Like most of you, I am a collector and reader of books. My Kindle is filling up with downloaded editions. My bookshelves are full and getting fuller. But with over 400,000 books being published every year in every genre, it is impossible to keep up. On Amazon as of this morning, a search for books using the keyword “leadership” turned up over 130,000 books.
Some leadership books are more enduring than others. I must admit I am challenged to keep up, trying to select among the many new ones that compete for my attention. But there are some classics that have remained on my bookshelf for decades, volumes to which I refer and reread because their message is not so faddish and trendy. After all, great leadership has been around forever (for that matter so has really bad leadership), therefore the principles that are helpful keep re-emerging.
It is one such book I refer to today. This 30 year old book is as fresh today as it was when it first appeared in 1983. Not surprisingly, I like it because it resonates with me and what I propose makes for greatness – competence, character, confidence, clarity.
Finding its roots in the venerable perspectives of Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie, Denis Waitley’s approach brought him to the US Olympic team where he was able to give them the mental edge that creates winning athletes out of the ranks of the world’s best athletes.
So, you ask, what book is it?
Seeds of Greatness – The Ten Best Kept Secrets of Total Success
Not mere fluff piece, Waitley’s advice is rooted first in discovering your natural abilities then developing the right mental attitude to capitalize on who you are so that you do what you do better than ever.
I especially liked Seed #10 – Perspective. I won’t reveal the others. The book will probably be available at your local lending library or you can buy it by clicking on the link below.