We believe that leaders are readers. Check out these book recommendations from our Lead and Executive Pastors!
by William McRaven
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university’s slogan, “What starts here changes the world,” he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.
Admiral McRaven’s original speech went viral with over 10 million views. Building on the core tenets laid out in his speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor, and courage. Told with great humility and optimism, this timeless book provides simple wisdom, practical advice, and words of encouragement that will inspire readers to achieve more, even in life’s darkest moments. “Powerful.” —USA Today
by Kevin Gerald
There’s often a gap between where you are and where you could be, whether you know it or not. Whatever your gap is, there’s a test to pass that will build a bridge to where you want to go.
This book will equip you to:
- Stop going in circles and move forward into your full potential.
- Identify what barriers are holding you back so that you can bust through them to the next level in your personal, professional, and spiritual life.
- Challenge limiting mindsets as you embrace healthy habits to overcome the tests of life.
If you want to move your life forward, God will require you to prove your potential at one level so that you can handle what’s next. Let’s pass the test, together.
by John Maxwell
Drawing from the text of the Business Week bestseller Today Matters, this condensed, revised edition boils down John C. Maxwell’s 12 daily practices to their very essence, giving maximum impact in minimal time. Presented in a quick-read format, this version is designed to be read cover to cover in one sitting or taken in as brief lessons in a few spare minutes each day. It covers such topics as:
- Priorities
- Health
- Family
- Finances
- Values
- Growth
Readers will learn how to make decisions on important matters and apply those decisions daily to put them on a path to more successful, productive, and fulfilling lives.
by James Clear
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving – every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, listeners will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.
Learn how to:
- Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy)
- Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower
- Design your environment to make success easier
- Get back on track when you fall off course
- And much more
Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits – whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.
by Joe Sangl
Sick of debt? Ready to break free, and win with your money? In this book, Joseph Sangl shares his family’s journey from being broke to financial freedom! As Joe shares his story, he teaches the PRACTICAL tools that he used to take control of his finances and win with money! Joe teaches the reader how to … develop a plan for one’s life, prepare a budget that actually works (for both steady income AND irregular/seasonal/cyclical income), calculate a debt freedom date, calculate how much money you will need to retire, capture the power of compound interest, investing, and insurance! Even more, this book will inspire and motivate you to take control of your own finances. You CAN do this!
6. 15 Invaluable Laws of Personal Growth
by John Maxwell
Are there tried and true principles that are always certain to help a person grow? John Maxwell says the answer is yes. He has been passionate about personal development for over fifty years, and for the first time, he teaches everything he has gleaned about what it takes to reach our potential. In the way that only he can communicate, John teaches . . .
- The Law of the Mirror: You Must See Value in Yourself to Add Value to Yourself
- The Law of Awareness: You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself
- The Law of Modeling: It’s Hard to Improve When You Have No One But Yourself to Follow
- The Law of the Rubber Band: Growth Stops When You Lose the Tension Between Where You are and Where You Could Be
- The Law of Contribution: Developing Yourself Enables You to Develop Others
This third book in John Maxwell’s Laws series (following the 2-million seller The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork) will help you become a lifelong learner whose potential keeps increasing and never gets “used up.”
by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
In today’s fast-paced world of competitive workplaces and turbulent economic conditions, each of us is searching for effective tools that can help us to manage, adapt, and strike out ahead of the pack.
By now, emotional intelligence (EQ) needs little introduction—it’s no secret that EQ is critical to your success. But knowing what EQ is and knowing how to use it to improve your life are two very different things.
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 delivers a step-by-step program for increasing your EQ via four, core EQ skills that enable you to achieve your fullest potential:
1) Self-Awareness
2) Self-Management
3) Social Awareness
4) Relationship Management
by Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen was a spiritual thinker with an unusual capacity to write about the life of Jesus and the love of God in ways that have inspired countless people to trust life more fully. Most widely read among the over 40 books Father Nouwen wrote is In the Name of Jesus. For a society that measures successful leadership in terms of the effectiveness of the individual, Father Nouwen offers a counter definition that is witnessed by a “communal and mutual experience.” For Nouwen, leadership cannot function apart from the community. His wisdom is grounded in the foundation that we are a people “called.” This beautiful guide to Christian Leadership is the rich fruit of Henri Nouwen’s own journey as one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the 20th century.