Book Review – Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t

If you are a leader, think you are a leader, or aspire to be a leader, then you need to read Simon Sinek’s book, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t*. I believe this book does a great job explaining why some teams excel and others fail. A lot of the success and failure can be closely tied to leadership. In his book, Sinek explained the science behind good and bad leadership and team performance in terms that I could easily understand. Having worked in two distinct cultures: military and higher education. I am aware of a difference in leadership. I certainly have my preferences and I am happy to report I believe they align with what Sinek shared.

Tubarks Tales, Episode #2

This is another episode of Tubarks Tales; I will be discussing a couple of lessons learned from recent podcasts, a couple of recommended books, and two MOOCs I am participating in.

2013 has been a banner reading year

Repeatedly, I have stressed the importance of reading to your lifelong learning. In a blog post, I quoted the U.S. Labor Department, ”According to the U.S. Labor Department, business people who read at least seven business books per year earn over 230 percent more than people who read just one book per year.“ I have taken this to heart and increased the reading have done. In 2012, I wrote 12 book reviews; this year I am pleased to report that I wrote 21 book reviews.

Over the past year, I have written  book reviews spanning four major topics: Evernote, Google+, leadership, and learning.

Have you been reading more?

In May 2011, I wrote a blog post that discussed the importance of reading. In it I quoted the U.S. Labor Department, ”According to the U.S. Labor Department, business people who read at least seven business books per year earn over 230 percent more than people who read just one book per year.“ Well, I have certainly done my share of reading in the past year. I have tried to support my reading habit with book reviews in this blog.

Over the past year, I have written 12 book reviews spanning four major topics: Evernote, game design and gamification, leadership, and learning in a digital age.

Evernote

Evernote is one of those power tools that I am relying more and more on. These couple of books have helped me develop a strategy for using Evernote.

Evernote: The unofficial guide to capturing everything and getting things done. 2nd Edition Daniel Gold, the author of Evernote: The unofficial guide to capturing everything and getting things done. 2nd Edition*, has managed to write a book that ties Evernote and Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity* together.

Evernote for Lawyers: A Guide to Getting Organized & Increasing Productivity Evernote is simple to use; there are countless ways to import information into Evernote but mastering its capabilities is keeping me occupied. Fortunately, I ran across a great book to help me tame this powerful tool. David Ward of The Attorney Marketing Center has written a book called Evernote for Lawyers: A Guide to Getting Organized & Increasing Productivity*.

Gamification and Gaming

These couple of books have helped peel another layer of the onion back in terms of understanding gamification and game design.

Theory of Fun for Game Design Theory of Fun for Game Design*  is a deceptively educational book on the topic of fun and game design. Less on game design and more on fun.

The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education Karl Kapp has just released his book, The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education*. Kapp explains the concept of gamification and why people play games, the research behind gamification, key gaming elements, how to apply game mechanics to problems and domains, and examples of games used in the real world.

Leadership

These two books have provided me with more insight into running an organization and getting things done while working with others.

	Turn the Ship Around!: How to Create Leadership at Every Level* Marquet became the commander of one of the worst submarines in the Navy. By using some rather unorthodox methods of leadership, at least by Navy standards, he was able to lead his men from worst to first in two years.
	Six Thinking Hats* The book focuses on a different method for conducting meetings.

Learning in a Digital Age

Finally, these books discuss the important of learning and the use of technology to learn. The majority of them point to the future where learning is a mobile device away.

	10 Ways to Be a Better Learner* For a short quick read, this book provided a lot of great tips for being a better learner.
	Mobile First* Very simply, Wroblewski points out that mobile devices are being purchased at a staggering rate, outpacing computers and laptops, and users are increasingly using mobile devices to access the internet anytime and anywhere.
	The Mobile Academy: mLearning for Higher Education If you are interested in background information on the next major wave to hit higher education, you may want to read The Mobile Academy: mLearning for Higher Education* by Clark Quinn. Quinn does a solid job of walking a reader through all the key points necessary to adequately address issues revolving around mobile learning (mlearning) in a academic environment.
	Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning Many trainers and educators are now examining or using social media tools to support their work in the classroom. When starting to learn about new tools, there is often a steep learning curve; you must not only learn how to use the features of the tool, but you must also figure out how to use it in an educational setting. Jane Bozarth’s book, Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning*, will help you get a jump start on the second problem… how to use the tools in an educational setting.
	The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age* This book really spoke to me because it reinforces my thoughts on learning and professional development. The authors were quick to point out that we have entered an age where we can learning virtually anything, anywhere, and anytime. They also actively supported the ideas presented by Dewey and Lindeman — learning is a social activity.
	Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything* The title is a little deceptive because I believe this book would be enlightening for everyone interested in how to get the most out of Google+.

What have you been reading? What recommendations do you have for me?

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* In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, which means that if you purchase this item through my link I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.
Plus, when you order through my link, it helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. 🙂 Thank you, in advance for your support!

Book Review: Turn the Ship Around! How to Create Leadership at Every Level

I just had the pleasure of reading David Marquet’s book, Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders*, and I have been encouraging everyone I see to also read it. Marquet became the commander of one of the worst submarines in the Navy. By using some rather unorthodox methods of leadership, at least by Navy standards, he was able to lead his men from worst to first in two years. More importantly, his crew continued their success long after he left the ship. He transformed the organization from a leader-follower group to a leader-leader group. Instead of requiring constant direction, the crew became self-starters, and easily handled challenges regardless of nature. This is what you want from an organization.