We often think of work as visible. Showy. Demonstrable. That used to be the case. For most of history, until the latter half of the 1900s, most work was easy to see. It was blue-collar and physical. And it drove a lot of sales of Bengay.
But today, machines do much of the physical work. This means that much of the important work you do is not seen. Because it happens in your head.
Today nearly 40% of jobs are classified as managers, officials or professionals. Roughly the same percentage are service jobs. While I am no mathemetician, I think that means that 80% of jobs require you to think. Like Aretha Franklin said. Because today, most work is mental.
It is easy to tell when a manual laborer is not laboring. The person on the construction crew leaning on the shovel is both conspicuous and maddening. But when your work is not easily visible, you must bring your own mental discipline to stay on task. Focus is the key to mental productivity. Thinking work requires you to defend your focused time to get the thinking things done.
Focus is critical to strategizing and organizing in your head. Focus is needed to then translate those ideas to your coworkers, customers and partners for alignment and execution. Real focus. Not just focus pocus.
The work performed by your mental machinery is the most valuable type of work there is today. The better you are at this work the more valuable you are to your team, and the more value you create for others.
Key Takeaway
Get good at your own inner workings. Master the work that no one else can see. Create structure and space to think and strategize. Organize the world in your head so you can organize the organization in the real world. This means both finding the quiet to do the work, and the discipline to be diligent about the work you must do to make a difference.
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On Thursday morning I met my great friend Roland ‘Rocky’ Larochelle for breakfast. We hadn’t seen each other for more than a year. When I arrived at the Starbucks he met me by the front door and we heartily greeted each other. It was a great start to the morning. Like Tony The Tiger Great.
Roland had already ordered, so I walked to the counter and ordered a breakfast sandwich and grabbed a chocolate milk from the cooler. Because chocolate milk is my jam. Then I made my way to the small round table where Roland was sitting with his vente coffee. As I sat down, excited to catch up on the past year with an old friend, Roland moved his coffee to the side of the table to make room for me. This is typically an uneventful act. But that morning, the act was most definitely eventful.
In the process of moving his tall and freshly full coffee, the cup tripped and tipped. In an instant, the entire drink splashed onto the table and then poured onto the floor.
The aftermath. It looks like the coffee spilled in the shape of Pangea.
That’s Just Life
These types of mishaps happen all the time. Things are constantly going wrong in both our professional and personal lives. How you respond to such events determines the tone of your life.
You can allow such incidents to make you angry, bitter, deflated or depressed. Or, you can recognize that these setbacks are an expected and unavoidable element of life. You take the hit and roll with it. Like Tina Turner. (That was supposed to be a reference to Proud Mary, not Ike.)
The filter you use to interpret your setbacks determines whether you are floored by them or strengthened.
The Response
For a brief moment after the spill, there was no response. It was like that moment after you see a flash of lightning before you hear the inevitable thunder. You know it’s coming. But you don’t know how soon it will hit. And you don’t know if it will rumble or crack.
Then it hit.
Roland and I both erupted in laughter. It was the best possible response. We recognized that our 20-year friendship had just added another funny story. A new layer. An event to talk about.
Roland is clearly a great guy to spill coffee with.
There is no use crying over spilled coffee. Even $7 coffee. So we moved our things to the next table and began the clean-up. We grabbed napkins and notified the barista-janitor behind the counter of the caffeinetastrophe that had just occurred at table #9.
Within 2 minutes there were no signs of the spill on the table or the floor. Just as the final drops were being mopped another Barista in her superhero apron appeared at our table and presented Roland with a replacement coffee that she had made without us even asking. Thanks, SuperBarsista! You saved the day!
Key Takeaway
Setbacks happen. Everywhere, all the time. It’s not your bad luck. It is life. And physics. Those things are constantly spilling your drinks, breaking your things, blocking your progress, and stealing your time. Just roll with it. These are the basic challenges in the game of life. Keep playing. It makes the whole adventure of life more interesting. It makes you stronger and more capable for the next challenge. And all those setbacks transform into stories. And sooner or later you realize that a good life is just a collection of good stories.
