My student pulled me aside during the break and asked me “What are leaders reading today?” Without giving me a chance to respond, he followed it quickly by asking a second question, “What should I be reading to improve my communication as a leader?” The question he had for me is one I think about often.

The question leads me to several sources for finding the next book I’m going to consume. Over the years, I’ve found that I can go to 4 main sources to find a good book to read. Much of what I read influences what I write about and how I teach in my workshops. So I will also let you know what my readers (you guys!) are reading on my site.

“ The book you don’t read won’t help. —JIM ROHN

The 4 Sources I use to Find Books

I’m open to suggestions for good reading from any source, but as I reflect upon what I truly end up reading, my list comes from 4 main sources.

The Students in my Workshops

What a great resource my students are when it comes to this! Think about it… most of my students come to the workshop eager to learn (of course, there are a few who are just prisoners told to be there!). What a great source for additional reference materials. They are leadership communication sponges always looking for more content to consume. I get to have conversations with thousands of students every year. I’ve found some great referrals from my students.

Colleagues and Other Leadership Blogs

Just being in the industry I’m in, I get to connect to a lot of leadership speakers, teachers and authors. Besides their own writing, they’re always diving into books written by other thought leaders. Then there are other blog sites I like to follow or check in with occasionally.

Most leadership speakers devote a blog post or two each year to list their favorite reads from the year. Many of these blog sites conduct interviews with leadership authors and experts too. I love that because you can get a preview of the author before reading their book. Two leaders I follow regularly are Michael Hyatt and Skip Prichard. Skip even has a page on his website dedicated to leaders he follows.

Amazon

Yes, I know… you could say Amazon recommendations are just part of a marketing algorithm designed to produce recommendations I’m most likely to purchase… but I’ve found their algorithm is pretty good with me!  I love to read the reader reviews before I purchase and if I’ve seen the book on one of the leadership blogs I follow or if I heard about it from a student, I know I’ll enjoy it!

Goodreads.com

I don’t use this site as much as I used to, but it’s a great way to connect with other readers and follow what they’re reading. I’ve come across several books my friends and colleagues were reading. These were books I would’ve never found without seeing their current read list on Goodreads.

“ We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too. —ANONYMOUS

If you’re like me, your time is precious and you don’t want to waste your time on something you end up regretting. The beauty of social media these days is that we can follow others and get a peek into their recommendations. If you use a blend of these methods above to find your next read, or video blog (vlog), or blog to read, you can cut down on the wasted time and money.

What I promise to you… at the end of any of my blog posts I’ll provide you with links to books or writers I’ve mentioned in a blog post. If you ever find something you’ve liked in my blog post, you can look at the bottom of the post for links to the sources.

What are your sources for finding your next great read?

Send me a email or leave a comment below

Take care and I’ll see you all next week!

Best,
Russ

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I collected over 80 quotes that give me inspiration as a salesperson and leader. I hope they bring you some inspiration as well. Get my FREE eBook on Sales and Leadership Inspiration.

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

I was not always a reader. Some of my professors in college spoiled me a bit on reading by assigning 200 pages of textbook to read in 2 days. But, now I have an alternate opinion. When I find the right book, I can consume it in a day or two. Below is a list of ten books I’ve recently enjoyed and I can recommend to you. I hope you find the list helpful in selecting something worth reading.

“ Find your passion and read a book about it!

If you enjoy reading about sales and leadership communication, here is a list of ten recent books I can recommend for you to add to your list!

Each book title is hyperlinked to Amazon and each author is hyperlinked to their Twitter account, if they have one.

Ten Books Worth Reading in 2017

Intentional Living – John C. Maxwell

When you’re considering your legacy and how you can have an impact for good in this world, read this.

The Legacy Journey – Dave Ramsey

Dave touches on the positive impact you can have on others in this life when you’ve reached a place of financial independence. A great legacy is a life of philanthropy serving others.

The Productivity Project – Chris Bailey

Chris took a year off after graduation to perform productivity experiments on himself. He tried everything from sleep deprivation, to changes in diet, to developing new habits. Interesting, helpful, and sometimes funny.

Crucial Conversations – Kerry Patterson, et al

Patterson is a founder at Vital Smarts consulting. After years of research, his team documented methods and tools you can use for handling the toughest conversations, when stakes and emotions are high.

Thank you for Arguing – Jay Heinrichs

In classical rhetorical fashion, Jay takes you back to a time when arguing wasn’t a four-letter word. It was a mature way to debate issues and wrestle with ideas. In many cases he shows how classic rhetoric is not only useful, but humorous! It’s amazing how he can use Homer Simpson to teach something from Aristotle.

Magnetic: Impress, Connect, and Influence – Patrick King

King provides easy steps based on influence research to help leaders create positive impact on others.

Killing Reagan – Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard

Several “Killing” books have been written in this series and I’ve read several of them. Killing Reagan is my most recent and so far my favorite (but I haven’t read Killing the Rising Son yet, which I heard is the best.) This is a great chronology of Reagan from the time he was an actor, to a democrat, to a republican president.

Heretics and Heroes – Cort Dial

I was introduced to Cort by a mutual friend, Sara Canaday. She simply told me, “You have to read his book.” If Sara tells me to do something, I’m gonna do it. This book reads like a novel or auto-biography of Cort’s start in chemical engineering all the way to working as an executive leadership consultant in the oil and gas industry, even with people close to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy… great lessons for leaders.

Start with Why – Simon Sinek

If you haven’t heard of Simon or this book in the last year… well, now you have. Yes, it’s that popular and for good reason. Simon’s research on companies that have the greatest longevity and profit can be founded in the fact that they all define why they exist before they define what they do and how they do it.

Deep Work – Cal Newport

Cal’s meta-research uncovers a fading skill in today’s world, deep work. He shows the profound benefits of creating time for deep work instead of the shallow tasks and distractions we face more and more. Yes, social media is one of the topics.

I’ve enjoyed learning from all these professionals,
Russ

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One more book I hope you enjoy:

Corporate Ovations: Your roadmap to more effective presentations, Russ Peterson Jr. and Kevin Karschnik

Claim your copy of my new FREE eBook on Sales and Leadership Inspiration.

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.