“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain

Each year I read approximately 30 books for the pure pleasure of creating in my imagination the sights and sounds and smells of the world that the author has created in the pages of his book. I enjoy fiction and non-fiction alike.

I also read around the same number of “educational” books each year. I read these to challenge myself out of complacency and to spur growth, to resist stagnation and to broaden my horizons.

In 2019 I was fortunate to have read many compelling and thought-provoking books. Here are five that I found particularly noteworthy. In fact, I’ll likely revisit each of these again in the future – they are that good.

1. Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits by Greg Crabtree

Owning and running a small business can be rewarding, fulfilling, and even energizing if it is aligned with your passions and personality. But it can also be nerve-racking and anxiety-producing, often requiring you to make important decisions based on imperfect and incomplete information. When should you hire your next team member? Should you reinvest your profits? Are you even profitable to begin with? How can you be sure?

In Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits: 4 Keys to Unlock Your Business Potential, Greg Crabtree offers succinct and clear guidance for running your small business. As an accountant and Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) implementor, this book is concise and well-written. Not a word is wasted. There’s no fluff.

Some of the gems of this book include:

• Use a forecast, not a budget
• Know your salary cap for your labor force
• Monitor your Labor Efficiency Ratio
• Pay yourself a competitive wage or your financials are misleading.

If you own/run a small business, this should be required reading.

2. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

As a young entrepreneur, I was confident in my abilities and astute in my observations. I could quickly recognize a potential client’s primary challenge and chart a path to overcome it. I could see where others could not. In short, I could be the hero I thought they needed.

Now, some twenty-plus years later, I realize that I was fortunate to have survived that period. That approach didn’t help me to connect with my potential customers. It placed me in the limelight and ignored their real needs. I slowly learned this the hard way by trial and error. Well, it was mostly by error.

I wish Donald Miller had written Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen sooner. It could have saved me from many of those errors.

Miller draws parallels between marketing and storytelling and shares how everyone, from a giant corporation to a small solepreneur can create a meaningful brand that connects with customers.

3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

“Never talk about money, politics, or religion.” Many of us were taught this principle as a kid. Talking about these, especially money now feels wrong and uncomfortable. But, when you run a small business, you must learn to talk about money early and often.

In Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, former FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss shares principles he and his team learned while negotiating some of the most extreme and contentious scenarios imaginable. The book is replete with concepts and tactics, including:

• Negotiation is not an active battle; it’s a process of discovery. The goal is to uncover as much information as possible.
• “No” is the start of a negotiation, not the end of it.  It seldom means, “I have considered all the facts and made a rational choice.”
• You are not going to logically convince someone that they are safe, secure, or in control.
• The more a person feels understood, and positively affirmed in that understanding, the more likely they are for agreement and change.

Whether you’re an accomplished and skilled negotiator or someone who actively avoids negotiations because it creates stress and conflict, you’ll likely find this book helpful.

4. Spy the Lie by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, and Susan Carnicero

You’re sitting across the table from some who keeps touching his face and covering his mouth as he speaks. He doesn’t make consistent eye contact with you. He’s obviously lying to you, right?

Conventional wisdom holds that he is being deceitful. The facts are not his friend. But, wouldn’t someone who is lying also know the conventional wisdom and make a gallant effort to overcome the traditional indicators? So maybe it’s the person who keeps his hands on the table and stares unrelentingly into your eyes that is lying?

Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception tackles this question head-on. The three former CIA officers share their experiences in detecting deception and spotting lies. They offer proven techniques for asking questions and observing responses that will help to uncover when a person is being forthright and when she is avoiding an uncomfortable truth.

In my 27-year career, I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve worked closely with trustworthy colleagues and clients who earnestly seek to do the right thing. Nevertheless, I found this book insightful and engaging. It’s a good read.

5. The Only Sales Guide You Will Ever Need by Anthony Iannarino

Much has been written in the technical world about the “Accidental DBA,” that unfortunate IT Professional who is deeply skilled in one area such as System Administration or Application Development yet finds herself also responsible for keeping the SQL Server databases running. (In fact, our business is predicated on helping companies with Accidental DBAs.)

I am not an Accidental DBA. I’ve doing DBA work professionally for over 20 years. But I am an Accidental Sales Professional. I’m not particularly skilled in sales, yet it’s an integral part of any business, including The SERO Group.

