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10 Leadership Books That Will Help You Become a Better Artist · The Daily Writer

• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, guitarist, and teacher, but most importantly, I'm husband and a dad.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show, we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 49, and today we're going to be talking about 10 leadership books that will help you become a better artist.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post and all the links that accompany this episode at Kent Sanders.net slash leadership books.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: One of the core principles that guides my life is the value of learning from different disciplines.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: All of the great creative minds in history drew from various areas of study that informed and enhanced their thinking.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to develop a great mind as well, one of the best places to start is by expanding your reading to areas outside of creativity and the arts.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, I want to highlight ten books that have helped me become not only a better leader, but also a better creative thinker and artist as well.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump in.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just going to name ten books, and then I'll share a little bit about each of these.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: And also these are in no particular order.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is Color Outside the Lines: A Revolutionary Approach to Creative Leadership by Howard Hendrix.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you wouldn't think a book like this would come from a seminary or grad school professor, but Howard Hendrix was one of those, and he was a one-of-a-kind teacher.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I really like how this book blends the themes of leadership and creativity, which is two topics that you don't normally find together.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really a shame because all artists are influencers and leaders of some kind.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that all leaders and influencers should exhibit some creative powers and should always be seeking to expand their creativity.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: So check out this book.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: It uh blends these two themes in a really interesting way.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Number two is Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemer Hansen.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not entirely sure that I pronounced those names correctly at all.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: So you might want to look at the blog post, uh, CantonSanders.net slash leadershipbooks, and check out the link for that book on Amazon because I'm I'm sure I just totally butchered their names.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: So if these guys ever hear this episode, I greatly apologize.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, this book, Called Rework, is one of the best books that I have read probably in the last several years.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: The authors talk about breaking the normal rules for success, and it's not a typical dry business book.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things that I'm really glad about when I read this book is that I read it actually on Kindle, and that allowed me to highlight a bunch of different things and then export those notes to Evernote.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's been really, really super handy.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I can go and review all those notes very quickly in Evernote.
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  SPEAKER_00: Number three is The Go Giver by Bob Berg and John David Mann.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: This book has impacted countless people because it's engaging, it's simple, and it gets back to the truth that so many of us feel in our gut, which is it's better to give than receive.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: One of the interesting things about this book is that it's written in a parable format.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: So this is a very short book, like 130 pages or something.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: You can read it in less than a couple hours, and it's very, very engaging, it's fun, it's lighthearted.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you'll really, really enjoy this book.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: The Go Giver will inspire you to live your life differently and help you to start thinking more about how you can serve others.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: One thing I want to throw in here as a side note is that I actually know both of these authors, uh Bob and John, and I can verify that they truly live the message of the book.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: And these are two of the most kind and generous people that I know.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I write the podcast show notes for Bob Berg's GoGiver podcast, and I can completely verify he is an awesome person to work with, so generous, uh, so thoughtful, and just uh a great guy all around.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: And John is as well.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: So check out that book, The Go Giver.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, never eat alone and other secrets to success, one relationship at a time.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm referring to the updated and expanded edition.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: This is by Keith Farazzi, and I'm not sure that I pronounced his name correct either.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm butchering all the names apparently today on this podcast.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: I really loved the stories in this book because they're a great reminder of the importance of relationships in all areas of your life.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And really it goes back to the idea that all business is really about people and any sort of creative work or artist work, you know, it's all business on some level, it's all influence in relationships.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I would highly encourage you to check out this book called Never Eat Alone.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great read.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Number five is called In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henry Nowen.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Aside from the Bible, this book has impacted me more than any other single book that I've ever read.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And that's saying a lot because I've read a lot of books.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Henry Nowen presents a radical view of leadership and ministry that is rooted in the fact that we are broken and powerless.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: But it's out of that weakness that we can truly minister in Jesus' name.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: This book is not about creativity or art, but it presents a view of leadership that is desperately needed today for all kinds of leaders, whether you're simply influencing your family or you're influencing a school or organization, or you have your own business or a blog or a podcast or whatever it is.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: We're all influencers, and this is a view of leadership I think all influencers need to pay attention to.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think that every artist and creative person will be greatly impacted by this book.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, it's really short, which is awesome.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number six is Tribes, We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is probably my favorite Seth Godin book, and he has a lot of books, of course.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't ever think I've underlined a book so much as I've read it.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: I made so many notes, I underlined so many awesome ideas and passages in the book.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a really great book on connecting with people and building a following.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it's really short, which is awesome.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: You can read it in less than a couple hours.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven is The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Darren Hardy is the publisher of Success Magazine.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it really shows in this book.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: He talks a lot about success and how you actually achieve it on you know on a real level.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: When we look at our lives, it's really easy to feel discouraged because we see where we are and then we see where we want to be, and it can seem like a huge chasm that we'll never ever get across.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And in this book, The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy helped me understand that success comes from doing a little bit every day.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: And pretty soon those small changes add up to huge results.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Number eight, the one thing, the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results by Gary Keller.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Keller challenges us to focus on the one thing that we should be doing and to do it really, really well.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: My favorite chapter deals with the importance of sleep.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Your success is not about working all the time, it's actually the result of intense focus, and this book helps you to focus in on what your one thing should be.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Two more books, then we're done.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Number nine, Quiet.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's easy to believe that we all have to be high-powered, outgoing personalities in order to make a difference in people's lives.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: And Susan Kane shatters this myth and helps us understand how introverts can make a huge difference.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a pretty major introvert, and I really appreciate this book, and I think if you're an introvert, you'll like it as well.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you're not an introvert, you'll come to understand introverts much better after you read this amazing book.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, number 10, last but not least, is Mastery by Robert Green.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Robert Green typically takes several years to write his books.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've seen any of his other books, including uh actually one of my favorite books called The 48 Laws of Power, you know, books like that that are really, really thick, they're very dense, they're very research-heavy, you can understand why he takes so long to write a book.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Well, in this book, Mastery, he digs deeply into this topic of how do you master something?
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it really is eye-opening.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of examples and stories of creative geniuses from history, and it's really just an intriguing result of scholarship, uh, practical wisdom, and experience.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: So this book will really help you to be a better leader as you are introduced to this idea of how do you become a master in your area.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: So in the book, he he looks at artists, scientists, leaders throughout history who have mastered their area of focus.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I don't agree with everything that he says, but I love books like this that challenge my assumptions and call me to a higher level.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: So this is one that definitely you should check out.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now let me boil it down for you just a little bit more.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you want a short book that'll give you a quick hit on leadership, I would choose either the Go Giver in the Name of Jesus or Tribes.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, many times we're looking for that, you know, just a little short book that'll help us immensely over just an hour or two.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I would recommend one of those three if you want something quick, and one of the other ones if you want something that's a little more dense, and it's going to take a little bit longer to read, but it's going to give you a very powerful result as well.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd love to know what are some other leadership books for creatives and artists that you would recommend?
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash leadershipbooks.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out and learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I definitely appreciate your feedback.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you leave a rating and review on iTunes, it helps other people discover the show and it also helps me to serve you much better.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: To leave a rating and a review for the show, you can do so here, KentSanders.net slash iTunes.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're listening on a mobile device, just click the link in the show notes.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?