Do you have a leadership library? No, no, not a room or a bookshelf that contains volumes of thought about leadership. What I am referring are ready resources that can help you today, right now, as you lead your team.

Most good leaders I know are voracious learners. These life-long learners typically read a book on leadership, then move on to the next book or topic – always searching for golden nuggets to learn to share. There is nothing wrong with this. I have a different prescription though. Here it is: re-read. That’s right, read the best business books multiple times and let their concepts and motivation thoroughly soak into to your leadership being. You know, most business books are nothing more than a memo done good, or some story, that while intriguing, contains merely four concepts to embrace. As such, focus on three business books at a time. Learn them. Read them again and again. Bathe in their knowledge until you have seamlessly woven their concepts into your behaviors and language. Only then, move on to a new set. What are the three books I recommend most frequently? I thought you would never ask. Here they are:

-          Good to Great

-          Now, Discover Your Strengths

-          Leadership Simplified      

Have these books readily available near your desk. Use them as field guides. Review them frequently and on the fly. Consume them thoroughly and then, don’t forget: implement!