Anthony Iannarino’s book The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need was written for people like me. It’s for honest people who truly want to help other businesses succeed. There are no manipulative tactics or unscrupulous presentations described. Rather his approach is one of learning to listen to your potential customer to determine if your product or service may help them reach their goals.

I’m not a connoisseur of sales books. I’ve only read a few. But this one has proven helpful to me.

A Few Honorable Mentions

There were many other books I read in 2019 that I’d recommend adding to your list. In most any other year, these would have made my Top 5 List.

• The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella
• The Go-Giver by Bob Burg
• Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull
• Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle

I’m always looking for suggestions for books to read. Let me know if you’ve found a book particularly compelling.

The post 5 Books I’m Glad I Read in 2019 appeared first on The SERO Group.

It’s what you learn after you know it all that really counts. – John Wooden

As an avid reader and life-long learner, this quote by Coach John Wooden really speaks to me. I don’t want to wax too philosophical here, but life is a journey and we owe it to ourselves and those we influence to stretch ourselves and continually renew our minds so that we can be our best with our God-given talents.

There are a lot of ways to do that. One is to read voraciously. Each year I try to read or listen to at least 50 books. Some books I read for fun and entertainment. Many I read to learn something – how to be a better speaker, how to learn a new outdoor skill, how to better hobby farmer, and yes, how to be a better leader in my business.

Recommended Reading

I’m often asked to recommend books on specific topics. That’s why I created a Recommended Reading list. Each year I add a book or two to the list. 2018 was a banner year for my reading; I added four books to the Recommended Reading list. If you only read a few books each year, read these.

• It’s Your Ship by Capt. D. Michael Abrashoff. The United States Navy doesn’t have a monopoly on the highly-regimented, top-down leadership style. In fact, many companies still have this corporate culture. In It’s Your Ship, Abrashoff recounts how he was able to take a below average ship and turn it into one of the best ships in the Navy. His crew developed a sense of ownership and pride in their work. His bosses recognized Benfold’s accomplishments and rewarded the crew with additional liberty and flexibility. Abrashoff’s approaches work in the corporate world as well. This book is a must-read for leaders.
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. In the book, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share some of the leadership lessons they learned on the battlefield where a minor mistake could have grave and lasting consequences. They distill the lessons into principles and share how they can be applied to business and everyday life. This book should be required reading for all high school seniors and business majors.
• The Like Switch by Jack Schafer. Jack Shafer spent years with the FBI, preparing spies for their missions and helping to recruit spies from other countries. During his career, he developed strategies for reading people, building trust, and developing long-term relationships. This is not a book about deceitfully manipulating people. This book shares how to build better and stronger relationships.
• Permission to Screw Up by Kristen Hadeed. Many business and leadership books are sanitized and polished. The authors share their successes without revealing the many painful mistakes and setbacks that plagued them along the way. This is not one of those books. In her book, Permission to Screw Up, Hadeed shares how she inadvertently started and grew a business hiring only millennials. She tells her engaging and personal story in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. In the end, the leadership lessons she shares seem more real and less academic, more applicable and less theoretical, more heartfelt and less boastful. Entertaining and informative, this book will help you build a better team.

Other Books Worth Your Time

I also read a lot of books that narrowly miss being added to the list. They are really good books but just don’t quite make the “hall of fame.” Here are the Top 5 Books I read in 2018 that didn’t quite make the Recommended Reading list but are still worthy of your time.

1. Crucial Confrontations by Kerry Patterson, et al. The authors provide sound tactical advice for handling difficult situations with others. They explain why these conversations are important to have and offer guidance on how to approach them.
2. Leadership and Self-Deception by Arbinger Institute. Written as a fable, the book illustrates how we frequently trap ourselves in a “box” of self-justification. We create an internal narrative that places blame on others and blinds us to what is really happening.
3. Finish by Jon Acuff. According to the author, 92 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. Many people start something, a personal goal at home or a professional project at work, but tend to lose interest or find it too challenging to finish. In this humorous book, Acuff shares ways that he’s found to finish what you’ve started.
4. Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I’ve read a lot of books on productivity over the years looking for how to accomplish more in a shorter period of time. McKeown contends that this is the exact wrong approach. We should focus on getting only the right things done and eliminate everything else.
5. The Bullet Journal by Ryder Carroll. For years I’ve searched for a way to manage my To Do list. I’ve tried paper-based systems (ala Getting Things Done), electronic methods, and everything in between. I’ve written about my attempts in the past. I’ve finally found a system that works for me – The Bullet Journal.

