Tons to learn from this book.  Written in a story format, It’s Not About You focuses on a young man named Ben.  Throughout the story, Ben learns five Keys to Legendary Leadership…

1. Hold the Vision

2. Build your People

3. Do the Work

4. Stand for Something

5. Share the Mantle

These five keys as well as a pile of one-liner supporting points have given me a week’s worth of material to ponder and begin to implement.   Living a life of character sometimes seems to run counter to good business.  Books like this illustrate how business done right can look.  If you haven’t read Burg/Mann, this is a great one to start with.  If you have read Burg/Mann, you know you need this book.

Get Off Your Attitude

• Ryan has lived out what he talks about.  He’s been through some tough stuff in life.  Yet every time I talk with him he is Mr. Upbeat.  Always positive.  Always seeing the bright side of situations.
• This book has great stories.  Ryan ties the teaching principles to stories.  Read about the time he was shot.  How he failed in business.  Got dumped by his girlfriend.  Learn about his sweet grandma.
• The lessons always point to the ways you have control over your life and outcomes in your life.   Don’t be a victim!

By the way, Ryan Lowe is a super nice guy.  The kind of guy you’d wish all the success in the world to.  So read his book.  Hear him speak.  Visit his website.  Oh, and after you read the book be sure to “Like” it and give it a positive review on Amazon or wherever you buy and review books.  Thanks!!

About a month after I heard Scott at XBM and got Make a Name For Yourself, Jon and I were at Book Expo America(BEA) for a day.  We were standing in line at one of the food vendors when I noticed the guy in front of me holding the very same book I was reading on my way to BEA (How To Be That Guy).  When I asked him about the book, he said what an amazing speaker Scott is and that he had just heard him.  I was very disappointed that I had missed him–didn’t know he was going to be there.  After lunch, Jon and I decided to walk through the Tech conference downstairs in the Javits Center.  As we were walking through the sparse exhibits in the Tech conference, Jon punched me and said “Is that the guy you were telling me about?”  Sure enough there was The Nametag Guy being interviewed.  We waited until the interview was over then kidnapped Scott for a while over lunch.  After spending some time with him, I’m a bigger fan than ever.  At some point I hope to convince him to do a book with me.  =)

So I’m sure you’re wondering about How To Be That Guy: 47 Ways to Create an UNFORGETTABLE Brand That MAGNETIZES More Business.  He had me at the subtitle.  Scott’s quirky way of out of the box thinking makes this book shine.  Some are principles you’ve heard 47 times in your life already, but the way Scott frames them makes you stop and think for a few minutes.  And I’m pretty sure that is exactly what he wanted you to do.  Mostly we already have the answers to our dilemmas.  It’s just that we(I) seldom stop and think for a while.

So here are some of the reasons I love How To Be That Guy:

• Kiss your power suit goodbye… “The outfit that allows you to feel most comfortable and most like yourself will, in fact, give you the most power.”
• Is your idea simple enough that a five year old could understand it?
• The most important word in marketing… hint: it all depends
• Allow customers to participate in your brand.

In case I haven’t made it clear–Scott Ginsberg is awesome.  Check out some of his videos on YouTube.  Buy his books on Amazon.  Check out his website at www.hellomynameisscott.com.

I devoured the book.  I felt bad about marking up the beautiful, colorful pages…but it’s the kind of book that begs to be personalized.  Here are some of Scott’s strategies that jumped out at me:

• Become a student of success.  Read books and interview successful people in your field.
• Walk with the wise.  “You are (and become) the average intelligence of the people you hang out with the most.  Choose wisely.”
• More books, less TV.
• Do what nobody else is willing to do.  “What are you doing that nobody else is willing to do?”
• Networking works. A chapter of 50 actionable networking tips.
• Wait for nothing.  Don’t wait for the perfect timing, someone to give you permission, someone to lead the way–take action!

Bottom line…The book is easily worth the $20 if you’re interested in thinking through some things that might be holding you back from the person you hope to become.  I am now a fan of Scott and will write more about him in future posts.