*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.
Some people are Sneakerheads. Others are Deadheads. I am a Bookhead. I collect books. I organize them. And I display them. As a result, I always have unread books in my home. So at the start of 2023, I collected 12 physical books from my personal library as my reading list for the year. It was interesting to look at the mini-library and know that I was expected to plow through the stack over the course of the year.
Having a stack of 12 books also gave me a defined list to choose from each month. It allowed me to decide if I was going to take on something big and meaty or smaller and lighter each month. Then I also decided to read 12 audiobooks that were random and unplanned. Or what I call Nick Cannon-style.
Like disciples, eggs, and donuts, my books come in twelves.
So I am back with a new stack of 24 books in ’24. (Which is wicked symmetrical.) This time I went a step further and predetermined both the Let’s Get Physical books and the Big Audio Dynamite books. Here are the lists, and why I chose each title.
My 12 Let’s Get Physical Books
The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton M Christensen:
Because I enjoy a good dilemma. Which sounds like a contraction of Dali Lama.
This book is the foundation of economics. Plus I dig authors named Adam.
My 12 Big Audio Dynamite Books
This week I discovered that Spotify Premium allows you to listen to audiobooks. This is a total game-changer. Because I love audiobooks, but the library app I use to listen to them limits my time with each title. And I often have long wait times to listen to popular titles. So I am expecting 2024 to be my best year of audiobooks ever, both in terms of quantity and quality. Here are the books in my audio library.
This title is so silly I have to hear the story behind it. Plus, I get a lot of great book recommendations from Ryan Holiday, whose name I always say like Madonna would. I expect all of his books to be good too.
I want to be useful. I would also like to have as many useful tools for life as I have dwarfs.
Key Takeaway
Reading is an important part of your self-improvement plan. Your self-directed education adds to your world knowledge, increases creativity, and enhances both your vocabulary and writing skills. Create a reading habit that works for you. Start small. And once you recognize how much it helps you will naturally find ways to read more.
*If you know someone who could benefit from this list, please share it with them.
I have spent my entire career as a professional creative. I started my career in advertising as a junior copywriter and worked my way up to Chief Creative Officer. Then I Rumpelstiltskined an advertising and idea agency called The Weaponry out of paper clips, bubble gum, and Real Red by Benjamin Moore.
Away from work, I do more creating. I have written 954 blog posts at The Adam Albrecht Blog. I wrote another hundred posts at a humor blog titled You Call That Work? I’ve authored a book titled What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? I co-authored a book called The Culture Turnaround. I’ve co-created a comic strip called Kirky. And I have written and recorded several songs. One song I wrote when I was 16 was the first dance at my co-writers wedding reception. Think Always and Forever by Kip Dynamite.
I know a lot about creativity and the creative process. And I have found that most people wait for inspirational lightning to strike before they create. But Baby, I, I, I can’t wait.
What I Do Instead
I hunt the lightning every day. I put up lightning rods. I tie keys to my kite and fly it to the clouds. I erect an aluminum extension ladder to the heavens. I lasso the lightning and ride it. Like Metallica.
Clockwork Inspiration
What that really means is that I sit down to write every morning by 6:10 am. And when I sit down to work, the inspiration comes. Every day. Without fail.
Because I have created a creative habit, the universe knows it has to deliver the electricity to my desk. Just like nature’s paperboy throwing the morning edition on the porch. (Or like Paperboy throwing Ditty my way in 1993.) And like clockwork, the electricity starts flowing my way.
I go through each day attracting bolts of inspiration the way mobile home parks attract tornadoes. My mind is always tuned for inspiration. Whatever the universe is serving, I can use. My eyes and ears are always open and taking in sparks, flickers and bolts. And because I’m always receptive, I always receive. Like Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. Or OBJ.