No matter your superpowers, you can always learn something new. And these books can help.

What about you? Read any good books lately?

The post The 9 Best Books of 2018 appeared first on The SERO Group.

As part of her latest leadership development venture, she is working with a small group of already established young leaders as they continue to broaden their leadership horizons. I was humbled that she’d ask for my input on the books I’ve found to be of value.

As I began thinking about my top five books, I turned to my list of Recommended Reading and Resources. This list includes books on becoming a better leader, on building a thriving business, on networking with your peers, and on developing other skills that will prove useful in the business world. I thought it would be easy to simply pick five from this list.

I was wrong.

As I browsed through the books, I realized that many of them were written from a business perspective. For example, The Phoenix Project is an excellent book on leadership that I recommend to every IT leader that I work with in my consulting practice. However, the concepts and applicability may be lost on a 19-year-old without the experience of working in a rather dysfunctional IT shop, one where Murphy’s Law reigns and politics abound.

So as good as The Phoenix Project is, I culled it from my list of books I would recommend in my Top 5. Also gone were Dave Ramsey’s Entreleadershp and most of the books by Patrick Lencioni for similar reasons.

I looked for books that teach leadership principles without presupposing use in growing a business or managing a specific environment. I also considered books that, while not specific to leadership, would be helpful for developing leaders.

Top 5 Leadership Books

So, what are my Top 5 books I’d recommend to developing leaders? Five books that I think all leaders should read at some point in the careers, and the earlier, the better? I’ve compiled the list below. These books are listed in the order I’d suggest reading them, not because of their level of influence or degree of greatness, but rather, because of the order of the concepts presented.

Here are the concepts that influenced my selection:

1. You must understand that truly great leaders are flexible in the ways they lead and serve their teams.
2. To best serve your team, you must understand them and their preferences.
3. You must acknowledge that you cannot do it all and that your team has a near limitless potential if you only unleash it.
4. Adversity will come. It always does. But a good leader can shepherd his team through the difficult times.
5. You must accept responsibility for every facet of your team and your role.

And now for the Top 5 List.

1. Leadership and the One Minute Manager

In his classic book Leadership and the One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard debunks the concept of a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. We know this intuitively. You would not lead a six-year-old the same way you would a 66-year-old. Yet for some reason, many people buy into the notion that they should adopt a single approach to leadership. In this short and easy to read allegory, Blanchard shows how we should adapt our leadership style to best serve those we are leading.

2. Taking Flight!

Have you ever completed a task that wasn’t on your To-Do List and then added it just so you could experience the satisfaction of checking it off the list? Or does that sound completely nuts to you? If you are a High D like me, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

The DISC profile is a great, easy to use tool for quickly identifying your communication and behavioral preferences. With a little effort, you can begin to understand others’ preferences as well, and that will help you to better communicate and work with others. Sound dry and boring? It could be. But Merrick Rosenberg makes it interesting and easy to understand in Taking Flight!

In the short and simplified fable, a group of birds is challenged and must figure out how to respond. As you read, you learn that each species represents a different classification in the DISC model – Dominant, Influential, Steady, and Compliant. The birds must use their strengths to work together and overcome the challenge. In the second part of the book, the concepts are explained in detail.

Understanding the DISC profiles can help you to better communicate with your team, to offer constructive feedback in a more effective manner, and to delegate in a way that helps your direct reports to succeed.

3. Turn the Ship Around!

As leaders, we’ve been told that the buck stops with us, that we are responsible. Period. As a result, many attempt to control all aspects of their teams. They make all decisions. They become experts in every area. They micromanage everything, suppressing the voices and ideas from their teams and relegating them to a bunch of task-takers rather than leveraging their God-given abilities and harnessing their enthusiasm.

That’s what almost happened to USN Captain David Marquet when he was put in charge of his first submarine. But a last-minute surprise force him to adopt a new style of leadership, one that helped him to transform the worst submarine in the fleet into one of the best. In his book, Turn the Ship Around!, Captain Marquet recalls just how he did it. It’s an interesting and informative read.