This book appealed to me for two reasons.

1.  75% of the book was a fictional story.  Swindall calls it a fable.  I find the story format much easier to digest than a straight lecture style teaching.

2.  Swindall’s advice for a happier existance at work (and at home) centers around personal growth in these five areas: career, relationships, health, finances, and spirituality.

By keeping the focus to five areas and teaching in story form, Swindall has created a fun and practical tool.  I recommend Living for the Weekday.

Action:  Set goals in each of these areas of your life. Working toward these goals will bring balance and happiness even if you don’t immediately love Mondays.

If you are open to new ideas and want to make your company a fun place to work, check this book out.  It’s a fun read.  You may not want to implement all Semler’s ideas, but just a couple could make your workplace more enjoyable.  The Seven-Day Weekend concept is about flexibility.  Time flexibility, career choice flexibility, decision-making flexibility.  Semler begins with the premise that employees are adults.  As adults they are capable of more responsibility than they are given in most organizations.

I can buy much of what he says in this book IF:

1.  You truly do hire adults…responsible people willing to use their brains.

2.  You lay out objectives and goals of the job clearly.

At any rate, pick this book up at your library and start reading.  You’ll know part way into the first chapter if it’s for you.

1.  A Positive Mental Attitude

2.  Definiteness of Purpose

3.  Going the extra mile

4.  Accurate thinking

5.  Self-discipline

6.  The master mind

7.  Applied faith

8.  A pleasing personality

9.  Personal initiative

10.  Enthusiasm

11.  Controlled attention

12.  Teamwork

13.  Learning from defeat

14.  Creative vision

15.  Budgeting time and money

16.  Maintaining sound physical and mental health

17.  Using cosmic habit force (universal law)

Success Through a PMA is a really helpful book…although I wouldn’t mind seeing a shorter list.  What 5 principles from this or any other list would you consider to be most essential?

Dilip says “Becoming the person you ought to be is a spiritual journey that will last as long as you live.”  I’ve certainly found that to be true in my experience.

My favorite section of The Path of the Genie is Dilip’s encouragement to figure out your gifts and fulfillment in life.  He ends Part III with these Five Action Steps For Self-Discovery:

1.  Know God–you are a spiritual being having a human experience.

2. Understand what gives you bliss–happiness and fulfillment.

3. Discover your gifts–what you do easily and naturally.

4. Work on becoming the person you ought to be–values driven.  Also, emulate role models in the areas you wish to improve.

5. Build you life around your true identity, your calling, and your gifts–even small steps to get started will help you feel more fulfilled.

I know Dilip through Toastmasters.  He has lived–and is living–the journey he writes about.  If you get the chance to hear him speak, make sure you do.  You won’t be disappointed.

• In order to inspire teamwork, you must be filled with enthusiasm.
• Many people achieve little in life simply because they never decide to achieve something.
• Following someone who has achieved what you want to achieve is the simplest and quickest way to get where you want to be.
• We can have as much wealth as we are willing to work to create.

This book may not be the first time you hear truths like this, but can anyone be reminded too often?

The 8 Attributes are:

1. Responsibility
2. Creator
3. Independence
4. Humility
5. Honesty
6. Optimism
7. Vision
8. Persistence

I definitely recommend 8 Attributes of Great Achievers.  Get it from Amazon or Tremendous Life Books.

Gary Vaynerchuk epitomizes passion.  If you’ve never seen Gary, watch this interview on Fox Business.  The Fox interview is not Gary at his most passionate, but it’s great information and he doesn’t cuss at all in that interview.  If cussing doesn’t bother you, watch some of Gary’s other videos on http://garyvaynerchuk.com.  The concepts are brilliant and may change the way you look at business, marketing, and even sales.  The internet has allowed a low cost of entry into business if you’re willing to hustle and put in sweat equity.

Crush It is not written by the most creative writer.  HOWEVER, Gary Vee’s passion comes through and he provides valuable insight that is easy to digest.  Well worth the 20 bucks.