Issue No. 589 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting delivers my Top-10 book picks from 2023 and my Book-of-the-Year. Also, Happy New Year! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for almost 600 book reviews, and click here for my “menu” of 14 inspiring books for 2024. (Pick two!) And if you’re behind on your reading, click here for my top picks from 2022. Plus, click here for the updated lists of books reviewed since 2006.
Hmmm. Should your next book enrich your head—or your heart—or both? There’s something for almost everyone in my Top-10 books for 2023, plus my Book-of-the-Year pick. Happy reading or listening!
& Book-of-the-Year!
This issue features selected books I reviewed in Issues No. 542 to 588. To read other 2023 book reviews from Your Weekly Staffing Meeting eNews, visit the archives at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog.
In 2023, I published 47 issues. Certainly not all of the Top-10 books (or the Book-of-the-Year) will have popular appeal—because all of us are at different levels of competencies and curiosity across the 20 management buckets.
In 2022, I launched the Pails in Comparison blog, with shorter book reviews—comparing and contrasting new titles to other books and buckets (buckets, pails…get it?). Continuing in 2023, I published 30 “PIC” issues. Some issues in both blogs included more than one book, so I reviewed about 77 books in 2023, including several films. I also cajoled several colleagues to join me on three “Zoom Reviews.” What did you read in 2023?
2023 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR
CLEAR THINKING: TURNING ORDINARY MOMENTS INTO EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS, by Shane Parrish. (Read my review.) The author asked the CEO of a large public company, “If you could pick one trait that would predict how someone would turn out, what would it be?” The CEO’s response: “That’s easy. How willing are they to change their mind about what they think they know.” 
Favorite Quote: “If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get the same results that everyone else gets. Best practices aren’t always the best. By definition, they’re average.” Parrish adds, “The ‘zone of average’ is a dangerous place when it comes to inertia.” (Order from Amazon.)
2023 TOP-10 BOOKS
(Listed chronologically by review date.)
[ ] #1. FALL IN LOVE WITH THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION: A HANDBOOK FOR ENTREPRENEURS, by Uri Levine. (Read my review.) “A start-up is a journey of failures,” writes Uri Levine, who describes himself as a passionate entrepreneur and disruptor, and a two-time “unicorn" builder. He quotes Albert Einstein, “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.”
Favorite Quote: A CEO was asked, “Did you sleep well at night, being the CEO of a start-up?” The response: “Oh yes. I slept like a baby. I woke up every two hours and cried.” That’s actually true—but read the other 13 “True or False” statements in my review. (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #2. HARDWIRING NEW LEADERSHIP HABITS: DOES DEVELOPMENT DEVELOP? by Dick Daniels. (Read my review.) The author (recipient of the Book-of-the-Year honors in 2015 and 2021), writes about “The Johari Window Model.” Do you know anyone in the “Known to Others” and “Not Known to Self” quadrant? That’s the “Blind Spot,” says Daniels.
Favorite Quote: “One of the toughest leadership transitions is the move from operational leader to strategic leader,” writes Daniels. He notes the “seven seismic shifts” that must occur per the HBR article, “How Managers Become Leaders.” Example: “Bricklayer to Architect.” (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #3. GRACE AMBASSADOR: BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH, by John Jackson (foreword by Ed Stetzer). (Read my review.) He writes, “I am not sure how many of us would invite a modern-day Jesus to address our church leadership conferences, since His three years of public ministry left only 120 frightened followers in that Upper Room!”
Favorite Quote: Church Gathered vs. Church Distributed! Imagine—if you flipped the script in local churches and just 20 percent of the church family “would be needed for the ministries of the Church gathered and 80 percent could be equipped and released for redemptive presence ministry in the community as the Church distributed.” (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #4. THE FOUR WORKAROUNDS: STRATEGIES FROM THE WORLD'S SCRAPPIEST ORGANIZATIONS FOR TACKLING COMPLEX PROBLEMS, by Paulo Savaget. (Read my review.) David Schmidt and Jason Pearson joined me for a “Zoom Review” of this fascinating book. (View the review.)
Favorite Quote: “My pet peeve is when people say that you must think outside the box, and then they follow a one-size-fits-all brainstorming approach. Not every creative activity needs Post-its and flip charts!” (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #5. CULTURE SHOCK: AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE HAS CHANGED HOW WE WORK AND LIVE. GALLUP'S SOLUTION TO THE BIGGEST LEADERSHIP ISSUE OF OUR TIME, by Jim Clifton, Gallup Chairman, and Jim Harter, Gallup’s Chief Workplace Scientist. (Read my review.) The authors write, “You probably haven’t heard this: ‘Our employees and front-line managers control customer outcomes and daily cash flow more than any other single lever we can pull.’” 
Favorite Quote: “The Most Important Habit of a Great Manager.” Why getting this wrong “is the root cause of burnout.” The habit? “One meaningful conversation per week with each team member.” (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #6. YOURS TRULY: AN OBITUARY WRITER'S GUIDE TO TELLING YOUR STORY, by James R. Hagerty. (Read my review.) The author writes, “Don’t let anyone tell you that sharing your story is selfish, a sign of conceit or vanity. It’s an act of generosity.” He quotes poet Jim Harrison, “Death steals everything except our stories.” 
Favorite Quote: “…your story is likely to be written in haste by a friend or family member distracted by grief and the many urgent tasks of dealing with a death. And, I’m sorry to inform you, this well-meaning person will probably describe someone you would not recognize.” (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #7. DECISION SPRINT: THE NEW WAY TO INNOVATE INTO THE UNKNOWN AND MOVE FROM STRATEGY TO ACTION, by Atif Rafiq. (Read my review.) In Chapter 9, “Hack Today’s System,” the author writes: “My promise is there will be fewer and more effective meetings for everyone at all levels.” 
