John’s Library – What we’re reading

“The 3-Hag Way”
by Shannon Byrne Susko

Every company needs a 3HAG-a three-year highly achievable goal! The 3HAG way is aprescriptive framework that takes the guessing out of your strategy and ensures you and your wholeteam are confident in where you aregoing. It breaks your strategy down into a clear and simplepicture-so clear and simple the whole team will be able to see where the company is going andwhere it will end up in three years’ time. This strategic clarity will align, engage, and empower yourteam to make confident decisions in order to achieve your 3HAG.You’ll find step-by-step instructions to gut out your first 3HAG while building the confidence requiredto execute with speed toward your goals. The core purpose of this audiobook is to have a significantimpact on CEOs, leaders, and their companies and enable them to confidently realize their goalsmore quickly than they thought possible. By achieving these goals, they will positively impact theirfamilies and their communities.Whether yourun a team of four, 40, or 40,000, the tools and framework in this audiobook will helpyou articulate your company’s strategy in simple terms and create a strategic execution system thatworks. We’re going to take each step of the strategy and break it down for you so you know exactlyhow to take these steps and why they’re critical to achieving your goal.

Buy the book here.

“The Motive ”
by Patrick Lencioni

New York Timesbest-selling author Patrick Lencioni has written a dozen books that focusonhowleaders can build teams and lead organizations.InThe Motive, he shifts his attention towardhelping them understand the importanceofwhythey’re leading in the first place.In what may be his edgiest page-turner to date, Lencioni thrusts his readers into a day-longconversation between rival CEOs. Shay Davis is the CEO of Golden Gate Alarm, who, after just ayear in his role, is beginning to worry about his job and is desperate to figure out how to turn thingsaround. With nowhere else to turn, Shay receives some hard-to-swallow advice from the mostunlikely and unwanted source―Liam Alcott, CEO of a more successful security company and hismost hated opponent.Lencioni uses unexpected plot twists and crisp dialogue to take us on a journey that culminates in aresolution that is as unexpected as it is enlightening. As he does in his other books, he then providesa straightforward summary of the lessons from the fable, combining a clear explanation of his theorywith practical advice to help executives examine their truemotivation for leading. In addition toprovoking readers to honestly assess themselves, Lencioni presents action steps for changing theirapproach in five key areas. In doing so, he helps leaders avoid the pitfalls that stifle theirorganizations and evenhurt the people they are meant to serve.

Buy the book here.

“Trillion Dollar Coach”
by Eric Schmidt

The “Trillion Dollar Coach” by Eric Schmidt is a fantastic tribute to Bill Campbell.  Bill started his career as an unsuccessful football coach at Columbia, and ended by being the Executive Coach for Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt, the Google Boys and many others.  His motto, “I don’t take cash, I don’t take stock and I don’t take shit.” is classic Bill Campbell.  Since we all coach someone, and we all need a coach, It’s a fantastic read for leaders.

Buy the book here.

“Death by Meeting”
by Patrick Lencioni

Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni is a must read for every manager. If you hate meetings and/or cancel meetings it’s probably because your meetings suck. Death by meeting makes the case for great meetings and provides some simple tools creating competitive advantage through better meetings.

Buy the book here.

“Scaling up”
by Verne Harnish

In my opinion, “Scaling Up”, by Verne Harnish is must-read business book for small business owners. Check it out here.

“The Ideal Team Player”
Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni has a unique way of bringing his message to life in “The Ideal Team Player”! His parable style makes this short book enjoyable and an excellent teaching tool.

Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle’s company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues.

Beyond the fable, Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players. Whether you’re a leader trying to create a culture around teamwork, a staffing professional looking to hire real team players, or a team player wanting to improve yourself, this book will prove to be as useful as it is compelling.

Along with “Scaling up” by Verne Harnish and “Exponential Organizations” by Salim Ismail, “The Ideal Team Player” is a MUST READ.

“Triggers”
by Marshall Goldsmith

Discover an excellent written book that explains why we do, the things we do.

Buy the book here.

“American Icon“
Bryce G. Hoffman

When Patrick Lencioni was in town in April for the TEC/Vistage Inspirational Leadership event, he recommended “American Icon” by Bryce Hoffman.  I was expecting a history book about a great but old manufacturing company.  But this book is about leadership, and the remarkable skill of Alan Mulally, the man who saved Ford Motor Company. It is a “hands-on” leadership guide on breaking down silos, overcoming dysfunctional culture and building a team.  A must read!.

