Readers may or may not be leaders, but leaders are readers. By developing a daily reading habit, leaders can expand their decision-making skills, broaden their knowledge base, improve their communication ability, build credibility, and increase empathy. And this list could go on.
One thing I’ve learned about reading is that the best lessons for business and life often come from unexpected sources. One example is one of my all-time favorite books, East of Eden. I won’t include it on my list this year since I have included it previously, but I gave it a second read this year, and it was even better. It reminds me that in all things, I have a choice. As human beings, we carry baggage from childhood and accumulated experiences, but ultimately, it is up to us to choose our path. I think about this a lot.
Here are the books I read in 2024 that left a strong message. There may have been books I enjoyed more, but these are the ones I’ve thought about long after reading them. They are in no particular order.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
This book captures two former Texas Rangers leading a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call lead differently: Gus leads with charisma and warmth, and Woodrow leads with quiet strength. Both approaches have merit, and maybe that’s the biggest takeaway: different leadership styles can still move a team forward if there’s trust and a shared sense of purpose.
During their journey, many situations test them. They both have strengths and blind spots. The book is a good example of loyalty, duty, and taking care of your team.
I recall the story of a river crossing where a young kid named Sean while crossing a river, was thrown from his horse, and attacked by water moccasins. Gus, who feels responsible for him, jumps in to save him, knowing that he may have the same dire outcome. To me, that’s the epitome of leadership. Though Sean dies, Gus exemplifies the qualities of exceptional leadership.
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg & John David Mann
I read this book many years ago and quickly tossed it aside. In the 2000s, these short, parable-type books were all the rage, and I met them with haughty contempt—empty calories for the brain.
It’s funny. At the urging of a client (who had just met the author), I reread it, and it had an entirely different effect. As Heraclitus said, you never step in the same river twice. I’m not the same person I was twenty years ago.
This book reminds me of things like giving more value than you take and authentically putting the needs of others first. It’s easy to keep score and check the ledgers, but we provide a different experience for our clients when we give without immediate expectation. As I plan for the new year, I’ve thought a lot about this book.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
This was the last book I read in 2024. I hated it. I loved it. It’s the best book that, in some ways, I wish I’d never read.
This short book takes place in a post-apocalyptic America, where a father and son are journeying through a desolate landscape, trying to survive one more day, clinging to what bit of humanity is left, and caring for one another.
The father constantly reminds his young son that “we are carrying the fire” and “we are the good guys.” I’m reminded of the importance of hope, morality, and legacy.
Troubled by Rob Henderson
This is the account of a youngster raised in the California foster care system who had, by all accounts, a tragic childhood. Abandoned by his family (more than once), he somehow graduated from high school and found his way into the Air Force. His test scores for the military identified his high intelligence, and he used that experience to begin to get his life in order. Upon leaving the Air Force, where he’d had some community college classes, he used the GI Bill to go to Yale.
It was fascinating to read about that experience. It was as if he were on a different planet. As he was jumping social classes, he didn’t know how things worked in this elite, Ivy League environment and why so many of his privileged classmates were aggrieved by one thing then another. He coined a term that you may have heard of—luxury beliefs.
Luxury beliefs are ideas that elevate the status of the wealthy or educated class while causing undue stress on the lower classes. For example, elites often say that it’s OK for kids not to go to college, but their children will undoubtedly have college as their highest priority. Or they may say that police and security should be defunded or relaxed while they live behind security gates in neighborhoods where crime isn’t a threat. This virtue signaling has become the calling card of the elites, and Henderson describes the danger and harm of these beliefs.
It's a sad, entertaining, and even inspiring read.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
Do we live a resumé life or a eulogy life? That, to me, is at the heart of this story.
Tolstoy examines the life of Ivan Ilyich, a middle-class Russian who works in the judicial system. He has a steady, conventional life marked by social conformity, material success, and professional achievement. He is a “keep up with the Jones” kind of person.
He suffers a minor injury, and ironically, decorating his new home (look how successful I am!) leads to a deathbed realization that chasing status, superficial relationships, and external validation is unfulfilling. He’d spent his life climbing the wrong ladder.
Though written in 1886, it reflects our modern-day world.
Almost Made the List
- Sho-Gun by James Clavell
- Overruled by Neil Gorsuch
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- War by Bob Woodward
- Tai-Pan by James Clavell
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
Robin Green is the President and Owner of Ascend Performance, Inc., a certified and award-winning Sandler Training Center in Richmond, VA. He specializes in helping companies of all sizes to develop the Attitudes, Behaviors, and Techniques that will help them reach new levels. Robin is a keynote speaker and podcast host. You can reach him at robin.green@sandler.com. He helps companies and motivated individuals with sales, management, and customer service training.
