Top-10 Books of 2022

 

Issue No. 541 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Dec. 31, 2022) delivers my Top-10 book picks from 2022 and my Book-of-the-Year. Also, Happy New Year! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), and click here for the table of contents to Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.    Help! My wife thinks I may have too many books. But I don’t think so, do you?   TOP-10 BOOKS FOR 2022 This issue features selected books I reviewed in Issues No. 501 to 540. In 2022, I published 40 issues. (But I thought Your Weekly Staff Meeting was published weekly? Fake news?) Certainly not all 10 books will have popular appeal—because all of us are at different levels of competencies and curiosity across the 20 management buckets.  In 2022, I also launched the Pails in Comparison blog, with shorter book reviews—comparing and contrasting new titles to other books and buckets (buckets, pails…get it?). I published 27 “PIC” issues. Some issues in both blogs included more than one book, so I reviewed about 75 books in 2022. Note in 2026: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Buckets Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 650+ blogs posted (between 2006 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. As author Steve Leveen reminds us in The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life (Book #1 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books), “Do not set out to live a well-read life but rather your well-read life. No one can be well-read using someone else’s reading list.” What were your Top-10 books in 2022? 2022 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR #1. THE DISCERNING LIFE: AN INVITATION TO NOTICE GOD IN EVERYTHING, by Stephen Macchia. Listen to the book on Libro.fm (8 hours, 7 minutes). Read my review. In recent years, I’ve slowly munched on one book for up to six months (just on weekends)—seeking to go slow and deep. Examples: Packer’s Knowing God and Blackaby’s Experiencing God. But…the deep end of the pool can be threatening. Nevertheless, The Discerning Life was my weekend book for half of 2022. Favorite Quote: “Far too often, spiritual discernment has been pigeon-holed,” Steve writes, “into the exclusive realm of decision-making, learning how to make good choices and know God’s will methodically and predictably. We want a simple system to follow: set up the room, put people in place, consider the right options, add a prayer, and then press the button of discernment.” 2022 TOP-10 BOOK LIST: The Other 9 (With brief excerpts from my reviews, these nine books are listed in alphabetical order by author.) #2. ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER: MEMOIRS OF AN ATTORNEY GENERAL, by William P. Barr. Listen on Libro.fm (22 hours, 1 minute). When Ed Levi, Dean of the University of Chicago Law School (and then president of the university), was asked to describe his stint as Attorney General under President Gerald Ford, he responded, “It’s just one damn thing after another.” Favorite Quote: The metaphors are enlightening and memorable. “Getting [Trump] to accept good advice was like wrestling an alligator.” And when asked how he felt beginning his first term as the AG, Barr commented, “Like I’m about to run across a river on the backs of alligators.” (Order from Amazon.) #3. BEFORE AND AFTER JACKIE ROBINSON, A STORY OF THE BROOKLYN DODGERS TOLD THROUGH THE LENS OF TICKETS AND PASSES, by Dan Busby. Read my review. Note: Amazingly, Dan Busby (1941-2022) was able to complete this book before his homegoing. Click here to read the tribute to my good friend. Favorite Factoid: “Number 42 is now the most celebrated number in baseball. Each year on April 15, every player in the Major Leagues wears 42 and no one wears it the rest of the year.” (That’s just one of 22 “Quotable Quotes” in the book’s introductory appetizers.) Order from Amazon. #4. MAKING NUMBERS COUNT: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATING NUMBERS, by Chip Heath and Karla Starr. Read my review. Listen on Libro (4 hours, 35 min.). This bestselling author says that “our brains process stories better than statistics.” I know. Why read a book about numbers? First—the authors are hilarious! Rather than giving a meaningless number like $1 billion, they break it down to spending $50,000 per year, for fun, for 55 years...adding, it would take you about two generations to spend $1 billion. They add further, “Almost 14 presidential terms” or “one wait to hear your name called at the DMV.” Lol. 150 Fast-Reading Pages: The genius of this book (less than 150 fast-reading pages, plus almost 50 pages of fascinating notes) is in the mouth-watering examples of stats versus stories. (Oh, my. I could have used this during my CEO years. Just brilliant.) #5. LEADERSHIP: SIX STUDIES IN WORLD STRATEGY, by Henry Kissinger. Listen on Libro (19 hours, 9 minutes). Read my review. Invest just five minutes and listen to the first two pages of Leadership, by Henry Kissinger, and then discern: Have you ever heard a more eloquent description of leadership? (Click here for the 5½-minute audio on Libro.fm.) Favorite Review: Kissinger writes that leaders are either prophets or statesmen. (Did I mention he wrote this book at age 99?) Just this week, Walter Russell Mead’s column in The Wall Street Journal features his recent interview with Henry Kissinger. Click here to read “Kissinger Sees a Global Leadership Vacuum. A dearth of statesmen has left the world misruled by populists and technocrats.” (Dec. 26, 2022) #6. THE 6 TYPES OF WORKING GENIUS: A BETTER WAY TO UNDERSTAND YOUR GIFTS, YOUR FRUSTRATIONS, AND YOUR TEAM, by Patrick M. Lencioni. Listen on Libro (4 hours, 11 minutes). Read my review. You will love this hilarious story, told in the classic Lencioni business fable format. (Really, it’s hilarious!) And it’s extremely helpful—three stages of work and six types of working genius. (Yes! Look in the mirror and repeat after me, “I’m a genius! But…I’m not a genius in all six types.”)   