4. Shackleton’s Way

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton assembled a small crew of able-bodied seamen in hopes of becoming the first team to cross the barren and fridged landscape of Antarctica. His attempt, however, was thwarted when his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the frozen waters of the Weddell Sea. As the ice crushed the ill-fated ship, Shackleton and his team were left floating aimlessly on a small sheet of ice on the harsh and unforgiving seas.

For over a year, Shackleton and his crew endured the hardships of being lost at sea and forgotten by those they left behind. Assumed dead, they faced overwhelming odds and were forced to make difficult decisions in an attempt to survive and effect their own rescue.

In a story every bit as spectacular and amazing as Apollo 13, Shackleton led his crew to safety without losing a single man. And what’s more, many of his crew wrote in their diaries during the trials “One of the best days of my life.”

In Shackleton’s Way, Margot Morrell thoroughly researched Sir Ernest Shackleton’s multi-year ordeal and has documented the principles that he used to lead his men to safety. Shackleton, who has been called “the greatest leader that ever came on God’s earth, bar none,” created a sense of camaraderie among his crew, managed strong personalities during difficult times, took calculated risks, and successfully led his team to safety during the most trying of times.

5. Extreme Ownership

Navy SEALs are often thought to be high-octane adrenaline junkies with a reckless regard for people and structure. Jocko Willink and Lief Babin prove that this is seldom the case. In their book, Extreme Ownership, the duo share leadership lessons they learned on the battlefield and in the streets of some of the most dangerous places on earth.

In each chapter, they share a story from the frontlines that illustrates an effective leadership principle in action. They tell of times when they had imperfect information and had to make a decision quickly of times when other units didn’t cooperatively participate in the planning and execution phases of a mission, and of times when the higher-ups seemed to micromanage their teams’ areas of responsibility. Then Willink and Babin explicitly describe the leadership principles involved and even tell how they have applied these principles in their post-service leadership consulting business.

“Oh, but, they were in the military so, of course, their teams had to comply. In the real world, it’s not like that,” you say? Willink and Babin answer that objection. When the stakes are high, even life-endangering, they tell, you must earn the respect of your team and communicate the “whys” of the mission. People will not risk their lives without believing in the men or women who lead them.

This book is one of the best books on personal responsibility and leadership that I’ve read. If you only read one of these books, this is the one you should select.

Conclusion

It’s been said that the most successful people learn constantly and read voraciously. I’d have to agree with that and I’d encourage anyone who is charged with leading in any capacity to read these books.

But, these books only represent a start; they are the first steps of a journey. Simon Sinek’s Start with Why, for example, is a great book that could have easily been added to this list. So is It’s Your Ship by Capt. Michael Abrashoff. I’m sure there are many more.

Have a book that has really influenced your life or career? I’d love to hear about it. I’m always looking for my next good read.

The post 5 Books Every Leader Should Read appeared first on The SERO Group.

Many of the books I read so that I can grow professionally. Books on developing better leadership skills, on becoming more effective in what I do, on fostering deeper and stronger relationships within teams, and on how businesses can make better use of their data, are some of the topics that interest me.

Already this year, I’ve read three books that I’ve added to my Recommended Reading list. These were insightful, yet entertaining, applicable, yet engaging.

It’s Your Ship The United States Navy doesn’t have a monopoly on the highly-regimented, top-down leadership style. In fact, many companies still have this corporate culture. In It’s Your Ship, Abrashoff recounts how he was able to take a below average ship and turn it into one of the best ships in the Navy. His crew developed a sense of ownership and pride in their work. His bosses recognized Benfold’s accomplishments and rewarded the crew with additional liberty and flexibility. Abrashoff’s approaches work in the corporate world as well. This book is a must-read for leaders.

Permission to Screw Up Many business and leadership books are sanitized and polished. The authors share their successes without revealing the many painful mistakes and setbacks that plagued them along the way. This is not one of those books. In her book, Permission to Screw Up, Hadeed shares how she inadvertently started and grew a business hiring only millennials. She tells her engaging and personal story in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. In the end, the leadership lessons she shares seem more real and less academic, more applicable and less theoretical, more heartfelt and less boastful. Entertaining and informative, this book will help you build a better team.