To be creative you have to be actively curious. Which means you are actively consuming inputs. Looking. Listening. Reading. Considering. Every day I am collecting more dots. Because creativity is nothing more than collecting dots, and then connecting your dots in new and novel ways.
Key Takeaway
Don’t wait for inspiration to strike you. Go strike the inspiration. Force it to pay attention to you every day by simply sitting down and doing the work. That’s what professional creatives do. And the juice just keeps flowing.
*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.
I was in Orlando last month for a keynote speaking engagement. My talk was at 8 am at the hotel I was staying at near Disney Springs. My flight back to Milwaukee didn’t leave until mid-afternoon. So after my hour-long talk was finished, I had a few hours to pick up some souvenir Vitamin D before I left for the airport.
Once my talk was over, I giddily made my way to the beautiful palm tree-ringed hotel pool. A hotel pool in Orlando should be a nice quiet place to enjoy some outdoor work in December. And it was. Until it wasn’t.
Shortly after I arrived at the pool, I settled into a chair at a poolside table. I opened my laptop. And immediately an alarm began blaring directly behind me. I owled my neck to see where the obnoxious noise was coming from. I spotted an anxious-looking 40-something couple standing next to the hot tub. They clearly looked panicked by the noise. But they took no action.
I looked at the couple as if to say, WOW, THAT’S A REALLY LOUD ALARM. My all-caps look had no effect. They just stood there and did nothing as the entire pool deck was suddenly bathed in more alarm blare than Florida sunshine. While I had packed my sunscreen, I had forgotten my earplugs. And now deafness felt like more of a threat to my well-being than skin damage.
A little detective work told me that the couple tried to turn on the jets of the hot tub time machine. But not being intimately familiar with all the words in the English language, (the dude’s Speedo exposed their Europeanness) they hit the hot tub emergency shut-off alarm instead.
So I got up from my poolside chair, turned, and marched to the hot tub. Right next to the panicky, but non-acting couple, I spotted the white wooden post that held the timer switch and the emergency shut-off alarm plunger button. I reached down and disengaged the recently plunged alarm switch. The noise immediately stopped. As if someone had mentioned E.F. Hutton.
I turned the dial that activated the hot tub jets. I smiled at Mr. Speedo and his wife and had a brief my-work-here-is-done moment. I returned to my chair, my laptop, and the enjoyable sounds of Florida. I sat and worked by the sunny and quiet pool for the next 2 hours until it was time to Uber to the airport for my flight home to MKE.
Key takeaway
When you are experiencing a problem, do something about it. Take action. Make a call. Move something. Ask for help. You have to take charge of the problem, or the problem will not go away. The worst thing you can do is do nothing. Even a wrong move or a seemingly ineffective action is valuable because, through the process of elimination, it gets you closer to an effective solution.
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Last summer my family and I spent two weeks in Europe. We flew into London, then visited Paris, Bern, Switzerland and Munich via train. Exploring Europe by train is a fun experience. And not just if you see London and you see France.
However, making short connections in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language can raise your stress level like that recurring dream about missing your college final exams, while naked, and public speaking.
I’m not Zurich about this.
The most challenging part of our train travel was the leg from Bern to Munich. The issue was that we had to switch trains in Zurich and we only had 10 minutes to do it. We had never been to the station. And we had no idea where our connecting train platform was. I felt like Harry Potter the first time he had to find Platform 9 and 3/4.
To make matters worse, the train we were on was delayed. Which meant that our short 10-minute layover was cut in half. Gulp. We would only have 5 minutes to sprint to our next train in Zurich. But with 5 people hauling 10 overstuffed roller bags and duffles, sprinting does not look like sprinting. It’s more like waddling.
To further elevate our challenge, we were on the upper level of the inbound train and had to haul our massive bags down the train’s tight staircase just to begin the hunt for our next train. Plus, the train was completely packed. And while we were feeling urgent like Lou Gramm of Foreigner, we had to contend with other passengers who exhibited none of our need for speed.
