It's worth mentioning this month I had no distinct #1 favorite. In fact, the order is mostly separated by slight preferences in style. Which, as we know, is completely subjective.

However, from an impact standpoint, I'd highly recommend book #2 on the list. An instantly implementable system for anyone managing others. Plus, it's a short read...and we're all in a hurry!

Okay, here's my September 2017 Reading List...

*All titles are clickable.

1.) ANGEL - Jason Calacanis

"Great companies are bought, not sold."

A fun rags to riches story about one guy's journey from Brooklyn to Silicon Valley. It's the Calacanis formula on how to invest in early stage start ups, but it turns out to be much more. The savvy will be able to take real gold from this book. It's also a founders education.

One of the most prominent angel investors - Uber, Tumblr, Thumbtack - telling you word for word what matters most to him. He's brash and to the point, but I appreciate his direct nature. This is largely the reason it ended up in the top slot this month. I really enjoyed his character.

2.) THE NEW ONE MINUTE MANAGER - Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson

"Help people reach their full potential, catch them doing something right."

A management classic that was revamped in 2015. I love reading business classics, and this is a MUST READ for anyone in management. For the rest of eternity you'll probably hear me say, "Simplicity is the secret." It's worth saying now because when it's done right, it just works. Through the years, Blanchard and Johnson have impacted millions with the one minute message. Three simple rules:

One Minute Goals
One Minute Praisings
One Minute Re-Directs

These rules just make sense as THE foundation for great management. I'm looking forward to creating an adaptation for groundupSALES in 2018 and beyond.

3.) DISRUPT YOU! - Jay Samit

"Businesses - whether they make dog food or software - don't sell products; they sell solutions."

Jay is a thinker. A thinker with a ton of experience around the trendy topic of disruption. This makes for many "tweet-able anecdotes." Today's business landscape is extremely volatile - distribution completely unhinged, new entrants into all industries almost daily, and information accessible to anyone.

Disrupt You! shows you how to not get left behind. Sometimes a book like this only seems approachable for the entrepreneur, but Jay also sheds light on the impact you can make as intrapreneur. Someone that can disrupt within an organization. This makes the book digestible for anyone.

4.) FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"The wise man listens to meaning; the fool only gets the noise."

The message is a stroke of genius. As a society, we seemingly mistake luck for skill consistently. Taleb hammers this home with stories that mimic reality. As well as, personal accounts during his time as a risk analyst and Wall Street trader. Honestly, this book would have been higher on the list for me, but it's such a slow read! He has a very raw writing style.

In all fairness to him, he warns you at the beginning, "Almost all my book editors who read the draft recommended changes at the sentence level and in structure of text; I ignored almost all of them..." With that being said, it does add that extra level of depth. You get his unfiltered mind which offers a unique quality to the book.

5.) THE MARSHMALLOW TEST - Walter Mischel

"The ability to delay immediate gratification for the sake of future consequences is an acquirable cognitive skill."

This book features a lifetime of research, yes, you heard that right...A lifetime! Mischel has spent his entire life studying whether self-control at an early age is a predictor of future success. His most prominent work Stanford Marshmallow Experiment - A child is presented a marshmallow and given a choice: eat one now or enjoy two later? - serves as the basis.

Does your ability to delay gratification result in higher SAT scores, better cognitive and social skills, or overall better health? Mischel thinks so. Taking it a step further, he ask's the truly important question...Can self-control be taught? He shows that not only can it be, but how it can be applied to overcome life's most daunting problems.

Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you'd like a personal book recommendation based on your interests, desires, and/or situation.

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