2018 In Books

A Review of 80 Books for Leaders

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A move from coast-to-coast and a now long daily commute have combined to help in my 2018 book consumption. Audible has certainly been a game-changer too, making drives and PT hours double as “reading” time. Below is a list of the books I read this year, a top 10 list, and a focus on the books I highly recommend. In the interest of doing my part to further commercialism this holiday season, I’ve decided to cut-off my list and publish this post a little before the year is over. So whether you are looking to broaden your reading or put a book in the stocking of someone special this year, here is a post for you!

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The Top 10

Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahnmann

World renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Daniel Kahneman takes us inside the mind to better understand our systems of thinking. System 1 thinking – fast, intuitive, and emotional…instinct. System 2 thinking – slow, deliberate, and based in logic. He discusses the downsides of overconfidence and cognitive biases on decision-making. This book, combined with another farther down on the list (On Grand Strategy), helped me take a critical look at how I think, how I make decisions, and how to best build a team around people’s thinking models. Heavy on both the theoretical and the practical, this is a must read.

Legacy, by James Kerr

A lot of people question how I listen to Audible books while lifting weights. How can you stay motivated while listening to a book? Well, this book right here is the answer. James Kerr’s deep and inside look at the history, culture, and excellence of the New Zealand All Blacks (Rugby Team) is anything but boring and un-motivating. Fired up from start to finish, Kerr uses anecdotes, observations, stories, and quotes to communicate what a winning culture looks like. This is a team that makes the New England Patriots look like a one-hit-wonder. An absolute MUST READ for any and all leaders, coaches, and athletes, this book is one of the best I have read in my life.

Radical Inclusion, by Martin Dempsey and Ori Brafman

Two unlikely authors from completely opposite ends of life and professional experience, this pair brings a hard-hitting look at common truths of leadership and organizational success. Ori Brafman  – author of The Starfish and the Spider, Stanford Business School graduate, and Teaching Fellow at UC Berkley – combines with Gen. (Retired) Martin Dempsey – former Chief of Staff of the Army and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – to describe the leadership and management culture in a post-9/11 world. They promote ideas like openness, relinquishing control, and developing an instinct for inclusion. They use engaging stories and fascinating anecdotes to build a picture and synthesize the theoretical to the practical.

The Art of Command, by Collected Authors

This book combines multiple phenomenal contributing authors and compelling case studies to offer insight into the coup d’œil and je ne sais quoi of some of the greatest leaders and commanders. Ranging from George Washington to Colin Powell, this book shows how great leaders use deliberate methods to develop instinctive excellence. Connecting back to the System 1 and System 2 thinking described in Thinking Fast and Slow, this book shows how the deliberate can feed the intuitive.

Presidents in Crisis, by Michael Bonn

I can’t think of many more crucial, critical, or high-stakes positions of leadership to study crisis management from than the Presidency of the United States. From Truman through Obama and the Situation Room to the Oval Office, Bonn puts together one of the most expansive case studies in leading through crisis and the Presidency. Using his expertise as a former Director of the Situation Room, Michael Bonn takes the reader on an inside and personal tour of the White House during seventeen international emergencies tackled by presidents. Whether it is invading North Korea, the Cuban Missile Crisis, or 9/11, this book demonstrates the steps, the actions, the decisions, and the emotions of leading through challenging times. He provides a comprehensive look at the successes and the failures with honesty and critical analysis. I highly enjoyed this book and found that the topics and theories scale well to any executive leadership position.

On Grand Strategy, by John Lewis Gaddis

Clausewitz…check. Sun Tzu…check. Jomini…check. Gaddis – CHECK. This is one of the most comprehensive reviews of military strategy I have seen in a single book. Absolutely thrilling from the first page to the last. Gaddis wrote this book based on a class he co-taught on strategic thinking and military strategy for decades at Yale University. He really shows off his historian chops as he takes the reader on a tour of the ancient histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, through the Roman histories of Octavian and St. Augustine, and then through modern military history. Think of a major name in military history and military strategy and Gaddis covers it. The most amazing thing about this book is that there is not a single section that is dry. It is Malcolm Gladwell meets Clauswitz. No matter where you are in your military career, there is something in this book for you.

Lincoln on Leadership, by Donald Phillips

Abraham Lincoln…Leadership…need I say more? NPR says there are “some 15,000 books” written about President Lincoln, so why this one? I loved Team of Rivals (although it was admittedly LONG and at times very slow), but this book is 1. focused, 2. specific and 3. broadly applicable. It also provides stories and leadership parallels that I had not heard – or didn’t remember – after reading countless biographies on the 16th President of the United States. Pick it up, you won’t regret it.

A Passion for Leadership, by Robert Gates

Former Head of the CIA, Texas A&M President, and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates takes us on a tour of leadership within bureaucracies and large organizations. If his last book Duty was an autobiographical attempt at telling the story, Passion is a user’s manual for leading large teams of diverse people and priorities. This fantastic insider’s look at change leadership is magnificently written and easily connects theory to practice.

Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg

My favorite books are ones that either reaffirm a deeply ingrained belief, making me say “exactly!” or better yet, the ones that make me look at the world differently. Lean In fits in both categories. In so many ways it made me say “Yes! Exactly!” and in so many other ways it broadened my way of thinking. This self-proclaimed “not, but kind of, feminist manifesto” by former Google executive and current Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, is a pure leadership book. As a man, a leader, a father, a husband, a coach, etc. this is one of the most important books I read this year. Lean In is a continuation of Sandberg’s 2010 TEDxWomen talk, combining autobiographical stories, descriptive statistics, and other case studies to demonstrate where we are, where we can go, and how we can get there as a society.

LikeWar, by P.W. Singer and Emerson Brooking

The internet, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more are all changing the face of war and politics. And, war and politics are changing the internet. Perhaps the single most disruptive creation to the history of mankind, the internet has completely changed the way the world works. P.W. Singer and Emerson Brooking ask and, using history and meta-analysis, answer some of the more difficult questions surrounding how social media has changed warfare and politics for America and the global community. Like it or not Leaders, Social Media and the internet are here to stay and will continue to change the environment in which we lead, train, and fight. It is time we learn about it. This was one of the more fascinating and enlightening reads of the year. As I continue to expand my reading of cybersecurity, cyber war, and information warfare, this was a must read. P.W. Singer, author of Ghost Fleet, Wired for War, and Cybersecurity and Cyber War, does not disappoint.

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The remainder of the books on this year’s list are broken down by category with the most notable mention (completely subjective) featured with a summary. The categories are Military Fiction, Military Non-Fiction, Leadership (Non-Military Specific), History/Biography, Public Policy, and Miscellaneous.

Military Fiction

Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

This is the first book in the Forever War Trilogy that features future intergalactic war, global world orders, military conscription, space and time travel, and much more. The three books do not follow the same storyline, with the second book being completely unrelated to the first and third. But, the themes are constant. Definitely a series worth checking out.

Military Non-Fiction

8 Seconds of Courage, by Flo Groberg

The autobiographical story of Medal of Honor recipient Florent “Flo” Groberg – U.S. Army Captain who selflessly tackled a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, saving the lives of his unit and its leaders. Originally born in France, Flo and his family emigrated to the U.S. This story of valor is a dynamic tour de force – taking the reader through the gamut of intellectual and emotional responses.

Leadership (Non-Military Specific)

How to Lead When You’re Not In Charge, by Clay Scroggins

The most overlooked practice for learning good leadership is good followership. Many of us, if not all, will find ourselves in a bureaucratic hierarchy at some point. We are likely to look around and realize we aren’t in charge. For the military this may be in times where you serve on staff or in other various “non-green tab” positions. This doesn’t mean we abdicate leadership responsibility. Clay Scroggins does a fantastic job of teaching us how to “lead up.” With or without authority, great leaders influence others where they are planted. This book is practical and easily translatable to actions you can implement immediately.

History/Biography

The Accidental Superpower, by Peter Zeihan

Now four years old and already having a sequel (see The Absent Superpower below), Zeihan’s assessment of American power in 21st Century and moving forward is fantastic. It reviews America’s rise to global power, running from World War II to modern day. It reviews enemies, partnerships, luck-of-the-draw geographic strengths, and much more. A renowned international strategist, Zeihan examines where the world was, where the world is, and where the world is headed. He explains how America is strategically placed to be an even more dominant economic, geographic, and security superpower in the next century.

Public Policy

***I am currently taking classes for a degree in Public Policy which has guided some of my reading. Here are some of the books (not including text books) that I have read for classes.***

Thinking in Time, by Richard Neustadt and Ernest May

Written by professors from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, this book is a masters class in history, decision-making, and leadership in crisis. It applies a useful framework to specific events in history, combining the authors’ experiences teaching as well as advising politicians, presidents, and their aides. Ranging from enacting Social Security to the Bay of Pigs, this is an absolute must read for any leader. Executive leadership is all about getting the right people in the room, listening to all of the voices in that room, and then quarterbacking the call. This book shows the successes and failures of leaders who have tried to do just that.

Miscellaneous

Everybody Lies: Big Data, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

Harvard-trained economist, former Google data scientist, and New York Times writer, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz combines humor, data, and great writing to demonstrate a fundamental truth. We all lie. And in the next sentence, he tells us that it doesn’t matter. We have all the information we need in big data. Digital goldmines within the troves of the internet allow us to learn what people really think, how they think, and what they will likely do. This book is a sabermetrics of real life and absolutely fascinating. Everybody Lies combines fantastic storytelling, humor, scientific analysis, and informed conclusions to make it well-worth your time.

Did you like this list? Check out more great books at The Company Leader Reading List. Click HERE to see our overall Top 10 books.

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Categories: Leadership, Self-Development