The end of the year is rapidly approaching. Before you start making your New Year’s Resolutions for 2017, check out a few of these leadership and personal development books that have been highly recommended by the team members here at Rocket IT. Not only do we hope you’ll get some ideas on setting great goals for yourself in the new year, we also hope some of these books will help you develop the habits and mindset to reach and keep those resolutions.
Five Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead by Jeremie Kubichek and Steve Cockram
Five Voices comes highly recommended by Matt Hyatt, the Founder and CEO of Rocket IT himself. A staple in the office, this book is checked out of the Rocket IT library by employees more often than it is sitting on the shelves. Matt says this is his favorite book on leadership development.
Steve Hopkins, Rocket IT Escalation Engineer and Core Group Leader, says this book helps you discover your leadership book, coaches you on developing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses, and equips you to communicate effectively with your team and employees no matter what their communication style is.
The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews
Also recommended by Matt, The Traveler’s Gift is a fictionalized story focused on nonfictional themes. This book focuses on the key decisions that are essential for personal success.
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
Highly recommended by Darnell Clarke, a Field Support Technician at Rocket IT, Tribal Leadership focuses on how leaders can utilize their unique “tribe” and develop the strengths of their team and culture.
“Tribal Leadership teaches you how to identify the current culture of one’s team, employees, and company, all considered a ‘tribe’ in the book. Each tribe is currently in one of five stages. This book shows how you can redefine your tribe and make them more efficient and effective by ‘leveling up’ or raise your tribe to the next stage,” says Darnell.
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell
John Maxwell is heavily featured in the Rocket IT library. The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth is the personal favorite of Billy Chea, Rocket IT Remote Support Technician, who owns an autographed copy.
“Probably my favorite book I’ve read this year. Mainly because it got me to focus on my life. The main thing I took away from this book was that I should push myself to be better and do things I normally wouldn’t,” says Billy.
His two favorite quotes from the book?
“There is definitely a direct connection between finding your passion and reaching your potential.”
“Most of the accomplishments I’ve achieved in life, I began to attempt before I was really read.”
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek
Eric Henderson, Rocket IT’s Virtual CIO, found Leaders Eat Last particularly impactful. This book focuses on how to create an environment that fosters trust and collaboration.
“I love books that tie evolutionary psychology into present-day guidance,” says Eric. “This book offers guidance on tribal thinking, helping employees feel safe, and how we got where we are now.”
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
If you’re focused more on how to keep your New Year’s Resolution, then check out The Power of Habit. Another recommendation from Eric, this book helps you understand how habits work so that you can use that knowledge to create new ones.
“A recent study from Stanford determined that as much of 40% of our actions happen due to largely unconscious habits. This book guides you on how to shape and improve that time,” Eric says.
Triggers: Creating Behavior that Lasts – Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
Written by executive coach and best-selling author Marshall Goldsmith, Triggers is highly anecdotal and focuses on understanding your reactions to your environment and gives you tools to help you develop new habits to reach your professional and personal goals without letting environmental triggers knock you off track.
This book is a personal favorite of Jacque McFadden, the Marketing Specialist at Rocket IT. “The idea behind Triggers is that there will always be environmental triggers outside of your control that will make you want to react poorly or go off track from your goals. This book gives you the tools to recognize those triggers and adapt your reactions to them. I really enjoyed the anecdotes and became invested in the outcome of each of them.”
About the Author-
Jacque McFadden is the marketing specialist at Rocket IT. While a large portion of her job focuses on the more traditional side of marketing, she is also responsible for finding great new employees. Jacque is originally from Indiana.
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