Ten Books to Read This Summer

LAUREN THARP 
COO Leadership Reality

Cultivating Curiosity

“Good readers are good leaders.”

I wish I had a nickel for every time my mom said this phrase to me as I would be rolling in cash. As a child, I was sure that my mom didn’t know what she was talking about (what mom does?). Reading has nothing to do with leading, right? But with age has brought wisdom — or maybe just the realization that other people had thought about the problems I faced and could help me be a more effective person. Curiosity and outside perspective are sometimes our best teachers.

We — Leadership Reality — seek to cultivate curiosity in each area of our lives as we believe it will breed depth of learning and understanding.

As the summertime begins — vacations, pools, lakes, warm nights on the porch — we encourage you to stay curious. Dive into a good book to challenge you to understand yourself, your team, your market, your world a little better.

To help with that, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite books across a few different topics. We encourage you to stay open and challenge yourself to become a better, more curious leader. Happy reading!

Ten of LR’s Favorite Books

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.

A clinical understanding of how trauma physically affects the body. A well-written and engaging explanation about PTSD and the development of treatment for trauma. If you want to understand how past trauma effects the brain and body and may enlighten you on why you are stuck.

Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and the West
Daniel Ladinsk

Love poems is cross religious traditions and shows the universal longings for God and how God reaches out to his people in small, poetic movements, moments and mystical ways.

Building a Story Brand: Clarify your Message so Customers Will Listen
Donald Miller

Building a story brand gives a simplified and sharply distilled framework for understand story and how to leverage that for marketing your business.

Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace
Anne Lamott

Small victories is classic Anne Lamott. Both absurd and transcendent. Exactly how life is. Watching someone else navigate their own clumsy path is a delightful way to learn how to traverse your own journey.

Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it)
Salim Ismail, Michael S. Malone, Yuri Van Geest, and Peter Diamandis

A helpful exploration of the dynamics of new organizations built for vision and velocity, specifically how harnessing technology can accelerate growth. Beneficial for anyone in a development, growth or executive role.

Real Impact: The New Economics on Social Change
Morgan Simon

Fantastic guide on the opportunities and obstacles of leading social enterprises, impact investing and holding together profit and purpose.

Man Interrupted: Why Young Men Are Struggling & What We Can Do About It
Philip Zimbardo with Nikita Coulombe

Daniel reads everything the psychologist Philip Zimbardo puts out and having two boys just makes this work that much more essential. There is a crisis of masculinity and Zimbardo examines the root causes and offers sane and sober reflection and prescriptions

GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth

Ever wonder what successful people have in common? Not just monetary success — people that have accomplished significant milestones in their fields? Duckworth scientifically studied what they each have in common and it is fascinating. A must read that propels the reader to understand and appreciate the beauty of GRIT.

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead
Sheryl Sandberg

If you aren’t familiar with Sandberg, her story, and her journey as a woman in the workplace, pick this up. Now. Her insights and experiences ring true, encouraging each of us to see our hesitance, roadblocks and fear, and instead ‘lean in’.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
Brené Brown

If you haven’t read Brené Brown’s work or listened to her TED talks, you need to start now. Her ability to explain human emotion, interaction and what holds us back is a true gift. In this book, she encourages the reader to understand the beauty of courage, even when it takes us to places unknown and unprecedented. Leadership requires incredible courage to  blaze a new trail — this will help you get there.

What books are on your summer reading list? Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram and let us know!