The Secretary of Veteran Affairs has a bookshelf worth sharing…“Throughout my education, military, and business careers; there are a few principles in which I believe deeply that drive my behavior everyday” —Secretary Bob McDonald. Below are Secretary of McDonald’s top book recommendations that he shared with Things We Read. Many of which were books he recommended to his employees when he was the CEO of Proctor and Gamble. |
Man's Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl Living a life driven by purpose is more meaningful and rewarding than meandering through life without direction. My life's purpose is to improve lives...the leader's job is to understand and enable the purpose and dreams of their employees. In this sense the task of the leader become a calling, a profession; not a job. |
The Surprising Solution Bruce Piasecki Companies must do well to do good and must do good to do well....the point is that you can't say you are about making life better for people only in one area of your business. It has to be meaningfully integrated into all aspects of your business and operations. |
The West Point Way of Leadership Col. Larry Donnithorne Character is the most important trait of a leader. At West Point I learned that the character of a leader is their most important attribute. Character is defined as always putting the needs of the organization above your own. As a Captain in the Army, I always ate after the soldiers in my command. Note: The Secretary also cites the West Point Cadet Prayer Book as being pivotal for this belief. |
Leading Change (John Kotter) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey) Organizations must renew themselves. Any organization, as with any organism, which is growing must renew itself. Growth by definition requires change. Changes requires renewal. Recruiting and training are top priorities. |