“Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything.” -Tomie dePaola
Did you know that the average person reads just one book a year (and the majority only get through the first chapter)? On the flip side, the average CEO of Fortune 500 companies reads 4-5 books per year, with some reading up to 60 books per year! Leaders are readers.
Fostering a company culture of learning and personal growth, the executive team, led by CEO Jim Higgins, encourages the daily habit of reading. From the list of books the executive team read this year we pulled ten together for 2017’s Top 10 Executive #SolutionReads. Enjoy!
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
By Brené Brown
“This is a transforming book to read because Brené Brown inspires her readers to not sit on the sidelines, but to get up and try, even if they fail. You will finish the book a better person than when you started.”
-CEO, Jim Higgins
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
By Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
"This was a fun engaging book to read, one that many should pick up. A look at management and leadership from a strong creative viewpoint and one that is different. Everyone should read something outside of their comfort zone once in awhile.”
-CFO/President, Rob Goates
The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
By Michael D. Watkins
“The First 90 Days is more of a survival guide that everyone should read and re-read each time they are faced with a new job, new role, a transition in their role at work, or a transition in their personal life.”
-COO, Josh Weiner
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
By Angela Duckworth
“Grit by definition is to have resolve—determination to get back up and keep going. This makes you successful.”
-Senior Vice President of Sales, Paul Kocherhans
Extreme Ownership: How U.S Navy SEALs Lead and Win
By Jocko Willink
“If you are in a leadership role, or want to be, you should read this book.”
-Vice President of Engineering, Brent Checketts
The Silent Sister
By Diane Chamberlain
“I picked a work of fiction because I believe reading fiction is a great way to learn from the author, but still be entertained. This book in particular is centered on the theme that things may not always be the way they seem.”
-Vice President of Territory Sales, Gail Mainiero
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
By Joshua Foer
"This is a cool book. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read a book that will help you learn how to remember everything?"
-Vice President of Marketing, Justin Everette
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
By Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Brad Kowitz
“Sprint teaches that failure is part of any development process. You have to fail many times to be able to finally succeed. The key is to learn to test ideas faster so you can get through the failure faster and solve problems. You’ve got to fail faster to find success.”
-Vice President of Product, Lance Rodela
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
By Simon Sinek
“This book takes leadership from a different perspective, and the hope is that it helps readers be inspired to think differently about their role and to use that to help others grow in the workplace.”
-Vice President of People & Culture, Stephanie Simmons
Hit Refresh
By Satya Nadella
"Change can be difficult. In his story about transforming Microsoft, Nadella discusses how leaders must develop a shared culture to foster a growth mindset across their organizations—and it’s rooted in humility and empathy. This was a nice reminder to me that success is most likely to be achieved when leaders can bring clarity to their teams, generate positive energy, and find ways to make things happen (deliver!)."
-Vice President of Legal & Compliance, Thomas Skinner
These are just ten of the books the Solutionreach executive team recommends. To find out what other books the team at Solutionreach is reading, connect with us on Goodreads and Twitter using the tag #SolutionReads.
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