Finally, as our train rolled to a stop at the Zurich train station we each grabbed our 2 bags, plus our backpacks, and clumsily navigated the stairs, trying not to fall or drop our bags on the other passengers. Then we wiggled our way off the train and onto the bustling platform. We hustled towards a monitor where we discovered that our train for Munich was on the other side of the platform we were standing on! It was the best possible scenario!
But now, we had only 3 minutes, and there was a large crowd of people trying to cram onto the train. Because everyone loves Munich. Kinda like Raymond. And bacon.
We got in line and waited for our time to board as the time ticked away. Slowly, we inched our way to the steps, and one by one, all 5 of us and our 10 bags boarded the crowded train car.
However, our progress promptly stopped. We found ourselves just inside the train door with nowhere to move. We had no idea if we were on the right car. We had no idea if we had assigned seats. And we had no idea where to store our 10 big bags because there didn’t appear to be any available space on this overstuffed train.
Then something wonderful happened. The train started to move. We were pulling out of the station. And a big smile spread across my face.
Yes, we were still lost, and confused. We were in a foreign country where we didn’t speak the language or understand the systems and processes. We didn’t know where to sit, where to put our bags, or how to get out of the way of the other passengers.
But we were on the train. And despite the confusion and chaos we were experiencing, we were headed to Munich.
My crew, happy to be rolling with the punches.
Key Takeaway
In life getting on the train is the main thing. You can figure out the rest from there. Just get yourself to the starting point. Get to the gym. Start the business. Open the blank document. Pick up the power tool. Land the job. Sit down with the instrument. Show up to the support group meeting. That is the first step. You’ll figure the rest out as you go.
*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.
I share a pair of season tickets to the Milwaukee Bucks with a group of other guys. At the start of each season, we rank our games in priority order so that we can each see one of the games we would like to see most. This year, my number-one-ranked game was against the Golden State Warriors. I have never seen Steph Curry play live. Finally, this was my year. Because when the games were handed out, I got the tickets to the Golden State game. It was a swish come true.
My family and I are always looking for fun experiences and adventures. Like the Bucks games. So over the holiday break, my wife Dawn found another cool experience for us to enjoy. It was a torchlit snowshoe hike through a park in rural Wisconsin. I loved the idea of it. We have done similar outings while cross-country skiing. And far from being tiki-torcherous, these outings are magical. So I was all in.
However, the snowshoe hike was a leap of faith. Because when we registered for it, there was no snow on the ground. None. Not a flake. It was kinda like the movie White Christmas. But me and my Rosemary Clooney had faith. So we registered and paid our fee anyway. Because in the forecast it looked as if we were likely to get significant snowfall over the following 10 days.
But in the middle of last week, I discovered a problem. The Golden State Warriors game and the hike were on the same Saturday night. Which is like a plot twist in a sitcom. I thought about my options like any good Dad in a good sitcom would do. I thought about leaving the hike early. I thought about sending Dawn and the kids on the hike while I went to the game with one of my guy friends, like Kramer or George.
Finally, I decided that as much as I wanted to see Stef Curry play, this was the last year that my family of 5 would be together before my 18-year-old daughter Ava leaves for college. So in my Good Luck, Charlie moment, I prioritized the family snowshoe outing.
I decided to see if I could trade my Bucks tickets with someone else in my group. Our group’s Ticketmaster, Darren Fisher, helped me swap my tix for a future game to be determined later. I was bummed to transfer the tickets away. But I want to prioritize family time. (I also want Ticketmaster to not sue me for using the name Ticketmaseter without express written consent.)
Then came the snow. We got all the snow that was predicted and more. We got pounded with nearly 2 feet of snow in 5 days. The conditions were perfect for snowshoeing. That is, until they became too perfect. It seems that the amount of snow, plus wind and cold temperatures messed up the prep for the event. So Friday night we were notified that the event had been postponed to the following weekend.
This meant that I gave up my tickets for nothing. A classic sitcom plot twist. Newman...
