My Favorite Books of 2013

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. A book about being brave, stepping into the arena, and giving it your best shot. This book will help you move past your fears, the critics (both internal and external), and slay the dragon of perfectionism. Brené has said, “Perfectionism is a 10-ton shield that stops us from being seen.” Daring Greatly will make you appreciate your talent and your life more. You are enough, just as you are, so start living like it. It had a huge impact on me. If you read anything on this list, start with this one.

The Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. So good, I read it twice this year! The Impact Equation is a wonderfully written book about making an impact in the world by being as helpful as possible, keeping things simple and being brave by thinking like an owner, not an employee. This book resonated with me so much that it gave me the kick in the butt I needed to start my blog (which is a chapter on building your platform). I continued looking for other ways to share it, and suggested to our CMO that everyone on our team should read it. I was thrilled when he decided to buy a copy for everyone. That weekend I emailed Chris Brogan to let him know how much the book meant to me and about our team reading it together. He not only responded to my email but he ended up coming to Milwaukee to meet with our team! I even got to spend some extra time with him one-on-one. Do yourself a favor and read The Impact Equation, oh, and sign up for Chris Brogan’s weekly newsletter. You never know what could happen!

How to Be Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps) by Jessica Hagy. I saw Jessica was going to be at a book signing and I liked the title of the book, so I went. I’m so glad I did. I left the book singing saying, “I’m starting my blog.” That’s how inspiring Jessica was. How to Be Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps) is an insightful and funny look at life lessons we could all learn from. Follow the steps presented in this wonderful book and just watch where life takes you.

Give and Take by Adam Grant. I read a New York Times article about Adam and was so blown away by this man that I was going to buy the book that weekend, but didn’t get a chance to. The book arrived the next week, sent to me by a friend who also enjoyed it. Adam Grant has studied how givers get ahead in life and in business, more than takers. At the age of 30 he became the youngest tenured professor at the famous Wharton School of Business, and also it’s highest ranking professor. This book made me pause and reflect on things so many times. I highlighted the heck out of the pages of Give and Take, that’s how much it spoke to me. Reading it also helped me come up with a ton of creative ideas.

The Art of Explanation by Lee LeFever. If you want to know how to break things down to its simplest form, The Art of Explanation will help tremendously. Whether you need to explain a product to your customers, explain your ideas to team members, or tell something to your family, this guide will help you. Lee offers great examples of what’s worked for him and his clients in explaining even the most complex ideas so that anyone can understand them. And if you aren’t understood, you won’t get anywhere in life, so therefore this is a must read.

Likeonomics by Rohit Bhargava. A book that will make you smile throughout and gives insight on how to do business in a better way. Likeonomics made me stop and say “yes, yes, yes” many times. Each chapter is filled with wonder advice and real-life examples of how to treat your customers; not as numbers, not as dollar signs, but as real people. It’s refreshing to read something that I feel to be true.

The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. It’s hard not to be impressed with anything Seth Godin writes. He’s so succinct and so right-on and The Icarus Deception is classic Seth Godin. There’s something about this book that makes you want to go out and rule the world. He makes you feel like anything is possible, if you care enough to put forth the effort. He challenges you to believe that you can, so you might as well go ahead and do it.

The Passion Conversation by Robbins Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church, and John Moore. The folks who wrote this are from a group called Brains on Fire, which focuses on helping companies with word of mouth marketing. I saw Robbin, one of the authors, speak at a BMA Milwaukee event and was drawn in. The Passion Conversation takes customer engagement to a whole new level. It goes in depth with four real-life examples of organizations (both for-profit and non-profit) that have used their strategies successfully. This book is an eye-opener that also sparked a lot of ideas.

What books impacted you in 2013? What are you looking forward to reading in the new year?

Happy reading in 2014!