February 16, 2017
Our ideas come from the books we read or the podcasts we listen to. Isaac Newton once said that he, “Stood on the shoulders of giants,” in regards to discovering truth by building on previous discoveries. Reading is part of learning from previous discoveries, and it helps us explore past the boundaries of what’s personally known.Our diverse team here at Webconnex is filled with information consumers. This diversity continues beyond personalities and into our reading selections. In our office, we created the Webconnex library in which we ask the team to choose a book or two that should go into it each month. We have a wide range of book selections and it keeps our team engaged, continually learning, and exploring good stories.In 2016, our Webconnex library grew. I asked our reading team members which books most impacted them in 2016. Books can change the way you view the world or can take you on journeys you would never else go. Hearing their answers, I see how these books have helped shaped our team’s personality.Brandon (Customer Success Sherpa)Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss“Tools of Titans has influenced me to be more proactive and to not stop because something isn’t working. The book is made up of tips and tricks of successful people. There are 700 pages worth of top level interviews and each has a good nugget or two. Even if I don’t use everything, which would be overwhelming, I pick up the book when I have few minutes of time since the interviews are short.”
The DailyVee You Tube channel by Gary Vaynerchuk“The Daily Vee is influential because it’s answers questions I never thought I had. He operates at a high level and so does his business. He also mentors people in the daily videos. Again there are little nuggets of info that I put in my brain and have ideas to pull from later.In the end, both of these are informative. I love new information that could be helpful in the long run. With both of these my inspiration tanks are topped off.”Ryan (Orchestrator of Awesome Experiences)The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg“The Power of Habit taught me the nature of habit: how they form, why they form, how to break them, how to start them and beyond. This was really empowering because it taught that with the right habits, your potential is limitless. This isn’t allusive or unrealistic, it’s practical.”Keep Your Love On (KYLO) by Danny Silk“Keep Your Love On teaches how to have powerful, deep relationships by giving fear the :middle_finger:, and instead acting out of love :heart: (which is without fear). By choosing to keep our love on, we create a safe space around us for people to be their best self around us. Also, we learn to love, respect, and honor ourselves enough to have healthy boundaries, take ownership over ourselves and to give that same care to others. It also empowers me to reject the habits of how a powerlessness person navigates relationships by fear.”John Gillis (Support Jedi):A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer“It depressed the hell out of me and I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed seeing someone who had such a terrible childhood tell people ‘you are ok, you will get through it.”Maci (Happiness Advocate):The Body Book by Cameron Diaz“Reading, The Body Book, helped refresh my outlook on healthy living. Instead of focusing on looking a certain way, it reminded me that healthy living is about taking care of the body I’ve been given and fueling it with what it needs.”#girlboss by Sophia Amoruso“#girlboss was inspiring. It told the story of how Sophia started her extremely successful online business. She has forged a path for entrepreneurial women with a bad ass, no nonsense approach. It reminded me of what I am capable of and to not apologize for being a strong woman.”Aaron (Chief Storyteller)Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs“A really good one for anyone in a relationship that could get really toxic because of “the crazy cycle.” This is where either party feels unloved or disrespected and then continues to repeat the actions that perpetuate those things. Learned a lot from this one. Typically, men will do unloving things because they feel disrespected. Or a woman might do disrespectful things because she doesn’t feel loved. And it’s important to recalibrate the expectations in a relationship. Good stuff.”People Over Profit by Dale Partridge“Partridge is the founder of Sevenly, and newer company founded on honesty and integrity. He reminds me so much of Eric (our co-founder). But he goes through some companies’ histories (Wal-Mart, Ford, Dominoes) and inspects where things went wrong for them to become such giant A-holes. Good read.”Ashley Mellott (Director of Awesome First Impressions):Crucial Conversations by Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, and Ron McMillan“This book a fantastic resource if you wish improve the way you handle conversations when opinions differ, the stakes are high or emotions are high. It gives you tools that will serve you well in both your professional and personal life. Rather than shying away from crucial conversations, you will feel confident and equipped to take them head-on. A quote that continues to nag at my mind is, “To know and not do is not to know.” Think on that one for a bit.”
Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull“Opens your eyes to actions that could unintentionally stifle creativity and teaches how to cultivate and protect creativity within your company. It shares many stories that inspires great leadership and it inspires you to swing for the fences.”Katie Runyan (Creator of Awesome Opportunities):Daring Greatly by Brene BrownThis book teaches me that failing is not actually failing; not trying is true failure. Brene Brown encourages relentlessness when chasing after the heart’s desires. People may criticize, scoff, or ridicule but their criticisms don’t count unless they are risking themselves in pursuit of their own heart’s desires. Chasing after our desires and dreams involves risk. There will be shortcomings and failures, but even if you “fail”, you “fail” while daring greatly. The true failure is not even jumping into the arena to try to pursue what you want.Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth GilbertThis book showed me that adventure is what you create. I am the captain of my own life. If I am not happy with it, then what am I doing to change it? By taking intentional steps toward healing and wholeness, you begin to see what is truly important to you, allowing you to pursue those priorities in your life. “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control.”Eric Knopf (Co-founder of Awesomeness):Little Black Book of Innovation by Scott D. Anthony“Little Black Book of Innovation which is about thinking strategically towards innovation and ideas."Leadership and Self Deception by Arbinger Institute“I am still reading Leadership and Self Deception. I like it a lot … but as you know, I am avery slow reader. Truth be told… most books recently for me have been theology. Business books don’t inspire me as much as they used to, as they don’t conform well to our style.”As you can see, each book fueled our team in various ways. Some books changed perspectives on life which helped us become better team members. Other books helped sharpened our knowledge, allowing us to bring that knowledge to our company. Some, were just fun reads to relax our minds from the day’s grind.What books impacted you in 2016? And how will that impact drive you for 2017? Comment below! We’d love to hear from you!