Books
I read a lot. Like all the time. Should probably keep track of how much, but I am interested in so many subjects, I just pick up whatever pulls the right lever for me. I don't finish everything, I find so much filler content put in to jack up the page count these days, and I just don't have the patience for it. But there are a few books that had a profound impact on me:
Multipliers
Have you ever had an experience where you realized you were wrong at a core level? Like "how could I have been so stupid" level? That's the way I felt two chapters in to this book. Not because I'm some tirant that pushed and intimidated others to get what I want, but because of what I wasn't doing. Why would I feel this way?
I am constantly driving to improve what I'm doing, and to help those around me. I knew a long time ago that the 'model' of leadership where you stand up high and dictate to the masses was not for me. I want to be part of a team, not the beacon of knowledge. At the same time, I never asked anybody to do something I wouldn't do myself, and always tried to make it easy to have others help me.
Because of this habit, I wasn't challenging my team to come up with solutions, I was trying to defend against requests that overloaded them. Reading this book opened my eyes to the fact that by doing this I wasn't getting the full engagement of my team, and in fact, was diminishing the impact they could make. Ditto for my peers, instead of engaging them with the problems we face, I was trying to manage expectations.
It's hard to describe the mindset shift that came about because of this book, but of all the books I've read in at least the last 5 years, it would have to be at the top of the list for me.
Captain Class
So while this didn't have the same impact for me as Multipliers, it did definitely add to my feeling about what leadership really means. And since I'm both leading a team of my own AND a parent of teenagers, it helps to shape my world view.
The basic premise is calling in to question the definition of what leadership really means. To do that, they looked at dominant teams across a variety of times and sports, looking for a common element that drove their success. What they found is that each of them had a captain to lead them that challenged the common definition of what we might expect.
Most people would expect that person to be the best player on the team, the one to give the 'rah rah' speeches when needed, and to be the public face of the team in the media, etc. What they found is much different. The linch pin in these teams was a captain, but instead of always being the best, they gained the trust by doing things nobody else would do. They would expect the best from themselves and others, and sacrifice for the good of the team.
They give great examples in the book, but the bottom line is that being quiet does not mean you can't be a great leader. In a world where the loudest voices seem to win, this is a great reminder that for truly transformative performance, you need to operate on a different level.
Play It Away
So this one is a tad more personal, in that I had a front row seat (or at least a very good one) to the struggle that the author, Charlie Hoehn, had that was the motivation for the book.
Charlie was the assistant to Tim Ferriss, a well known author and (later) host of a massively popular podcast. At the time, Charlie was under massive pressure leading up to and after the launch of a new book, and basically became overwhelmed with load.
Where I have a more personal connection is that I had reached out to him to help with a membership site they were launching that was a complete mess. I had worked on other side projects like it, so it wasn't much of a big deal for me. I talked with Charlie several times and could tell how stressed and under the gun he was, but he was still such an honest and nice guy it was hard to see someone go through this. The book goes in to the background that I had no way of seeing, but it was nice to see him dig his way out.
I keep this on my book list to remind myself to keep things in perspective and always try to have fun even in times of high stress. Otherwise you can circle the drain and find yourself in a place nobody wants to be in, complete burnout.
Influences
I've been blessed to have many amazing people in my life to show me the way, pick me up when I failed and to love me even when I've been a complete idiot. As I strive to be a better husband, father, friend and positive influence, their voices are a reminder of taking stock of how much control we really have in the direction of our lives. They inspire me every day, and are the reason I have such a dedication to improving myself and helping others in whatever way I can.