elsewhere, these timeless tips are motivational and applicable for every person. One of the sessions is on time management; he talks about many things we have shared before and also some new tips. One key statement I found motivational and true was from p. 63 “I’ve never found anyone who had two or three hours a day they could save by doing one thing better. But, I have seen many people find an hour or two a day they could use better by doing a few things differently.” If you want to make better use of your time, you need to be looking for the small increments of time… a minute here, five minutes there, etc. Add them all up and you’ll create more time for you to use.” There is much more. Get the book for your library! |
Now, Discover Your Strengths
In their new book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths,” authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton suggest that we tend to focus on what needs to be “fixed” with ourselves. Then, they demonstrate how fluid and successful life is when we set aside our shortcomings and truly leverage our own strengths. The book illustrates how knowing your personal strengths, and recognizing the strengths of those around you, can help you build a dynamic and successful organization, network, or team.
An even bigger BONUS is that you get a personal code for an online survey that identifies YOUR “top- five inborn talents”! This benefit is worth every penny you spend on the book! Identifying your top 5 strengths will change the way you look at life. This assessment is unique from the many other assessments out there (i.e. Myers-Briggs, DISC, etc.). With the “strengths” information in hand, you will be able to apply the theories presented in the book on a day-to-day basis.
I HIGHLY recommend this book: it is a refreshing concept that moves you forward by focusing on the positive and teaching you how to maximize your full potential!
Influencer
The content of this book makes it an important read. I will say I did not find this book the easiest to read; for me it feels pretty “academic”. However, it is a good book because it is packed with examples of how to understand human behavior and how to act differently to get better results. It talks about emotional intelligence and how our brain works, building social capitol (support and people around you), motivators of people (positive motivation last longer than negative), designing environments to influence the way you want to be, habits for effectiveness, etc. It gives a high level on many areas that are important for being a positive, successful, productive person who is able to impact others and make a difference. To me it pushes the higher level of leadership that is only achieved with intention, focus and discipline. It challenges even the natural leader to consider how they operate and ways to take their leadership / influence to the next level.