The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Jack Shafer spent years with the FBI, preparing spies for their missions and helping to recruit spies from other countries. During his career, he developed strategies for reading people, building trust, and developing long-term relationships. This is not a book about deceitfully manipulating people. This book shares how to build better and stronger relationships.

If you are or desire to be a leader in your organization, I’d highly recommend that you pick up a copy of these three books. They are well worth your time.

The full Recommended Reading list is here.

Enjoy!

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If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” Abraham Lincoln was reported to have said once when accused of playing both sides of an issue. It’s good to see a politician with a self-deprecating sense of humor.

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame and the writers of The Office have some hysterical views on corporate politics. They poke fun at the corporate incompetence and the silly politics to which many in the business world can relate.

Not So Funny in the Real World

Unfortunately, there’s very little funny that’s to those who find themselves in a back-stabbing, alliance-building, sell-your-own-mother-if-it-wins-points-with-the-boss world of office politics.

As a consultant, I’ve worked with thousands of people at all levels of an organization and across most every industry. I’ve seen corporate politics in action. I’ve witnessed some of its brutality and the carnage it leaves in its wake. It’s painful to watch someone trample another as he protects his own little fiefdom.

Fortunately, as an “outsider”, I’m seldom the target of such attacks. Nevertheless, I thought it would be good to do a bit of research into the topic. So, I turned to the granddaddy of all books on politics: Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince.

Applying Princely Advice To Office Politics

Much like Sun Tzu’s The Art Of War, The Prince is considered by many to be a timeless classic that’s as applicable today in business as it was to governance in the period that it was originally written. When read with a discerning eye, it’s chock full of savvy advice for leaders.

For example, when you notice a subtle, slowly escalating issue, Machiavelli advocates confronting the issue sooner rather than later. There’s no sense in ignoring the issue and allowing it to gain momentum.

Therefore, the Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once, and, even to avoid a war, would not let them come to a head…

Likewise, Machiavelli proposes that the wise Prince will seek counsel from those around him albeit under very restricted conditions.

The only way for a prince to guard himself from flattering adulation is to make it understood that he will not be offended if he is told the truth.

and,

…this is an axiom which never fails: that a prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice…

A warning against complacency is also made.

Princes who give more thought to luxury than to arms often lose their principality.  In fact, the quickest way to lose a principality is to neglect the art of war, and the best way of acquiring one is to be a master in this art.

Take Some Advice With A Grain Of Salt

Not all advice proffered by Machiavelli is beneficial in my opinion and it should be measured against your own moral compass.

At times, Machiavelli’s advice can be calculating and callous. He seems to be of the opinion that the ends justifies the means no matter the cost. For example, when assuming power over a principality,

Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

Additionally, according to The Prince, we should not grow colleagues and direct reports.

From this a general rule is drawn which never or rarely fails: that he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined; because that predominancy has been brought about either by astuteness or else by force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised to power.

In Summary

I’m glad to have read The Prince. It’s a classic in every sense of the word. I must say, though, that it’s not an easy read. The sentence structures used can be rather complex at times even though the tone is fairly conversational.

Even some 500 years after its writing, it has some good insights into politics. Just being aware of these issues is good, even if you choose not to follow them.

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If Branson is to be believed, and his track record at The Virgin Group suggests that he knows what he’s doing, we’re left with the question: how do you take care of your employees? What do employees want and value in their role in an organization?

According to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, once the basic and most physiological needs of food, shelter, safety, etc., are met, people long for a sense of belonging, esteem, and ultimately self-actualization.

What that means in practical terms is that employees who feel that they work in a stable environment and are fairly compensated within the organization and within the broader context of their industry, look to factors beyond salary for contentment. Employees want to belong to a team where they feel like they can contribute effectively, where they have some say-so in the work that they do, and where they feel that their work is meaningful.

So how do we create an environment like that – an environment where employees want to do their best work?

That was the question that Jeff Sutherland researched and contemplated extensively during the 80s and 90s. He experimented with countless technical teams.

Until that point, the standard approach to software development was the waterfall method. Waterfall has a terrible track record for producing quality products, in a timely manner, within budget, and that fulfills the customer’s needs at the time of delivery. Additionally, Sutherland observed that the traditional waterfall approach meets almost none of the higher level needs described by Maslow.