So on Saturday afternoon, with no Bucks tickets and no snowshoe hike, I took Ava and my son Johann to our local high school boys’ basketball game. Steph Curry didn’t play in that game. Then I took my sons Johann (16) and Magnus (13) to our health club to work out. Again no, Steph.
When we got home from the club we ate dinner and turned on the Bucks-Warriors Game. If I couldn’t be there in person, I could still watch the game on TV. That’s when the final plot twist of my real-life sitcom was revealed. Steph Curry wasn’t playing. He was taking a scheduled rest day as part of what the NBA calls ‘load management.’
Key Takeaway
Life is full of difficult decisions. This is true in our careers and in our personal lives. Make the best decision you can in the moment, with the information you have at the time. Sometimes you’ll get it right. Sometimes you’ll get it wrong. When you are right, give yourself credit for your good call. When you get it wrong, enjoy a good laugh. And know that you’ve got yourself another good story.
*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.
When I first started this blog back in 2015 I was a writer with no readers. But I wrote anyway. I shared personal and professional lessons I was learning so that other people could learn them faster than I did. It was my way of paying it forward, even when I was getting things backward.
I slowly started accumulating readers. I would check my WordPress stats every day to see how many people read my posts. But I became even more fascinated with where the readers were. I soon noticed that this little publishing platform I wrote my posts on could deliver my thoughts all over the world. Like Santa.
I kept writing, and my WordPress world map began turning pink as I reached readers in more and more countries. I couldn’t believe how far the interwebs could fling my writings. I found that so much of my map had turned pink that I started focusing on the countries I hadn’t reached. I realize that I had a map-half-empty perspective. But those were my growth opportunities. Like you hear about in your performance reviews.
Greenland
For years, the biggest emptiest space on my readership map was Greenland. Cartographically speaking, Greenland looks more important than it is. It appears on most maps to be the size of South America or Africa. It looks much bigger than the United States. Which is why being rejected from Greenland was so hurtful. And because it is centrally located between North America and Europe on most of the maps we use in the US, an obviously empty Greenland on my map was like a big zit on the middle of my forehead. Pass the blog post Proactiv.
Look at Greenland now looking all like Pinkland on my readership map.
But 2023 was a milestone year for me. I finally did it. Like Erik The Red, I made it to Greenland! Not once, but twice. It felt like a major mapial accomplishment. Now my readership map looks much more impressive. But it took a lot of work. By the end of 2023, I had published 944 blog post malones.
In 2023 I also added Cuba. And not the Goodling Jr version. The real, cigar making, Elián Gonzálezy, Castro-y Cuba. While Cuba is not nearly as big as Greenland, it is just 90 miles from the United States. Since I felt as if I could kayak there with a printed copy of my blog posts, not reaching Cuba by internet felt like my Bay of Pigs moment.
What’s Next
Now I set new, harder goals. Next, I need to reach Iran and North Korea. Yikes… I also have yet to reach Haiti. Which I hatey. In Africa, I still have to crack Western Sahara and the croissant-looking area that includes Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. Then there is Eritrea, which sounds like a medication they advertise on TV.
I also need to add The Fualkan Islands (What the Fualk guys?) Plus, the ever-unpopular Tajikistan. Svalbard remains the white dandruff on the top of my map. It’s part of Norway. (Come on, Svalbard, I’m 25% Norwegian.) I also have yet to reach the Soloman Islands and New Caledonia, just east and northeast of Australia. So let’s make that happen in 2024 too.
Key Takeaway
Think big. But start small. Then just keep taking small steps. You accomplish your goals little by little. By plugging away every day it is amazing how much you can accomplish over time.
Some Greenland Perspective
While Greenland looks huge on most of our common maps, it is a maptical illusion. The United States is actually 4.5 times larger than Greenland. The total population of G-Land is 56,000 people. For a Green comparison, Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, has a capacity of 81,000.
