1.
The Smartest
Investment Book You’ll Ever Read by Daniel R.
Solin: Solid investment advice on how to use indexing to build a nice nest
egg for retirement, including arguments against stock-picking and high-fee
advisors.
2.
It’s Your Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff: Exactly what you would
expect from a leadership book from a career military officer who turned the USS
Benfold from one of the worst to the Best Damn Ship
in the Navy within 2 years, while also inspiring his crew
to take ownership of their performance and futures.
3.
The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss: Another life hack book from the life hack
master. Ferriss lays out the secrets (hard work and discipline for the most
part…surprise!) for building your best body. My son and I followed his 28-day
replicate of the infamous Colorado Experiment, with my son gaining – pounds of
muscle and me putting a ½ inch on my arms at my age….
4.
The History of Money in America by
Alexander del Mar: Excellent
book that details not just the evolution of paper, coin and other forms of
money in America, but the motivations behind its coming to be and the long-term
impact of those decisions.
5.
Man Up by
Bedros Keuilian: Leadership book from the founder and CEO of
Fit Body Boot Camp. The ‘Immigrant Edge’ as he is known, cuts to the chase and
provides direct, practical, and sometimes in-your-face advice about taking
charge of your life in order to drive success in both your business ad personal
life.
6.
Theodore Roosevelt by
Theodore Roosevelt: Autobiography of a man’s man that should be
required reading for any American. Too many great quotes and principles to live
by to list, so continue to check my blog. I love this guy and his kind is a
thing of the past. It’s sad that we don’t have someone of his ilk around today
on either side of the aisle to lead this country through the multiple crises we
are dealing with. I’ve said before that I cannot stand our two party system and
I find it interesting to know that two men ranked at the top of the ‘All-Time
Favorite Presidents’ list (Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt) were both
ideologically opposed to the parties they ran and served under as president.
Theodore, as a Republican broke up major trusts, created national parks and won
the Noble Peace Prize for ending the war between Russia and Japan, and FDR knew that the majority of his policies as a Democrat were
decimating his wealth (his biography was titled ‘A Traitor to
His Class’ ) and was actually disappointed when he won a 4th
term in office.
7. Future Shock by Alvin Toffler: Written 50 years ago (1970), this books speaks to the trauma brought on by fast-paced change and suggested actions to get ahead of this issue before transience, diversity and novelty overwhelm our ability to cope with day-to-day life in the age of technology.
8. What Motivates Me by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton: Excellent book that not only helps one understand his or herself, but also those on your team. Very thought-provoking read that I will attempt to use to help motivate those around me based on their personality types.
9. Mastering Creativity by James Clear: Short, insightful read on some best practices to increase your throughput in all areas by getting started, having a plan and not being afraid to fail.
10. The Way
of Liberation by Adyashanti: A great reminder that we
create the vast majority of our problems, and, our thoughts on reality
aren’t reality. We should accept life (and people) for what it/they are and not
be so judgmental of everything, including ourselves. Then, and only then, can
we make progress. Deal with each challenge honesty and look at life as it is,
not as we wish it to be.
11. Making Work Visible
by Dominica DeGrandis: Solid advice on using lean Kanban flow
principles to identify operational time thieves to maximize throughput in any
operation.
12. The Encore
Career Handbook by Marci Alboher: Comprehensive
guidebook for anyone looking for ideas on work for the next phase of life.
Contains detailed perspectives and insight from those who have already been
successful in determining how to use previous experiences to add value to both
your personal life and community.