Here are three books I’ve read recently. I enjoyed each of them and highly recommend them to anyone looking to learn more about leadership qualities and build their leadership edge.
The topic of leadership and leadership skills is huge. There are so many facets of leadership that the more you study it, the more you realize there is a lot to learn to become a truly exceptional leader.
You don’t have to be a nationally recognized figure like General Patton or Jack Welch to be considered an exceptional leader. You can be the high school coach that inspires his athletes to go on to college or the supervisor who leads a team that consistently outperforms all of her peers in safety, production, morale, and retention.
One thing in common with exceptional leaders is: They love to learn.
Brain Rules
12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Author: John Medina (2008)
Brain Rules is one of the most interesting, informative, and entertaining books I have read in quite a while. I bought it on a whim because it had such great reviews on Amazon. Medina shows you in a very simple and humorous way how the human brain works.
If you want to know more about how to have better memory recall or how your kids learn, this is a good book for you. Medina also talks about the impact that simple exercise and getting enough sleep to have on your brain performance. 99% of people will love this book and come away with a much better understanding of how to maximize their leadership qualities and brainpower in the home, school, and business settings.
Total Leadership
Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life
Author: Stewart D. Friedman (2008)
Friedman shows readers how to balance their work life with their home life. His concept is to rank the effort you put into different areas of your life and measure those efforts against the returns you receive. Freidman then moves on to show you how to understand where to focus your energy so you can get the best results in the most important parts of your life.
This book teaches you that the investment of time and focus pays off through intrinsic satisfaction and a boost in personal performance. And it works for anyone interested in personal leadership and how to optimize their efforts to get maximum results!
Victory Road
The Ride of My Life
Author: Helio Castroneves (2010)
If you love IndyCar racing, as I do, you probably know who Helio Castroneves is – a three-time Indy 500 winner. Oh, and he also won Dancing with the Stars!
This is a great story about focus, leadership qualities, believing in yourself, living in the moment, and overcoming adversity. Helio’s love for racing began as a young boy, going to the race track each weekend with his father, who owned a racing team.
You get an inside view into what some people may think was an overnight success that actually took 14 years. Sound familiar?
One of the best takeaways for me is the philosophy that Helio’s father instilled in him from the beginning “To be a champion, you must act like a champion”.
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What Qualities of Great Leadership Do You Have?
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