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One of the most important things I do each year is read. It is the primary source of my self-directed education. Reading not only makes you smarter, but it also increases creativity and vocabulary. It provides an endless source of insight and inspiration. And when you read you are ensuring that all those trees and little ink bugs didn’t die in vain.
I set a goal at the beginning of 2023 to read 12 physical books and 12 audiobooks. I also did something new this year. I gathered the 12 physical books I wanted to read into a stack before the year started. This gave me a visual goal and a library to choose from each month. The results were interesting. Of the 12 books in my 2023 stack, I started 11 but only finished 7 of them. Waa-waa…
Here is my original stack for 2023. I started all by Work Happy. I finished 7 of the 12.
However, in total I read 41 books, far exceding my goal. I have read that the average CEO reads 52 books a year. Which means I am below average. But I’m guessing the average CEO doesn’t also coach youth football and high school track, so cut me some squash.
One of the keys to my larger reading total this year was adding shorter books into the mix. These are books of about 60 to 150 pages. I find that these books are no less valuable than the longer books, but they have less filling, and taste great.
Here are the 41 books I read in 2023 year, in chronological order. (I find chrono to be among the most logical.) 8 of these books are rated AA, which is the highest rating on the Adam Albrecht reading scale. Everyone should read these.
Adam Albrecht’s 2023 Reading List.
Factfulness was my first book of 2023 and one of the best.
Factfulness by Hans Rosling: I loved this book. It is a fact-based, data-based look at the world. And it is full of charts that show how the world is steadily getting better for everyone on nearly every measure. It is a great read for everyone except those who truly want to believe the world is bad and getting worse. I wrote a full review of this book you can read here.Rating. AA
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: This is an inspirational parable about finding your personal legacy and how the whole universe is trying to help you get what you want in life. I first read this right before I started my entrepreneurial journey. I don’t know if I would have become an entrepreneur without it. (I may have become a shepherd.) Everyone should read this book. Rating AA
The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle: This book is a guide to enlightenment. It is deep. Like ocean-deep. It teaches you how to avoid pain and suffering by living in the now. I really enjoyed it. Because I am deep. Like Johnny Deep.
The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: This is a great shorter book about how to make and keep agreements, and commitments. It provides a short and simple code of conduct that has the power to transform your life. Plus I learned about Toltec wisdom. I was surprised to learn it is not the technology they use at toll booths. (But it should be.)
Guide Coaching by Stacy Sollenberger, Monique Honaman and Ellen Dotts: Written by my friends Stacy Sollenberger and Monique Honaman, this book teaches you how to be a great leader by coaching your people. Which is different from mentoring, advising, or dictating. It’s short and valuable. Like a Leprechaun.
Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl: This is a book about finding meaning and purpose in difficult times. Frankl shares his story as a Nazi concentration camp prisoner. It is a remarkable book on psychological thought. It is both heavy and inspirational at the same time. Like the Buddha.
The 12-week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. This book teaches how to shorten your goals and working timeframes to 12 weeks to get more done. The 12-week time frame keeps goals in mind and the pressure on yourself and your team. Whereas a 12-month year can have too much dead time. It’s a very good idea.
Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody This is a light and entertaining book about a boy’s experience growing up on a ranch in Colorado. Since Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder is my favorite book of all time I really enjoyed this. It made me feel like a kid again.
Night by Elie Wiesel: This book won the Nobel Peace Prize. It is short and powerful, like Man’s Search for Meaning. Wiesel also shares his account of his Nazi concentration camp experience. Spoiler alert: it was horrible. But there are important lessons to be learned.
I listened to this thought-provoking audio book on Spring Break And it made me want to quit my job and spend all of my money.
Die With Zero by Bill Perkins Perkins proposes an interesting life philosophy to spend all of your money during your lifetime. The crux of the philosophy is that you shouldn’t spend any of your precious time working for money you won’t need. More importantly, it opened my eyes to the limitation of spending your money past a certain age when you can no longer do things that cost a lot. This book will really make you think.,
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey This book was more than alright, alright, alright. I listened to it as an audiobook and highly recommend that format because you get to hear McConaughey bring the book to life. It is both autobiographical and philosophical. It is definitely interesting and inspirational.
