Perhaps one of the greatest things a leader can do to grow their leadership is to read. Reading allows us to learn from the best and grow in our own ministries and walks with God. In my opinion, reading is the number one way youth workers can grow in leadership!

     This year has been one of my best years yet, and my impact and influence has grown significantly. It’s no coincidence that I have also read more this year than ever before! I read over 20 books this year, and I am a much better leader after putting their contents into practice. 

     I would like to challenge you to make a commitment to reading and growing in your leadership this year. To help get you started, or to give recommendations to those already committed to reading, here are the best books I read this year.
 

 1) Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Start With Why by Simon Sinek is the best book I’ve read this year hands down. In it, Sinek takes an easy to understand approach to what it means to start with why. As he writes in the book, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it!” Learning to start with why is key for any leader who must cast vision and make changes within their ministry.

 2) H3 Leadership by Brad Lomenick

I read this book early on in 2016, and it’s a MUST READ for young leaders! The whole book is centered around the habits every leader needs to cultivate for sustained success. Each habit is broken down into three different sections of a leader’s life: Hungry, Humble, & Hustle. If you want to lead well over the long haul, this is a book you need to read. It was one of my favorites, and it is by far the most highlighted book I’ve read this year!

 3) Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal  
In Team of Teams, General Stanley McChrystal details his experience of commanding the Joint Special Operations Task Force in 2004 in the war against Al Quaeda. The biggest problem he faced was scaling the quickness and effectiveness of a small team to work in a team of thousands. It’s an incredible book detailing how to design leadership systems that will grow an effective team and take it to the maximum level of effectiveness.

This book helped me make the leap from leading tens to leading hundreds, and it can help you too! Whether you are leading a small, medium, or large team, this book will help you lead your team effectively and sustainably.

 4) Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell

“It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.” This is the bedrock principle this book is written on, and it’s spot on! This book is filled with practical ideas and principles to lead in a magical way. In it, Lee shares 10 common sense leadership strategies that he learned from his time at Disney. This is an incredible book and a must read for youth workers everywhere. 

 5) Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

As a leader, you are either a multiplier or a diminisher. Too many leaders are accidental diminishes! Diminishers take value from the people around them, while multipliers give and multiply value in the people around them.  In this book, Liz Wiseman gives us the tools to figure out what type of leader we are and a roadmap to get where we want to be. I recommend this book to all leaders, and especially to youth workers. 

 6) Intentional Living by John Maxwell

Candid disclaimer, I’m not quite done with this book yet. I am about three quarters of the way done with it, but it’s already one of the best books I’ve read this year! It’s full of John’s story and the journey he took to become the leader he is today. It’s a call to lead an intentional life of significance. It’s a challenge for leaders to lead for significance more than success, and it’s incredibly practical about how to take your next steps.  I’ve read (and loved) many John Maxwell books, and this is one of my favorites so far!

 7) Start by Jon Acuff

Start is a book about how to “punch fear in the face, escape average, and do work that matters.” I read this book on a plane ride earlier this year, and it’s a big reason that you are reading this right now! YmLead was a dream I’ve had but had never acted on. Jon’s challenge to simply start gave me the courage to take the leap and make ymLead a reality. Not only that, but it helped encourage me to get started practically on writing my book #Goals: Setting Goals to Move You Forward. This book is inspiring, challenging, and practical all at the same time. It’s also witty and funny in typical Jon Acuff fashion.

 8) It by Craig Groeschel

Great organizations are those who have It and have discovered how to keep it. In this book, Craig Groeschel tackles the question: “How can we get it and how do we keep it?” It is challenging and practical, and is full of practical wisdom from one of the best church leaders in the world. It’s an easy read and a great book to start with in 2017!

 9) Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson

Chase the Lion is an approach to life for leaders who want to reach their dreams! God has put in each of us a lion chaser’s passion, and we will need to unlock it and embrace if we want to reach our God given dreams. This is one of the latest books I’ve read and I loved it! It’s a wake up call to “Quit playing it safe and run towards the roar!” It had such an impact on me that the Lion Chaser’s Manifesto is now prominently displayed on my desk . I look at it each and every day. I highly recommend this book for the leader with a big dream in their heart!

 10) Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John Maxwell

Only one thing stands between you and success. It isn’t experience. It isn’t talent. It’s your ability to connect with people. Here’s the premise of the book: Everyone communicates, but few really connect. So how can we communicate in a way that connects well with people? John does a deep dive of practicality into how to connect with people through our communication. If you are a youth worker who regularly communicates to students and parents, this is another must read!

     These are the best books I read in 2016, but what about you? What are the best books you’ve read recently?