20+ books that changed my life & career…
The Cubs Way
There’s no ceiling unless you make one.
Theo’s journey gave me the confidence to be a GM one day.
It’s a simple formula:
Hustle your ass off & be great at relationships.
Lessons on leadership, culture, & the power of language that broke the @cubs 108 year curse.
Rise of Superman
My favorite book of all time.
A fascinating exploration at the limits of human potential.
If flow state is optimal performance;
..what extreme athletes like @LairdLife do is ultimate performance.
It’s literally flow, or die.
Bonus: Stealing Fire
Creativity, Inc.
The @Pixar story + Steve Jobs; what more could you want!
Incredible case study:
What it takes to inspire a creative culture and stretch the limits of what’s possible.
Hard Thing About Hard Things
@bhorowitz is a straight up G!
Dude keeps it real, raw, & uncut.
All the way down to spitting old school hip hop verses.
F*ck what you learned in school.
This is a real life account - what it takes to be a CEO.
Bonus: What You Do Is Who You Are
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Long, but well worth it.
You’ll learn how we think - the cognitive illusions, heuristics & biases that influence (or sometimes make) our decisions.
~10% of people who start this book ever finish it.
So, read this one first👇🏽
Bonus: The Undoing Project
The Inevitable
Mind blowing.
Our brain can’t fathom what the convergence of accelerating technologies will bring in 3 years.
Let alone 30.
Basically, the more impossible something seems, the more inevitable it will become a reality.
Bonus: The Future Is Faster Than You Think
Raising the Bar
Billion dollar business; fully bootstrapped 🤯
“At Clif Bar I try to model the value of knowing nothing. Of asking questions, avoiding absolutes, being humble, and seeking the wisdom of others—as a business & leadership style.”
Bonus: Let My People Go Surfing
Ride of a Lifetime
@RobertIger is a living legend!
“No matter who we become or what we accomplish…we’re essentially the kid we were at some simpler time long ago.
That’s the trick of leadership…to hold on to that awareness even as the world tells you how important you are.”
Legacy
@AllBlacks are the greatest sporting dynasty in the history of the world.
Read this, and you’ll quickly understand why.
This is a yearly read for me.
It served as the foundation to the player-led culture we built @BoilerBall
Also a yearly read 👇🏽
Bonus: The Alchemist
Captain Class
Great leaders need not be glamorous. They only need a knowledge of what success looks like & a plan to get there.
They don’t need to remind people how great they are. If anything, they should give the impression they don't believe they're worthy of leading at all.
Zero to One
Foundational resource if you have even an itch of entrepreneurial ambition.
I read it cover to cover in one day, and filled up my journal!
“The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.”
Ego is the Enemy
Anything by @RyanHoliday is must-read.
This one in particular helped me open up and be vulnerable.
It’s one I share regularly with the athletes I’ve Coached.
“Be humble in your aspirations, gracious in your success, and resilient in your failures.”
Behave
All things human behavior. Summed up, "It's complicated."
•Neuroscience to Endocrinology
•Genetics & Evolutionary Biology
•Environment & Childhood
•Culture & Religion
Spoiler: Psychology Drives Physiology
Confidence > Sets & Reps
Bonus: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers
Principles
Mandatory for any aspiring leader.
Favorite @RayDalio quote:
“Imagine that in order to have a great life you have to cross a dangerous jungle.
You can stay safe where you are & have an ordinary life;
…or you can risk crossing the jungle to have a terrific life...
Antifragile
The opposite of fragile isn’t resilience.
Rather, where the resilient resists shocks & stays the same; the antifragile gets better.
•Medicine
•Finance
•Politics
•Economic systems
@nntaleb challenges conventional wisdom & exposes traps of delusional thinking.
Better
Frankly, this could be any book by @Atul_Gawande
‘Better’ explores the science of performance and how lessons from the medical field can be applied to improve any discipline.
"What is troubling is not just being average; but settling for it"
Bonus: Checklist Manifesto
How Children Succeed
“What matters most in a child's development isn’t how much info we can stuff into their brain…
What matters instead is whether we’re able to help them develop persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit, and self-confidence.”
Bonus: Grit
Quiet
As an introvert playing the role of extrovert, this was an eye-opening read on social intelligence.
"Make the most of introverts strengths. These are the people who can help you;
•Think deeply
•Strategize
•Solve complex problems
•And, spot canaries in your coal mine
The Score Takes Care of Itself
Having @AlVermeil as one of my biggest mentors, I’ve been indirectly mentored by Coach Walsh through Al’s countless stories.
This book is truly a gift from an incredible man, and transformational leader.
His legacy is one that transcends sport.
Book of Joy
And, for my trolls out there…
“None of us are immune to the all-too-human traits of pride or ego;
..but true arrogance really comes from insecurity.
Needing to feel that we are bigger than others comes from a nagging fear that we are smaller.”
Bonus: 10% Happier
Sharing the perfect book recommendation is one of my favorite things to do.
I’d love to give you one if I can.
Comment below with anything you’re interested to learn, struggling with, or curious about.
I’ll share a book.
And, if you enjoyed this follow me @jbonhotal
TL;DR
•Let’s be honest..
•If this list was too long;
•You weren’t gonna read any of the books anyway…
•🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
•#BookClub 📚
Bonus: What I’m currently reading..
WILL
Will Smith has the ultimate savage mentality, discipline, and just seems to enjoy life to the fullest.
He’s also vulnerable; sharing the bad with the good.
Fun read a la ‘Green Lights’ by @McConaughey
My favorite passage so far 👇🏽
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.