Charles Gregory, Author

More than likely, you have heard the quote ‘Leaders are Readers.’ Personally, I have evolved this statement into ‘Leaders are Learners’ to reflect the many ways in which we absorb and learn. From audiobooks and podcasts (my addiction) to mentors or just watching the world around you — every experience helps. Having a mindset of being a ‘forever student’ has helped accelerate my growth both personally and professionally.

 

 

As one can see from my LinkedIn Profile (www.linkedin.com/in/charlesmahabir), I have been blessed with a diverse professional background including hospitality management, business consulting, and now asset management & commercial real estate development. Throughout each of these disciplines, there is one thing in common with my journey — the need to maintain a competitive edge. If you are reading this, I suspect that you too have a deep appreciation for knowledge and the power it has to transform. Formal education is a starting point, but the pursuit of wisdom is a lifelong quest, and, in the context of empowerment, leadership and entrepreneurship, certain books are game-changers. They can enhance strategic thinking or shift perspective. Here are ten books which not only shaped my journey but that I have re-read many times over for their truly transformational wisdom:

 

1. EXTREME OWNERSHIP by Jocko Willink, Lief Babin (Leadership): It’s a deeply insightful book on leadership, based on the experiences of two retired Navy SEALs and Officers whose choices had real life or death consequences. My favorite ‘call to action’ of the book is the drive for all leaders to take full ownership of their actions and decisions, both to create a culture of accountability and empowerment rather than blame. In my own personal and professional life, when I made the deliberate decision several years back to take full ownership of all that I am responsible for, as well as eliminating even the tiniest inkling of a ‘victim mindset’, I found true personal empowerment.

 

2. PITCH ANYTHING by Oren Klaff (Business Development): This book changed the way I pitch and present ideas forever. This book is rich with dynamic strategies for engaging audiences and persuading people. My favorite insight from this book is that you must properly frame and control the narrative of your pitch. I have personally studied this book several times and its wisdom has helped me craft successful high value monetary pitches to corporate officers, city officials, investors, and lending institutions.

 

3. NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE by Chris Voss (Negotiation): How to get what you want at the negotiation table — as though someone’s life depends on it. Written by a former FBI hostage negotiator, this book delved so deeply into the psychology of negotiation that it greatly enhanced my ability to build rapport quickly and enjoy favorable outcomes in high-stakes business discussions. Another wonderful point in this book is in role-playing business conversations ahead of time, which has served me well in mitigating being caught off-guard in discussions. This book is so robust that I have personally read it several times and even facilitated a mastermind study around its material.

 

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

 

4. AGENT OF INFLUENCE by Jason Hanson (Influence/Business Development): Written by a former CIA agent, this book takes espionage principles and applies them to business. Studying this book has dramatically changed how I prepare and execute interactions, especially with new contacts, the most important of which is to do thorough research and have a strategic plan on how I want the interaction to unfold. As an example, in my line of work, I often engage with City Officials or Corporate Officers. I always, always do my homework before a meeting, especially with individuals I am unfamiliar with. If the information is available, I will study the subject person’s accomplishments, beliefs, political affiliations, and hobbies. This allows me to best strategize my interaction with them.

 

5. THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY by Ryan Holiday (Solution Finding & Grit): An ‘applied stoic’ philosophy on how to leverage the adversity of our modern challenges as a means of forging deeper awareness and equipping us to go beyond it. From my own personal experience, this book taught me that there is a solution to everything if you are willing to think outside the box.

 

6. GRIT by Angela Duckworth (Grit): An inspirational argument for the value of perseverance. Duckworth’s contributions to an understanding of the value of ‘sticking with it’ have strengthened my resolve to persevere in the face of adversity. One of the experiences I had that convinced me of the power of grit was closely observing my CEO’s mental fortitude in leading our company through the Covid-19 pandemic. As a former military officer, his “never say die” and never give up” attitude allowed us to keep our heads above water during Covid and because of that, our company is now strategically positioned for a surge in growth.

 

7. MASTER OF ONE by Jordan Raynor (Focus): Celebrating the goodness of focused excellence, it has helped me to eliminate unnecessary distractions and hyperfocus on projects.

 

Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash

 

8. THINKING IN BETS by Annie Duke (Probability Thinking): This book taught me to think about choices by thinking probabilistically and to set outcomes first. This is another book I did a mastermind study on because its contents were so good. From my personal experience, reading this book will allow you to make better leadership decisions based on probable outcomes versus absolutes.

 

9. DISCIPLINE EQUALS FREEDOM by Jocko Willink (Personal Development Goals): Like its author, the book reinforces the value of discipline over motivation, using a process to help you acheive your goals. I read this book a few years back and because of it, I formulated a ‘daily disciplines’ routine that I use to this very day. In this list of daily disciplines, are non-negotiables around my faith walk, family time, martial arts, professional development, learning, and fitness. Basically, I have taken my personal and professional long-term goals and have reverse engineered them into daily actionable items that by following will increase my probability of accomplishing said goals. What’s most important is that I execute on these action items regardless of how I am feeling.

 

10. IT’S YOUR SHIP by Captain D Michael Abrashoff (Leadership): In my humble opinion, I believe that this book is a nice companion piece to EXTREME OWNERSHIP. One of this book’s focuses is on decentralized leadership, empowering teams to innovate and excel on their own, building trust and mutual respect throughout the organization. This is something that as a leader I had already believed in, but, when I read this book, it reinforced those principles.

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

· CAN’T HURT ME by David Goggins: A book by a former Navy SEAL and elite athlete that opened my eyes to the power of an indomitable will. A gritty read not for the faint of heart, but a universal revelation. The only reason it did not make my top 10 list is that David Goggins is as raw and as real as it gets and holds nothing back. While I personally admire his authenticity, it’s not palatable for everyone.

 

· THE ONE THING by Gary Keller: Although I have not personally read this book, it has been highly recommended to me. My understanding is that this is a wonderfully written book about the power of focus.

 

I know that there are a lot of great books out there on leadership and entrepreneurship, so I am not claiming that this is the absolute best list out there; however, these are the books that I have read, studied, and verified the effectiveness of what they teach. Furthermore, incorporating what I’ve learned from them has played a vital role in my life, my career, and as a leader. Each book I have recommended offers critical tools, eye-opening perspectives and powerful actions that can help anyone grow, build resilience, and become a more innovative leader, in the workplace and everywhere else.

 

Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash

 

CALLS TO ACTION TO EMPOWER YOUR LIFE

1) I highly encourage you to explore these transformative reads and carve your path to your destiny by clicking on the Affiliate Links below:

· EXTREME OWNERSHIP by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin

· PITCH ANYTHING by Oren Klaff

· NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE by Chris Voss

· AGENT OF INFLUENCE by Jason Hanson

· THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY by Ryan Holiday

· GRIT by Angela Duckworth

· MASTER OF ONE by Jordan Raynor

· THINKING IN BETS by Annie Duke

· DISCIPLINE EQUALS FREEDOM by Jocko Willink

· IT’S YOUR SHIP by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff

· CAN’T HURT ME by David Goggins

· THE ONE THING by Gary Keller

 

2) Sign up at Charlesm.online and be notified every time I write a new Blog on Empowerment, Martial Arts, or Interesting People.

 

3) Check out my other blogs on EMPOWERMENT at:https://charlesmonline.wordpress.com/category-empowerment/