Recently someone asked me on Twitter what’s on my reading list for this year,

so… I thought I would share with you what’s on my radar so far:

Good to Great and the Social Sectors by Jim Collins

The Leadership Pipeline by Charan, Drotter & Noel

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Tribal Leadership by Logan, King & Fischer-Wright

Paul, Women & Wives by Craig Keener

Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson

Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis

Necessary Dreams by Anna Fels

The Leader’s Voice by Crossland & Clarke

Open by Andre Agassi

Those are the ones waiting in line on my shelves.  I’ll add more as the year goes.  I like to have a mix of new books and older books.  I also have rule that everything I read is based upon recommendation.

Currently I’m in the middle of:

• Going Rogue by Sarah Palin
• Put Your Dream to the Test by John C. Maxwell
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
• True North by Bill George

And I recently finished this book:

I’ve just recently discovered Bill George and I’m really enjoying his books.  7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis is a great, practical resource especially if you find yourself facing an unexpected leadership crisis.

What is on your reading list this year?

I don’t remember exactly when I became a fan.

I just vividly remember thinking “this guy is BRILLIANT!”

His perspective on taking your God-given uniquenesses and channeling those towards being the most effective, thriving, fulfilled person you can be  resonated with me so deeply.

And so, I have consumed every book he has written.  I have listened every chance I’ve had to hear him speak.  I’ve watched his videos and I’ve taken all of our staff through the Strengths Finder materials.

Imagine how excited I was when I learned that he was writing a book SPECIFICALLY FOR WOMEN!

In Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently Marcus puts into data and words the feelings that I think women leaders have wrestled with as we’ve continued to make greater strides over the last several decades in our careers.  The startling reality?  We’re less happy now than we were decades ago when we had less options and less opportunities.  Seems kind of backwards, right?  In our attempt to “have it all” we’re finding ourselves more and more miserable.  Marcus attempts to redefine “having it all” and then walks us through some data, myths and choices that we need to evaluate in order to find our strongest life.

If you’re a woman trying to “have it all”, Marcus is going to hit a nerve… well, really a lot of nerves… as you read through this book.  The book is a very quick read.  That can be good or bad depending on your perspective.  For me, it was too quick.  And if you’ve been a Marcus fan for some time, you are going to see a lot of regurgitated material from his other books.  There’s probably no way around that since he’s staying focused on his strength of empowering others to find theirs – you can only say the same thing in different ways so many times.  But if you are brand new to Marcus, you’ll love it!

Here’s my favorite quote from the book and a quick video of Marcus telling you about the book himself.

“The psychological result of too many choices is that we’re always in search of an elusive perfection.”

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a book review.  Not because I haven’t been reading.  Just because nothing has wowed me enough to tell you about it.

Well, the drought is over.

I finally finished Jim Collins new book “How the Mighty Fall” and LOVED IT!

There’s no question I’m a Jim Collins fan.  I believe “Good to Great” is the defining business book of our generation.  “Right seat on the bus”, “hedgehog”, “flywheel”… all terms that have become part of our universal vocabulary as leaders.  But honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect from “How the Mighty Fall”.  I was definitely intrigued by the concept but frankly wondered if Jim had a another great book in him.

What I love about this book is that Jim wrestles with a fear that leaders of any organization wrestle with “what if we fail?”  As a church leader, I can’t help but watch the dying churches all over America and wonder “how did they get there?” No church sets out to reach hundreds of people, have a thriving, growing ministry and then one day find themselves rapidly declining and struggling to pay the bills.

Let me clarify.  There are differences between businesses and churches and I’m not suggesting that “How the Mighty Fall” is the antidote for struggling churches.  What I am saying is that reading Jim’s observations and analysis of businesses that have fallen provides a framework from which to ask questions and seek direction.  In fact, one of the chapters of the book could have easily been called “pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18).  It wasn’t difficult to find some Biblical themes running through this one in regard to the lack of character, integrity and wisdom of the leaders of companies that had fallen.

Here are a few quotes from the book that got me thinking:

“Every institution is vulnerable, no matter how great.  No matter how much you’ve achieved, no matter how far you’ve gone, no matter how much power you’ve garnered, you are vulnerable to decline.”

“While no leader can single-handedly build an enduring great company, the wrong leader vested with power can almost single-handedly bring a company down.”

“The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change.  The signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency.”

“When you abandon hope, you should begin preparing for the end.”

Have you read the book?  What would you add?

The subtitle of this book really sums it up quite well: “Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.”  Perspective is the power of this story.  In The Noticer Andy Andrews retells his own dramatic story of gaining life-changing perspective from a little old man named “Jones”.  Jones, a self-proclaimed “noticer” weaves his way into the lives of people from all walks of life and challenges them to consider their perspective.  The imprint that Jones leaves on these lives, including Andy’s, is nothing less than remarkable and inspirational.

This is going to sound like a really big statement but I believe The Noticer is one of those rare books that has the power to start a movement that could change our generation.  In our fast-paced, ego-centric,  on-demand society we need more than ever to see things, especially people, with fresh perspective.  As Jones says in the book “a grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person’s life”.  This book reminds us of just how valuable our days are and how much more meaningful everyday is if we choose to look at it differently.

“While it is true that most people never see or understand the difference they make, or sometimes only imagine their actions having a tiny effect, every single action a person takes has far-reaching consequences.”

Every single action a person takes has far-reaching consequences. These are some powerful words… and if we take them seriously and apply them to our lives, there is no end to the impact we could have on the people around us.

This is the kind of stuff that Andy gets you thinking about in The Noticer.  By sharing Jones’ story of how he counseled, coached and questioned others into seeing life from a different perspective, you can’t help but shift your own perspective… “to regroup, take a breath, and begin your life again”.

My suggestion: Buy it, read it, gift it to a friend, and then read it again.

The Noticer releases tomorrow, April 28th.  Go check out more here!