My friend John Pearson, managment guru and great guy, has asked his friends to send him a picture of your “ultimate bookshelf.” Here’s the link to John’s page, but I thought I’d include the pic of my ultimate books and my personal note to John. Hope you find it interesting.John, of course I’m not satisfied with just being able to pick a few books since almost any short list feels totally incomplete. However, I picked a few that were meaningful and filled a “type” of book that has been instrumental in my personal and professional growth.
The Road Less Traveled has been a pivotal book in my life, I’ve read it over 20 times, and was the book that helped me begin to understand some of the pain and dysfunction in the world and how to deal with it.
Theodore Rex is a wonderful and well written biography but also represents all the free life lessons I’ve gleaned from reading biographies of consequential men and women.
Now Discover Your Strengths was a book the helped me find the language to explain why and how my gifts/talents/perspective are unique…in a good way. There aren’t many more important issues than figuring out how you’re wired and the context where you are best suited.
Good to Great is another classic that represents a type of book that has helped me steer a more strategic and healthy path for those I lead.
The Tipping Point was a book that really spoke to me, as much for the interesting use of story to bring facts to life as for it’s main point – explaining how trends and social epidemics happen.
David Curry
