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5 Books You Need to Read if You Want to Become a Better Leader

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Image Credit: Twenty20.com

When you run your own business, you’re more than a business owner, you’re a leader. And if you want your business to be successful, you need to be the kind of leader that inspires the best in your team. Being a great leader isn’t necessarily something you’re born with, it’s something you learn.

One of the best places to look for tips on how to improve your leadership skills might surprise you: your local bookstore. Books are a great way to learn more about the skills necessary to lead your team to success.

Here are five books you need to read if you want to be an exemplary leader:

1. Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead – Brené Brown

Many people believe that the key to great leadership is perfection. They think that if you want to lead, you need to appear to have all the answers all the time. But according to author and researcher Brene Brown, nothing can be further from the truth. According to her research of a decade, the key to great leadership is actually admitting that you don’t have all the answers. It’s all about being vulnerable and human with your team.

In “Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”, Brown talks about the benefits of vulnerability in the workplace and how allowing your team to see the real you – flaws and all – is (despite popular belief) a leadership asset and leads to more engaged and successful businesses.

If you’ve ever struggled with feeling like you need to be everything for everyone in your business, this book is a must-read.

“If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback.” – Brené Brown

2. How To Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

One of the most important parts of being a great leader is getting people to do what you want them to do – and to like you while they’re doing it. “How To Win Friends and Influence People” is timeless in the business world; it was written by Dale Carnegie in 1936. But this classic is just as much a relevant and important read for business owners and leaders today as it was when it was written over 80 years ago.

In this book, Carnegie shows you how to make people you interact with in your business feel valued, heard, and appreciated  – whether it’s team members, colleagues or clients. He also talks about how to win their influence and get them on your side on important business decisions without inspiring resentment, which is an absolute must for an effective leader.

If you want to improve your relationships with the people in your organization and get them on your side on the important stuff (and what leader doesn’t?), make sure you pick up this book.

3. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers – Tim Ferriss

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a panel of the richest, most powerful, and most successful people in the world to offer you leadership advice whenever you needed it? It certainly would. And while you might not be able to have the most successful leaders in the world at your beck and call, “Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers” is definitely a close second.

In this engrossing read, “The 4-hour Workweek” author Tim Ferriss, has gathered some of the best business and leadership advice he’s heard in his years of hosting “The Tim Ferriss Show,” a podcast where he interviews billionaires, icons, and world-class performers (as the title suggests). “Tools of Titans” features actionable advice from his 200+ guests on how to be a better leader, how to increase your performance, and how to build a better business (and life in the process).

4. The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumphs – Ryan Holiday

When faced with obstacles, you have two decisions: you can let them sink you or you can use them as opportunities for growth. And if you want to be a great leader, you need to show your team that the latter decision is the only option.

In “The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumphs” author and entrepreneur Ryan Holiday, explores how the Greek philosophy of stoicism (which is the philosophy of facing challenges adversity and challenges with resilience), has helped some of the most successful leaders in history overcome obstacles and adversity and transform them into triumphs – triumphs that lead to unparalleled levels of success.

If you want to foster a culture in your business that embraces obstacles and uses them as launching pads for bigger successes, you need to lead the charge – and “The Obstacle Is The Way” will show you how to do that.

“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” – Ryan Holiday

5. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ – Daniel Goleman

If you want to be a great leader, it’s important that you’re book smart. But it’s even more important that you’re emotionally intelligent. In “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” psychologist Daniel Goleman, talks about the importance of emotional intelligence – the ability to bridge the rational and emotional minds to better relate to ourselves and our teams.

In this book, Goleman breaks down the five core characteristics of emotional intelligence, why they’re important, and how to cultivate them in order to be a more effective and empathetic leader. If you want to create a better connection with your team – and inspire better work in the process – you need to add this book to your list.

Great leadership is an evolution; if you want to be a successful leader, you need to constantly work on becoming better. With these five books, you’ll be well on your way.

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Parker Davis is the CEO of Nexa, a leader in the virtual receptionist and technology-enabled answering services industry. He believes that the application of data analytics, investment in technology, and fostering a positive company culture together create highly efficient and scalable growth companies. In 2016, Nexa achieved record revenues while also being awarded the Top Companies to Work For in Arizona award. Parker is also the Managing Partner of Annison Capital Partners, LLC, a private investment partnership. Follow him @callnexa and on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Success Advice

Mastering Self-Management for Success: Lessons From Peter F. Drucker

With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success.

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Peter f drucker lessons
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In today’s dynamic professional world, self-management has become increasingly important. With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success. (more…)

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Success Advice

How to Ignite the Spark Within for Future Success

All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

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Igniting your spark
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What is it that makes some people great leaders while others remain followers? What magic do they have that others don’t? What special blessing gives them the power to bring significant change?  (more…)

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How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
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Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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