Welcome to my office!? I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week! Allow me to share with you some of what I learned and read in the previous two weeks.
First let me be honest: the reason I did not post a ?Welcome to My Office? last week was because I slacked off on my daily reading for a few days. (I aim to read 30 pages of a book daily). So, I had to catch up and make up for those days. I hope you are dedicating time to read?and if you falter, don?t be discouraged. Just pick it up and start again.
I also want to share with you some interesting experiences I recommend from my recent trip to New York, in case you plan a trip there in the coming months. Two weeks ago I was fortunate to go to the Big Apple for the weekend with a few family members.
We saw the 9/11 memorial which is definitely moving. We also visited The Morgan. This is a small modern art museum which includes JP Morgan?s interesting private library and personal study. We saw a modern art exhibit called Iran Modern at the Asia Society museum. This exhibition featured Iranian modern art in the 30 years before the 1979 revolution. We also saw Billy Crystal in his landmark Broadway show, 700 Sundays, in which he recounts his time with his father who died when Billy was just 15 years old. It turned out that he spent 700 Sundays with his father. This was a moving and funny show.
Books I Read In the Last Two Weeks:
Lead with LUV by Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett
LUV is the symbol on the New York stock exchange for Southwest Airlines. LOVE is the core of their culture. Started by Herb Keleher, Southwest Airlines is well known for their positive, people-centered culture. Colleen, co-author of the book, became Southwest Airline’s president after Herb retired. She had been his executive assistant, but he chose her to be his successor. She left that position in 2008.
In this book, Ken and Colleen talk about how servant leadership was paramount to the success of Southwest Airlines. It is always very helpful to hear from a real life leader about the real challenges of leadership and how they overcame them.
This book is 156 relatively small pages and is unique because it is a narrative of a literal conversation between the two authors. I recommend it to anyone who aims to lead their team with love. You can buy Lead with LUV?here by clicking the link.
Thinking for a Change by John Maxwell
Dr. Maxwell is a proponent of good thinking as the precursor to a great life and great leadership. ?As people think in their heart, so they are,? says King Solomon. So if thinking precedes all action, and if action determines our destiny, then we need to think and study thinking.
In his book Dr. Maxwell specifically discusses the importance of excelling in different kinds of thinking. Each chapter talks about one of eleven methods of healthy thinking. For example, thinking approaches include big picture thinking, focused thinking, creative thinking, realistic thinking, strategic thinking, and reflective thinking.
Like all of Dr. Maxwell’s books, this one is full of powerful principles and memorable quotes. Thinking for a Change is 257 pages. You can find it here.
Urging you to invest in yourself continually…
Your friend,
PS: I will try to do better with my daily reading! I would love to hear (and learn) from you about your reading habits.
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