“Playing to Win”
by A.G. Lafley

This “playbook for winning” by A.G. Lafley, legendary recurring CEO of Procter & Gamble, and management school dean Roger L. Martin pushes for great strategy even amid chaos. When CEOs can’t decide, firms drift and derail, as Lafley found when he joined P&G in the 1970s. By 2000, when he became CEO, P&G was in trouble. With Martin, Lafley built a “robust strategic process” and brought it back. During his 2000-2009 tenure, sales rose 200%, profits 400%, and share prices 80%, due to re- organized processes and outsourcing to “best-of-breed” suppliers.

The core advice: ask five, linked strategic queries: What do we want to do? What’s our competitive arena? “How do we build and deliver value?” What do we need to know? How do we “foster, support and measure” strategy? The revival answered the five questions: clear goals led to $1 billion in sales; the arena was targeted volume sales; the value was new products; the competencies were “packaging, distribution, marketing” and “innovation”; and the management was – Lafley isn’t humble – “global business services.”

To use his “strategy logic flow,” examine your industry, your clients’ priorities, your competitive niche and how rivals react to you. Reverse engineer your strategy in seven steps: “Frame” your options; “generate” more choices; define the market; “identify barriers;” test each option; and decide, based on research, planning and analysis. But when you’re done, if you want to dust off your hands and sit back, forget it. As the authors say, strategy is a process of change, not a result. You can dust off, but you can’t sit back, except to read this book.

Buy the book here.

“The Hard Thing About Hard Things”
by Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz is one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs.

A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.

Filled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz’s personal and often humbling experiences

Buy the book here.

“A Passion for Leadership”
by Robert M. Gates

Amazon’s review:
From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 best-selling memoir Duty, a characteristically direct, informed, and urgent assessment of why big institutions are failing us and how smart, committed leadership can effect real improvement regardless of scale.

Buy the book here.

“Business Execution for RESULTS”
by Stephen Lynch

Amazon’s review:
A groundbreaking exploration of the science of productivity, that can help anyone learn to succeed with less stress and struggle, and to get more done without sacrificing what we care about most — to become smarter, faster, and better at everything we do

Buy the book here.

“Exponential Organizations”
by Salim Ismail

John Howman’s review:

Exponential Organizations is an excellent book on growing your business, and any business for that matter 10 times faster than the competition.  Using a number of business examples, this excellent book by Salim Ismail can expand your team’s thinking on strategies for rapid growth.  Consistent with our philosophy of defining Core Values, Purpose and a BHAG, Ismail points out that fast-growth companies all have a MTP (Massive Transformative Purpose) around which to build their brand.  We highly recommend this book.

Check it out here.

“Team of Teams”
by General Stanley McChrystal

John Howman’s review:
Stanley McChrystal does an outstanding job relating the management principles and philosophies that we teach at Allied Consulting to the work he did as the head of  Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).  He even ran a “Daily Huddle” with over 6,000 participants.  And never missed a day.  Even if you only read Chapter 11, “Leading like a Gardener”, the book is well worth the time to read it.

Check it out here.

“Elon Musk” by Ashlee Vance

John Howman’s review:
Having visited Tesla motors in 2013 with TEC 6, I was very excited to learn more about the incredible entrepreneur Elon Musk.  His perservance is an inspiration for any of us of have been knocked down and get back up again.

Buy the book here.

“Culture Trumps Everything“
by Gustavo R. Grodnitzky, Ph.D

John Howman’s review: Dr. Gustavo Grodnitzky has done a magnificent job of sharing the impact of having four generations in the workplace.  He makes the case that culture trumps personality, and the psychological, physiological and behavioral impact (good and bad) that culture has on organizations and teams.  It’s been my honor to have Dr. Gustavo speak to my TEC groups and was rated as the most impactful speaker of the decade.

Order and read his book today..

“The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else” by Patrick Lencioni

Most of Lencioni’s books are “Business Parables”  The Advantage is an excellent handbook for creating healthy teams.

“Your Brain at Work”, by David Rock is an excellent, entertaining book that applies Neuroscience principles to how we function in the workplace.  A definite must read!

In Redeployment, Phil Kay uses stories to bring the reader inside the minds of our soldiers who served in the Gulf.  Powerful, gritty, shocking can only begin to describe the impact of this book

“Power Questions” by Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas is an excellent book for leaders and parents.  We learn so much more from listening and asking questions than we do from speaking.