Recommended by Michael Noe of Movendi Properties

Mike says:

This is a great book that challenges our preconceptions when communicating with someone we do not know. Many people believe we can read others very fast and know who they are and what motivates them. Malcolm Gladwell shows us example after example of why that is probably not true. The book includes stories about famous and not so famous people and how are preconceptions can lead us astray.

From Amazon’s description:

Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers–and why they often go wrong. How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn’t true? Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. He revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Bland—throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt. Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don’t know. And because we don’t know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world. In his first book since his #1 bestseller, David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell has written a gripping guidebook for troubled times.

This book is on Paul’s reading list.

From Amazons description:

As we think, so we become. This fundamental truth, which some have called “The Secret” or the “Law of Attraction,” was clearly and convincingly argued for the first time in James Allen’s masterpiece, As a Man Thinketh.

Allen reveals how our thoughts shape our character, and manifest themselves in our finances, health, appearance, and environment. The choice is yours: either master your thoughts and create the life you want; or remain mired in negativity, frustration, and failure.

I was so moved by “The Road Less Travelled” that when this book came out I had to read it.

This book contains, among other things, Dr. Peck’s model of spiritual growth which I reference in my book Rules Of The Spirit.  That one thing makes this book a worthy read.

The model is Dr. Peck’s condensed version of theologian James Fowler’s “Stages of Faith” – a 7-stage model, and rather a difficult read; it’ll make your head hurt.

Since I reference Dr. Peck’s model frequently, the question often comes up – is one stage better than another.  I liken the question to asking whether it’s better to be a 10 year old, or a 15 year old, or an adult. Is one better than the other?  I would say no, they are just natural stages of growth.  It is good to move along the growth curve, and I wouldn’t really want to go back, but it doesn’t seem appropriate to say that one is better than the other.  Interestingly, “adult” applies, at least legally, to anyone 18 years of age or older, but I bet you’d agree that there is a vast difference between an 18-year-old and a 60-year-old.  The mental, emotional, and spiritual growth doesn’t necessarily stop at 18.

The real benefit of the model is that with an understanding of the model, and being able to identify where another person fits into the model, it becomes possible to modify my own behavior to fit the other person.  Since a Stage 2 Institutional finds peace in their “black and whiteness” it doesn’t help for me to speak in terms of technicolor – it just pushes them into fear, and the fear shuts down communication.  One thing Ann and I have found is that people are where they need to be, spiritually.  It doesn’t help to try to get someone to understand concepts they’re not ready for – when they’re ready they’ll seek it out.  You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.  When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  The inverse is true: when the teacher is ready, the student will appear.

Recommended by Brian Mininger of Bear Creek Outdoor Living: “We build cool stuff, but more importantly we build people.” Decks, Porches, Sunrooms & Backyard Structures built by craftsmen in the Shenandoah valley.

Brian says: “This book radically transformed our small business finance.”

From the Amazon description:

Conventional accounting uses the logical (albeit, flawed) formula: Sales – Expenses = Profit. The problem is, businesses are run by humans, and humans aren’t always logical. Serial entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz has developed a behavioral approach to accounting to flip the formula: Sales – Profit = Expenses. Just as the most effective weight loss strategy is to limit portions by using smaller plates, Michalowicz shows that by taking profit first and apportioning only what remains for expenses, entrepreneurs will transform their businesses from cash-eating monsters to profitable cash cows. Using Michalowicz’s Profit First system, readers will learn that:

· Following 4 simple principles can simplify accounting and make it easier to manage a profitable business by looking at bank account balances.
· A small, profitable business can be worth much more than a large business surviving on its top line.
· Businesses that attain early and sustained profitability have a better shot at achieving long-term growth.

With dozens of case studies, practical, step-by-step advice, and his signature sense of humor, Michalowicz has the game-changing roadmap for any entrepreneur to make money they always dreamed of.

This book is an authoritative guide to public speaking for both the novice and the veteran.  Dr. McFarland draws upon his long successful career as a public speaker and gives you hundreds of strong ideas and practical hints that will enable you to handle any speaking occasion with the ease of an “old pro.”

This book is on Paul’s reading list.

From Amazons description:

• Read with speed and greater understanding.
• File phone numbers, data, figures, and appointments right in your head.
• Send those birthday and anniversary cards on time.
• Learn foreign words and phrases with ease.
• Shine in the classroom and shorten study hours.
• Dominate social situations: Remember and use important personal details.