Favorite Frustrations! The book is eye-opening—you will quickly understand why you and your team members are often frustrated with work projects. And it’s transformational—when you learn what brings you joy and when you should say “no.” And…the Working Genius model is applicable to work, home, and church. (See my review for the link to the online assessment.) #7. ROAD TO FLOURISHING: EIGHT KEYS TO BOOST EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND WELL-BEING, by Al Lopus with Cory Hartman. Listen on Libro.fm (6 hours, 52 minutes). Read my review. The authors ask you to pick one:     [  ] Life-giving work.    [  ] Life-sucking work. Eight Favorite Keys: Using the helpful “FLOURISH Model,” the book goes deep on “Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being.” So…how would your team members rate these eight factors—and have you ever discerned an objective, quantifiable way to measure overall engagement at your shop? The eight: Fantastic Teams, Life-Giving Work, Outstanding Talent, Uplifting Growth, Rewarding Compensation, Inspirational Leadership, Sustainable Strategy, and Healthy Communication. #8. PARADISE FOUND: A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM'S RISE FROM THE ASHES, by Bill Plaschke. Listen on Libro.fm (8 hours, 2 minutes). Read my review. I couldn’t put it down. Literally. Even though I’m “retired” (whatever that means), I took the day “off”—and read the book in one day. Never done that before. Favorite Overcomer Story! On Nov. 8, 2018, the friendly folks in Paradise, California, watched their town burn to the ground at the rate of 80 acres per minute. The devasting toll:    • 84 lives lost!    • In a day, the population dropped from 26,800 to 2,034!    • 20,000 burned-out cars, 19,000 homes lost! Of the 104 football players, 95 of the Paradise High School Bobcats had lost their homes. A playoff game for the next night was cancelled. Coaches, athletes, faculty, students, and parents—lives and futures in total disarray. Could the town and the team recover? No way. #9. IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE: THE GRAND AND TERRIBLE POLAR VOYAGE OF THE USS JEANNETTE, by Hampton Sides. Listen on Libro.fm(17 hours, 28 minutes). Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Recruit a crew of 32 outstanding men—and set sail from San Francisco to explore the North Pole—one of the few unmapped areas on the globe (as of 1879). Order from Amazon.   Favorite Quote: Stuck! Marooned! Incapacitated! Yet… “[Captain] Delong appeared to accept that he was locked in for the winter. He seemed, indeed, to embrace adversity—and to hunt for its possible meanings. ‘This is a glorious country to learn patience in,’” he wrote in his journal. “My disappointment is great, how great no one else will probably know. There seemed nothing left but making a virtue of necessity and staying where we were.” Imagine! For 21 months, the ship—stuck in ice—just drifted. #10. DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE: THE SECRET TO SIGNIFICANCE, by Aaron Tredway. Read my review. This former professional soccer player (now pastor and ministry leader) quotes D.L. Moody: “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”   Favorite Gut-check: “Have you ever noticed, Jesus doesn’t say we should aspire to hear God say,    • ‘Well done, good and successful servant!’    • ‘There’s no mention of a good and famous servant or a good and wealthy servant.’    • ‘Jesus doesn’t say we should seek to hear the words, good and powerful servant either.’” Bonus Book: Special Mention! THE GIFT OF DISILLUSIONMENT: ENDURING HOPE FOR LEADERS AFTER IDEALISM FADES, by Peter Greer and Chris Horst, with Brianna Lapp and Jill Heisey. Listen on Libro.fm (6 hours, 7 minutes). Read my review. Of course—you’ll agree—idealism is always inadequate, so do we really need this book? But then why am I so drawn to the stories? So captivated by the big idea—and the practical (not preachy) way that the Old Testament words of Jeremiah are fleshed out in this book? Favorite Quote: “And no amount of positive thinking or inspirational Christian wall art promising a hope and a future would change their circumstances. Yet Jeremiah remained faithful and hopeful throughout his journey.” BOOK BUCKET LISTS! I love lists and the core competency in the Book Bucket, Chapter 5, in Mastering the Management Buckets is to create your own Top-100 Books List. I’ve curated my list using the 20 management buckets categories. Download the template from the Book Bucket and start your list this week! For more Books-in-Your-Bunker ideas, check out these lists: • Spiritual Growth Books  • Leadership Growth Books • Best Board Governance Books – click here • 30 Books to Delegate During a Crisis (a 12-page PDF with links to 30 book reviews) – click here • 8 Leadership Flicks • New in 2022: Mastering 100 Must-Read Books – click here COMING IN 2023. I'm reviewing some fascinating books in 2023, including a hilarious book by The Wall Street Journal’s sports writer: I Wouldn't Do That If I Were Me: Modern Blunders and Modest Triumphs (but Mostly Blunders), by Jason Gay (2022, 208 pages) - Order from Amazon. Listen on Libro.fm (4 hours, 28 min. - read by the author) Visit the Book Bucket webpage to download four lists of books that I’ve reviewed since 2006, including my just updated Top-100 books list. MORE RESOURCES: • Blog: Pails in Comparison • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • John's book reviews: on Amazon  • Website: Management Buckets • Blog: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations

