#1. The key to success isn’t talent or IQ but a special combination of passion and persistence known as “grit.” That’s the conclusion of psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth in her new bestseller, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” I recently got my copy in the mail from Amazon and I’m already halfway through it. Chapter 7 – “Practice” - is worth the price of the book. As it happens, I’m in the middle of a training program for a strenuous cycling event next month, and what the author says about how gritty people approach practice caused me to re-think how I approach my training rides. I can’t wait to read more.
#2. Sometimes books are so powerful and impactful they should be re-read every few years. That’s the case with "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You," by John C. Maxwell . I read this book a few years ago but I need to read it again. John Maxwell has written dozens of books, but this is his best work and it is considered a leadership classic. Maxwell lays out the foundations of leadership he learned from decades of personal successes and mistakes, as well as powerful leadership principles drawn from the arenas of business, politics, sports, religion and military conflict.
#3. “The Art of War” is another book I’ve read before - actually, more like “skimmed” before - but I feel it’s time to read it again and absorb the lessons. This book is easily the most successful written work on strategy and tactics to defeat your competitor. Attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking general, this ancient treatise has profoundly influenced military thinking, business tactics and legal strategies. This book contains 13 sections pertaining to different aspects of battle strategy. A favorite quote: “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