He looked for a new approach and identified some philosophies that addressed the shortcomings of the waterfall methodology. He eventually created a set of principles that he later called Scrum.

These principles include:

1. Process control – being mindful of the process and continually looking for ways to improve.
2. Self-organization – those doing the work have the best awareness of the effort it will take to complete it. Teams will have more commitment when they can contribute to how and what gets done.
3. Collaboration – The team works together to accomplish a goal. Teams of 3 to 9 people who have all of the requisite skills to complete the project are preferred.
4. Value-based priorities – Teams should strive to create value early in the project, knowing that 80% of the value is derived from 20% of the effort.
5. Timeboxing – Break work into discrete units that can be completed in a relatively short amount of time.
6. Iterative development – repeat the development process frequently, always looking for ways to improve the process.

Since it’s creation, scrum has been adopted by a wide variety of teams. It’s been used in education, home remodeling, engineering, and medicine.

In his book Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, Sutherland explains “the how”, but much more importantly “the why” of the Scrum methodology.

I borrowed the e-book from my local library. It’s good enough that I’m buying a paper version for reference. I’d certainly recommend reading a copy. Even if you don’t use Scrum at work, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the factors that motivate your team.

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Want to talk about something controversial? Politics? Religion? Healthcare? Mere child’s play compared to the deeply entrenched beliefs about the effectiveness of the Scrum or Agile practices in software development shops.

OK, maybe that’s a bit of a hyperbole, but the senior leadership that I’ve consulted with over the years tend to have impenetrable convictions about the value, or utter lack of value, that Agile practices brings to a project. Most acknowledge that the traditional waterfall techniques are doomed from the outset. A lot of time and energy are devoted to understanding user needs, creating project plans and dependencies, and updating colorful Gantt charts. Yet by the end of the project, most of that has proven to be wasteful. Even if the timeline and budget have been managed effectively, the landscape has changed and the requirements and assumptions documented at the outset of the project are no longer valid.

However their experiences with Agile haven’t produced the panacea that the development managers have promised. They’ve been poorly executed and communicated.

In his book The Lean Startup, Eric Ries describes the many parallels between starting a business and developing software. The traditional way of starting a business involves creating a thorough and well-documented business plan, spending an inordinate amount of time and capital creating a product or service, and finally building an elaborate infrastructure to deliver the product/service to the customer. By the time all of that is done, the business owner may learn that what he’s built is not needed by the customer. Sounds a lot like the waterfall approach, huh?

Ries suggests adopting a “lean” approach to starting a business, or a new division within an existing business. “Lean” is manufacturing’s term for Agile. Create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), one that you know is incomplete, and get it front of customers as soon and as often as possible. Watch how they use it, what they like and what they don’t like. Learn from them by conducting A/B experiments, trials where some of the customers have one experience while others get a different experience, and make adjustments based on the results.

Ries contends that productivity in a startup should be measured not by features created, hours worked, or any other traditional method, but in the amount learned. He describes and promotes a process to effectively do this in a measured and intentional way for most any type of business.

He essentially combines the Scientific Method, Agile/Lean practices, and small business ownership mentality so that you know what is important to your customer and what isn’t. Spending time on something that isn’t wanted is wasteful. Ries outlines a systematic approach for determining that.

It makes sense to me.

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Have you seen the hashtag #TODOZERO? I didn’t think so. It’s as elusive as Nessie, unicorns, and movies with protagonists played by Ray Liotta. It just doesn’t happen.

There’s always something left undone at the end of the day, more work that could be done, more work that should be done. At some point, you have to acknowledge and make peace with the fact that not everything will be done today. (There’s a short but very good book by Andy Stanley called Choosing To Cheat that describes this in more detail. I reviewed it a while back.)

There are a lot of productivity books on the virtual shelves of Amazon and an equal number of life hacks on the internet. Some suggest making an Eisenhower Matrix. Others advocate doing the most important or yuckiest of tasks first. One of the more popular systems is Getting Things Done by David Allen.