Favorite Insights: Will your next meeting be about inputs or outputs? Are you working upstream or downstream? Why? Of the five elements of a workflow (participation, purpose, inputs, outputs, and format)—what did you miss in your last meeting? Who should read this book first? (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #8. THE ONE YEAR® BOOK OF HYMNS: 365 DEVOTIONS BASED ON POPULAR HYMNS, compiled and edited by Robert K. Brown and Mark R. Norton; devotions written by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. (Read my review.) After discovering this meaningful book, most mornings now, I turn to the hymn for the day’s date and enjoy reading all four verses of the daily hymn, a brief bio/inside story of the hymn writer (sometimes a devotional thought), and a related Scripture verse. Then I listen to the hymn on YouTube. 
Example: The hymn, “Just As I Am” (June 22), was written by Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871), who wanted to clean up her act before becoming a Christ-follower. A minister, however, invited Elliott to “come just as you are.” You’ll recognize this hymn, sung at hundreds of Billy Graham Crusades—except one. In my review, you can listen to Cliff Barrow’s stunning story about the London crusade in 1967. (Listen here.)
[ ] #9. REWIRED: THE MCKINSEY GUIDE TO OUTCOMPETING IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL AND AI, by Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel. (Read the review.) I asked two friends, John Reynolds and David Schmidt, to join me for a “Zoom Review” of this fascinating book. (Listen to our review.)
Favorite Quote: John Reynolds, President of Los Angeles Pacific University, read and reviewed this book for us and urges every executive to get it off the shelf and onto your desk! He writes, “Circle in your mind ‘practitioner,’ ‘leaders,’ and ‘digital,’ and you will know right now that this is a must-read for every organizational leader.” (Order from Amazon.)
[ ] #10. STAY SANE IN AN INSANE WORLD: HOW TO CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES AND THRIVE, by Greg Harden with Steve Hamilton. (Read my review.) “I can’t teach Tom Brady how to throw the ball. I can’t teach Desmond Howard how to catch the ball. I can’t teach Michael Phelps how to do a perfect flip turn. All I can do is teach you how to become the world’s greatest expert on one subject: yourself.” 
Favorite Chapters: The book includes two jammed-packed chapters on interviewing: Chapter 33, “When You’re Interviewing Someone, Let Them Tell You Who They Are,” and Chapter 34, “When You’re Being Interviewed, Turn It Around!” (Order from Amazon.)
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
In my review of the 2019 book-of-the-year, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead, by Jim Mattis and Bing West, I quote General Mattis:
• “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, learning from others who went before you, you are functionally illiterate—you can’t coach and you can’t lead.”
• Gen. Mattis also writes that the Commandant of the Marine Corps maintains a list of required reading for every rank. “All Marines read a common set; in addition, sergeants read some books, and colonels read others. Even generals are assigned a new set of books that they must consume. At no rank is a Marine excused from studying.”
THE BIG QUESTION: What are the reading (or listening) requirements for every level in your organization?
Mastering 100 Must-Read Books - Part 10: White House/Fight House
Book #59 of 100: How Ike Led
For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by spotlighting Book #59 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.
How Ike Led:
The Principles Behind Eisenhower's Biggest Decisions
by Susan Eisenhower
Books #56 through #60 spotlight five books on U.S. presidents in the section, “White House/Fight House.” Timely? Susan Eisenhower, Ike’s granddaughter, writes that the war hero turned politician wasn’t really a politician at all. (Sounds good! Tell me more!) Both Democrats and Republicans vied for his loyalty and Ike, reluctantly at first, agreed to run as a Republican. He championed the “Middle Way” and defeated Adlai Stevenson twice to serve his nation eight years as U.S. President.
• Read my review.
• Order from Amazon: How Ike Led
• Listen on Libro (12 hours, 24 minutes)
• Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson).
LOL! The Republican National Committee complained about Ike’s excessive postage budget! After a second complaint letter from the RNC, “he quipped that [an aide] ought to write to the RNC and ask them: ‘How long has it been since you had a winner!?’” (Ike was the first Republican to win the White House since Herbert Hoover in the 1928 election.)
Bill Butterworth writes, “We are all called to influence because, as human beings, we are all constantly impacting those around us. Sometimes our influence is good, sometimes it is bad. Influence is rarely neutral. Sometimes the influence is in big chunks, but most times the influence is in small, bite-sized tidbits, and therein lies the secret sauce for greater influential effectiveness.” Read my review. And for more book reviews, visit the Pails in Comparison Blog.
Board Exercise:
“What if your CEO is hit by a bus?”
“Design Your Succession Plan Now! What if your CEO is hit by a bus?” is Lesson 8 in More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: Effectiveness, Excellence, Elephants! by Dan Busby (1941-2022) and John Pearson. This chapter includes 11 principles for succession planning and suggests a 15-minute boardroom exercise. Plus this reminder: “Every CEO is an Interim CEO.” Read the lesson. Read the guest blog by Bill Frisby. Order the book.
____________________________________________________
PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. Are the people on your marketing and communications team—readers or listeners? Peter Drucker said it’s important to know your preference and the preferred communication style of every team member, boss, and board member. Happy New Year and enjoy reading and listening in 2024! For more book recommendations and resources (including AI), contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).
____________________________________
Your Weekly Staff Meeting is emailed free two to four times a month to subscribers. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. PRIVACY POLICY: Typepad, Inc. hosts John Pearson's Buckets Blog. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform for Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews. By clicking (above) to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy policy here.
Comments