These are the books my leadership team is reading in Q4

Each quarter I have my leadership team at Dragon Army read a book. In Q1 we read The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, in Q2 we read The 5 Temptations of a CEO, and in Q3 we read The Great Game of Business.

In each of these quarters we all read the same book, and then at an offsite we worked through what we learned as a group.

One of my main roles as CEO of Dragon Army is to build a trusting, high-functioning leadership team. And I have the most incredible people as a part of this team. They’re all great at their craft – project management, technology, creative, etc. – but for many of them this is the first time they’ve been on a leadership team. So I spend time working with them on what it means to be a leader, not of a department, but of a company.

I realized earlier this year that while focusing on leadership principles will help them grow, I also need to help them live healthier lives. Mind, body, spirit. These are type-A individuals. They work hard, take great pride in what they do, take responsibility in the fact that they’re leaders, and shelter their team members from unnecessary stress.

Because of this, they work too hard. They sleep too little. They put too much pressure on themselves. And they don’t take enough time to take care of themselves. It’s an all-too-familiar place for leaders to find themselves in.

So in this final quarter of 2018, I decided to give them the option of picking a book that has to do with being a healthier individual. One book focuses on slowing down. Another on positive thinking. And another on healthy eating. Each team member chose a book that they thought would help them the most.

When we get together at our offsite in December, each team member will share a 30-minute presentation with the group, educating us on what they learned and how we can live healthier lives in 2019 and beyond.