I read Allen’s book when it was first released in the early 2000’s. I was left with the impression “Wow, this guy is making a mint writing and consulting on a series of paper To Do Lists! That’s so simple. I’ve got to come up with an idea like that.” But after trying and failing with the GTD system several times, I understood why his business model is successful. The system is simple in concept but difficult to put into practice.  Eventually, I abandoned GTD altogether; there was too much overhead in the system and I was both overwhelmed and discouraged at the depth and breadth of my lists. In retrospect, I’m sure it was my lack of understanding or perhaps discipline with the system that led to my failed attempts.

Recently I discovered and read a short book by Leo Babauta called Zen To Done. Babauta, like me and countless others, had trouble adopting all of the aspects of the GTD system. So he tweaked it to fit his own working style. He distilled GTD into 10 simple habits. He recommends implementing only one or two habits at a time and encourages the reader to use only those that make sense in your environment.

For example in GTD, the only things that go on the calendar are the hard-set appointments that if not done at that time will be missed altogether, such as doctor appoinments or meetings with clients. All other activities are documented and driven by the context To Do Lists.

With the Zen To Done system, Babauta recommends scheduling your Most Important Tasks (MITs) on your calendar each week (typically early each day) so that by the end of the week you have completed something of significance. According to the author, that’s critical. It ensures that the more important things get done. The practice also is helpful if your calendar is available to others in the organization who can schedule meetings with you during your free time.

Admittedly the ZTD system borrows quite a bit from the GTD. If you’ve read Allen’s book, ZTD will be very familiar to you. The author acknowledges that and thanks Allen for his framework. However the modifications are subtle yet significant enough to inspire me to give the combined system another go, albeit with a few minor tweaks of my own.

Overall, I’d recommend reading Zen To Done. But don’t go into it expecting groundbreaking concepts. Rather, expect customizations to an existing system that may make it actually doable.

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“That’s not how we do it here.”

Those words, when said by an authority figure such as a boss or team lead, can stifle innovative thinking and cap the creative juices that are necessary for an organization to adapt to a changing environment.

I recently listened to John Kotter’s book by that title, That’s Not How We Do It Here! In this book Kotter, who has also written Leading Change and Our Iceberg Is Melting, offers a fable about a clan of meerkats who have created a successful and thriving organization. It’s highly structured with well-documented procedures for gathering food, building and maintaining tunnels, and watching for predators. The hierarchal organization offers predictable results with little risk. It works great as long as the landscape doesn’t change too much.

Unfortunately a series of unexpected events does change the clan’s environment. New and uncontrollable challenges threaten the clan’s very existence and the management structure that once supported the clan now seems to hinder it. The senior meerkats, steeped in the traditional way of surviving, have great difficulties adjusting because “That’s not the way we do it here!”

The rest of the book describes how a couple of meerkats leave the clan to learn how other clans do it. Along the way, they learn the difference between leadership and management and how both are required for an organization to survive and thrive. Leadership without structured management can lead to chaos. Management without leadership suppresses creativity and leads to an ineffective uses of resources and a slow, frustrating demise.

I like books that use fables or fictional allegories that describe business principles that can be applied to the real-world. And Kotter does that well in this book. It effectively, if simplistically, draws the distinction between leadership and management. It shows how both are important, one more than the other at different stages of an organization’s development.

The book falls a bit short of describing how to successfully create the balanced environment where both techniques are effectively practiced. That’s probably a bit ambitious for this kind of book, but nevertheless it left me wanting more.

Overall, I’d recommend the book. Maybe not at the top of my list of resources, but it’s worth the read.

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I like to read. I find it relaxing, I find it entertaining, and I find it informing. I like a wide range of books. Over the past year, I’ve read non-fiction books on leadership, on behavioral economics, on beekeeping, and on hiking the Appalachian Trail. I’ve read fictional works like Dune, The Old Man and the Sea, and One Year After.

Since I routinely post on social media the most recent book I’ve read (or listened to on audiobook), I’m frequently asked for recommendations. So I thought I’d post the top five books I read in 2016. Actually I’ve composed two lists, one I would consider professional development and the other I would classify as purely entertainment.

Books for Professional Development

1. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
2. Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg
3. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
4. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
5. E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Books for Entertainment

1. 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff
2. Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
3. Food by Jim Gaffigan 
4. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
5. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt

 There you have it, the top five (times 2) books I’ve read in the past year. Now, let me ask you. What are your favorite books? What books do you recommend that put on my reading list?

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