By: Dr. Karen Goodnight
& Dr. Scout Cloud Lee
March 2024
From the desk of Dr. Karen Goodnight:
Are you a leader, or an aspiring leader who continuously works on your professional
development? Do you also love to read leadership books? If your answer is yes- then you are on the right path to become a high-performance leader. If you are intentional in maintaining focus and attention to the development of personal and professional growth, then I believe it will prove to be beneficial for the rest of your life.
You may wonder, to develop the very best leadership qualities, what are the best leadership books to read? Did you know that when you search “Leadership books”, you’ll find that Amazon shows over 60,000 books with the word “leadership” in the title? Our time is valuable as busy leaders, and the thought of searching through so many books can be overwhelming, so we need to choose wisely.
Early in my career, I was asked to read the book “The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership” by James C. Hunter. I remember reading this book as a new leader (which was recommended by boss/mentor at the time), and it had a profound impact on my life. Since reading that book, in the mid 90’s, I’ve read tons of good, (and not so good) leadership books throughout my journey. Most of the books I’ve read, and those on my book list have been referred by someone else and come highly recommended. Also, I often choose to read only books that I truly connect with.
There are so many leadership experts out there. Some of the notable ones that I have personally learned from and follow religiously include Zig Ziglar, Jack & Susie Welch, John C. Maxwell, Simon Sinek, Brandon Burchard, Brene Brown. Mel Robbins, to name just a few. Dr. Maxwell is an expert in all areas of leadership, and one of my favorite Maxwell books is “The 5 levels of Leadership.” Another favorite is “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. I love Sinek’s and Robbins’s no nonsense leadership advice and direct messages that always motivate and inspire me to take action.
I am honored to mention some amazing leadership experts who happen to be very close friends of mine: The amazing leadership guru, Cheerleader for the 21st Century, author, singer-songwriter, motivational speaker, and celebrity—Dr. Scout Cloud Lee. Her book “Shazam! The Formula for Getting What You Really, Really, Really, Want" is timeless, one of my favorites, and a must read. As well as, the incredible former U.S. Air Force Officer, leadership expert, internationally well-known speaker, author, and outstanding Native Warrior –D.J. Vanas. D.J’s book, “The Warrior Within—Own your power to Serve, Fight, Protect and Heal” is also one of my favorites and a very powerful leadership book. (I’ll have another blog highlighting both amazing individuals in the upcoming months!). Although reading is a passion of mine, I’ve also learned a great deal about leadership through my own life experiences. I’ve had incredible work opportunities with amazing bosses, mentors, and coaches, who have contributed to my knowledge and skills.
The message here is to take learning into your own hands, but always have a mentor or a coach, and be looking for leadership lessons from others who inspire you. Becoming a high-performance leader isn’t easy. It takes a lot of hard work, intentional practice, and focus. You absolutely have the power to become the type of leader you’ve always dreamed of. With a minimal financial investment, reading is just one way to develop and refine your skills. It also requires an investment in your time to devote to reading each day. Make reading one of your daily goals- be proactive by building in the time you need to read – at least 15-30 minutes per day- every day. Remember, a high performing leader is never quite satisfied, we are continuously growing our knowledge to perfect our leadership skills. Michael Jordan, former NBA Basketball player once said: “Earn your leadership every day.” So, make your plan, open a book, and start your leadership journey with courage, joy, and determination!
And when it comes to a certified leadership expert, and one of my very favorites, in areas like organizational leadership, the mastering of developing and leading people, coaching individuals, conducting team engagement sessions; I would like to introduce you to my all-time admired and cherished leadership guru, mentor, colleague, and coach …Dr. Scout Cloud Lee. She has been one of my closest and most beloved friends, amazing partner in leadership development and training, and the absolute best creator of all things fun!
Over the years, I have learned so much from watching her conduct her leadership sessions, with her empathetic but direct interactions with people, her ability to analyze personalities, her dynamic team engagement sessions, and the way she helps people to learn and grow with so much enthusiasm and fun! She is truly a master communicator and a leader in excellence. All her books are special to me, but her book “Sworn to Fun!” is one of the best. If you want to learn how embrace joy in your life and make a drastic change in your leadership development--just read one of her books and you will instantly be energized to be the director of your own leadership journey and trust me—you will be inspired to start right away!
From the desk of Dr. Scout Cloud Lee:
I didn’t grow up in a home with books, except our set of encyclopedias. I never saw my
parents read a book, and I don’t remember being read to. So how did I develop my insatiable need to read a least a book a week? As a graduate student at the University of Georgia, I enrolled in a philosophy class with forestry professor, Dr. Bill Moss. As it turned out I couldn’t meet at his posted time. Knowing how much I wanted to study with him, he agreed to meet with me individually if I would agree to read a book a week.
Little did I know that this would change my life.
Reading one book a week while working and taking a full graduate load challenged me to focus, prioritize my time, and take prolific notes. There was no way I could fudge on my reading since I sat with Dr. Moss 2 hours a week to discuss my book and future pace it into my developing profession.
I learned to read with intention, knowing that I best learned by experience. The ideas I
read about became what I experimented with at work and in my personal life. I still read an average of one to two books a week. I still underline profusely and create cliff notes to reference and share with my colleagues, clients, and students.
I credit one other person with my deep love of reading. I once attended a graduate meeting of senior women at the University of Illinois where I was an associate professor. An elderly woman asked me about my astrological sign. I replied, “My
what!” I then replied, “I’m a Scorpio, but I don’t believe in astrology”. “Oh”, she replied. “You must know something about it”. “Oh no”, I replied. “I don’t study things I don’t believe”. She then kindly but firmly told me, “You mustn’t foster opinions around those things about which you know nothing!” Since that day, I have done my best to form opinions and perspectives around qualified works of literature, film, etc. Do you want to excel? Then read, read, read!
And lastly, working with my very dear friend, Dr. Karen Goodnight, has given me the
experience of truly being a team working toward one goal. As a Team Development consultant and Corporate Coach, I’ve had the opportunity to work directly with great leaders and their teams. My experience with coaching executives has spanned 30 years, during which time I have met no other leader with more compassion, foresight, insight, and highly personal communication style than Dr. Karen Goodnight. Karen is the type of exceptional leader who naturally seeks to exceed customer expectations.
She is a soft and calming presence. She understands the relevant factors affecting quality relationships. She considers roadblocks as opportunities to utilize existing resources to view situations from a different perspective and uncover creative solutions. Karen is a master of establishing rapport to facilitate effective communication and is an excellent and skilled listener. She understands that communication is really “all about relationships” and she strives always to grow quality relationships. Karen knows that success and effective teams rely on a relentless commitment to communication, getting along, trying ideals, and sharing. Karen always seeks solutions that are “win-win” for all parties. She is quick to help in any way she can. Everyone who knows and works with Karen always feels respected, revered, and appreciated. She is a transformational leader who continually helps teams and organizations grow and achieve excellence.
We hope you have enjoyed this leadership blog and perhaps it sparked the idea to invest more time into your own development. Reading can be a fun and fulfilling way to learn and grow, even though it takes a strong will and consistent commitment. We wish you the very best and until next time!