It’s Your Ship by Captain Michael Abrashoff Captain Abrashoff tells the story of taking command of a terrible ship and turning it into the model of ship-ness for all of the military to envy. There are great lessons that can be applied to any organization, team, or business. The book provides a reminder that great leaders can effect great change. And that we all need to get our ship together.
The Power Of One More by Ed Mylett: I have listened to the Ed Mylett podcast for years. His book has more of the same good content including life lessons and philosophies on success and overcoming adversity.
I loved this little book about the power of timing. I think about it all the time. Even when I’m using thyme.
When by Daniel Pink This book is about the scientific facts, secrets and finding of perfect timing. There’s a lot more to getting the timing right than you thought. I found the insights fascinating. And I would read anything Daniel Pink wrote.
Living on a Smileby Jo Ann Herold: Jo Ann is a fellow Ripples Media author, like me. Her book reflects on her life and career and the positive influences she’s had along the way.
The Conquering Creative by William Warren: William is also a fellow Ripples Media author. He shares his personal story of young William as an art school student who became afraid to pursue a career as an artist. But after a few years in a corporate job, he decided to follow his passion and create a creative career. He now leads a thriving creative business. He shares tips and tricks to help other creatives do the same. As a creative-turned-entrepreneur myself, I endorse this book as a great how-to.
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark Winters: This book is about the power unleashed when great visionary leaders team up with great operational leaders. It creates Rocket Fuel. Elton John would find it useful.
Think Againby Adam Grant: Grant shares interesting insights about the power of rethinking what you thought you knew. It is about being open to new information. And about how the world is actually filled with complicated dilemmas rather than rights and wrongs. It’s a great book to read during an election year. Oh looky, we’re in an election year!
Mentoring 101 by John C Maxwell: The great leadership expert Maxwell shares insights into mentoring, which is a specific kind of leadership. Hence, the title.
How Successful People Thinkby John C. Maxwell: Here Maxwell shares collections of commonalities among successful people. He shares the importance of big-picture thinking, creative thinking, and shared thinking to shape your life for the better.
There’s a reason this book was a #1 National Best Seller. (Because it sold the best in the nation.)
Devil In The White City by Erik Larson: This book is amazing! I have owned it for a long time and heard how good it is. But only read it this year. It is about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The book tells the true story of how the fair happened against all odds, and about the serial killer who preyed on those coming to Chicago. (Note that preyed is very different than prayed.) This is Rated AA
You Get The Agency You Deserve by Jared Belsky: Jared is another Ripples Media author. He has led multiple advertising agencies and shares lessons about how great clients get great work out of their agencies, how bad clients get bad work, and how anyone can become a great client and get great work from their agency.
I knew nothing about the history of the Comanches. This book was a reminder of the very narrow accounts of American history most of us know.
Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne: This is a fascinating book about the rise and fall of the Comanche Indians, the badest Indian tribe of them all. And the last to be conquered in America. It is a great book that teaches real history that goes far beyond what we learned in school. Rated AA
Grit by Angela Duckworth: Duckworth shares her important work on the power of grit on success and achievement. This is important stuff to know. And surprisingly, there’s no sandpaper.
Molly’s Game by Molly Bloom. The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World. I had seen the movie. The book is better. The story is incredible. And Bloom is a force that could probably do anything she set out to do. Rated AA
Check out the dudes who endorse this book on the cover. You probably don’t need to read my endorsement below. Just click the link and buy it.
Principles by Ray Dalio: Dalio is one of the richest dudes on the planet. He made his money through the hedge fund he created, Bridgewater Associates. More impressively, Dalio has amassed a broad range of important principles to be applied to life and work to be most successful. I loved this book and all the great knowledge it shares. Rated AA
Year Of Yes by Shonda Rhimes: Shonda Rhimes (No relation to LeAnn) is the creator of such cultural hits as Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. After a pivotal moment in her life, she decides to say Yes! to everything for a year. The book is the story of what happened as a result. Also, Rhimes went to college at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, where I went to high school. So I dug all of the hometown talk in this book. If you are a no-sayer, check this book out. (And also read it.)
Wake Up Happy by Michael Strahan: This is a biography of the NFL football star and TV show host. He shares his unique journey to the NFL. And how he got all of his TV opportunities, despite some speaking challenges.
Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne: This is a great business strategy book that maps out how to create Blue Oceans, areas without direct competitors, and avoid Red Oceans, highly competitive spaces that turn into bloodbaths. That just went dark, huh? This is a great business book. It’s underwhelming if you are reading it to learn about great beaches.
The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink. Pink writes insightful, data-backed gems about how looking backward moves us forward. He inspires us all to learn from the past to create a better future. I really enjoyed this book and don’t regret reading it at all. Nor do I regret not getting any tattoos. If you are thinking about getting some new ink I suggest you read this first.
First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham: Another great business book, this book dives into what really separates great managers from everyone else. Studies have shown that they have a fundamentally different way of getting the best out of their people and the roles they fill.
Killers of The Flower Moon by David Grann: Now a hit movie starring guys from Meet the Fockers and The Wolf of Wall Street, this book is about the Osage Indians, a rash of unexplained murders, and the birth of the FBI. The book is great, and a real eye-opener to a chapter of American History I knew nothing about. The book is great if you like to read about murder or history. There is less about flowers and moons than you might have guessed based on the title.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson: I guess this book was about the power of not giving an F. The title was the best part of the book. I didn’t get it. Based on ratings and reviews, other people really liked it. But it was the only book I read last year that I didn’t enjoy or wouldn’t recommend. Maybe it’s because I am not subtle. And because I do give an F.
Years ago, my friend David Grzelak told me he read these books with his kids and loved them. This has been on my to-read list ever since. Turns out this book was much easier to read than the name Grzelak.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I loved this book! This was one of the few fiction books I read this year. I had seen the movie, and the book was even better. It was highly entertaining and thought-provoking. It reminded me of Running Man with Arnold. But with a young lady hero leading a fight to the death, and fighting against the evils of the society she lives in. I was hungry for more Hunger Games, so I got the other 3 books in the series for Christmas. Rated AA
The Journey of the Crescent Penny by Curt Reynolds: My friend Curt wrote this interesting little book about a misprinted penny, and what happens to each of the people who receive the penny. The ending provided a total surprise, and I hope Curt writes a sequel because I have to know what happens next.
This story is crazy! Which is why it has been turned into multiple shows.
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. This book tells the story of the Sackler family dynasty. The family dynasty is based on riches made off of pain medication. The Sacklers and their little business, Purdue Pharma, created Oxycontin, and the opioid crisis. This is a fascinating book on how money corrupts. Rated AA
Kobe by Nelson Pena: This book is about the life and legend of Kobe Bryant. It provides lessons we can all learn from the unique and obsessed approach Kobe brought to everything he did. I found it interesting. I have had a challenge with the Kobe hero worship since his incident at that Colorado hotel. But this book helped me see why others like him so much.
Influence by Robert Cialdini: This book provides a highly scientific explanation of the various forms of influence and how we can use them both personally and professionally. There is a lot that can be applied to marketing, advertising and sales, which are all areas of Cialdini’s specialty as a college professor. The book was dense with information and insights, like a serious college textbook. Expect to learn a lot from reading this. But don’t expect to read this tome in a weekend.
Originalsby Adam Grant: This book dives into what sets truly original thinkers apart. It all starts with rejecting the most commonly held approaches and assumptions and exploring better options. The book dives into who has done this well and how you can apply their approaches to your life.
Key Takeaway
I am a fundamentally different person today than I was a year ago because of these 41 books. Create your own stack of books to read to help you learn and grow in 2024. Share what you like with the rest of us. It’s how we all get better together.
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