Top-10 Books of 2023

 

Issue No. 589 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Dec. 31, 2023) delivers my Top-10 book picks from 2023 and my Book-of-the-Year. Also, Happy New Year! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies).  Hmmm. Should your next book enrich your head—or your heart—or both? There’s something for almost everyone in my Top-10 books for 2023, plus my Book-of-the-Year pick. Happy reading or listening!   2023’s Top-10 Books & Book-of-the-Year! This issue features selected books I reviewed in Issues No. 542 to 588. To read other 2023 book reviews from Your Weekly Staffing Meeting eNews.   In 2023, I published 47 issues. Certainly not all of the Top-10 books (or the Book-of-the-Year) will have popular appeal—because all of us are at different levels of competencies and curiosity across the 20 management buckets.  In 2022, I launched the Pails in Comparison blog, with shorter book reviews—comparing and contrasting new titles to other books and buckets (buckets, pails…get it?). Continuing in 2023, I published 30 “PIC” issues. Some issues in both blogs included more than one book, so I reviewed about 77 books in 2023, including several films. I also cajoled several colleagues to join me on three “Zoom Reviews.” What did you read in 2023? Note in 2026: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Buckets Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 650+ blogs posted (between 2006 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. 2023 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR CLEAR THINKING: TURNING ORDINARY MOMENTS INTO EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS, by Shane Parrish. (Read my review.) The author asked the CEO of a large public company, “If you could pick one trait that would predict how someone would turn out, what would it be?” The CEO’s response: “That’s easy. How willing are they to change their mind about what they think they know.”  Favorite Quote: “If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get the same results that everyone else gets. Best practices aren’t always the best. By definition, they’re average.” Parrish adds, “The ‘zone of average’ is a dangerous place when it comes to inertia.” (Order from Amazon.) 2023 TOP-10 BOOKS (Listed chronologically by review date.) [  ] #1. FALL IN LOVE WITH THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION: A HANDBOOK FOR ENTREPRENEURS, by Uri Levine. (Read my review.) “A start-up is a journey of failures,” writes Uri Levine, who describes himself as a passionate entrepreneur and disruptor, and a two-time “unicorn" builder. He quotes Albert Einstein, “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.” Favorite Quote: A CEO was asked, “Did you sleep well at night, being the CEO of a start-up?” The response: “Oh yes. I slept like a baby. I woke up every two hours and cried.” That’s actually true—but read the other 13 “True or False” statements in my review. (Order from Amazon.) [  ] #2. HARDWIRING NEW LEADERSHIP HABITS: DOES DEVELOPMENT DEVELOP? by Dick Daniels. (Read my review.) The author (recipient of the Book-of-the-Year honors in 2015 and 2021), writes about “The Johari Window Model.” Do you know anyone in the “Known to Others” and “Not Known to Self” quadrant? That’s the “Blind Spot,” says Daniels. Favorite Quote: “One of the toughest leadership transitions is the move from operational leader to strategic leader,” writes Daniels. He notes the “seven seismic shifts” that must occur per the HBR article, “How Managers Become Leaders.” Example: “Bricklayer to Architect.” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] #3. GRACE AMBASSADOR: BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH, by John Jackson (foreword by Ed Stetzer). (Read my review.) He writes, “I am not sure how many of us would invite a modern-day Jesus to address our church leadership conferences, since His three years of public ministry left only 120 frightened followers in that Upper Room!” Favorite Quote: Church Gathered vs. Church Distributed! Imagine—if you flipped the script in local churches and just 20 percent of the church family “would be needed for the ministries of the Church gathered and 80 percent could be equipped and released for redemptive presence ministry in the community as the Church distributed.” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] #4. THE FOUR WORKAROUNDS: STRATEGIES FROM THE WORLD'S SCRAPPIEST ORGANIZATIONS FOR TACKLING COMPLEX PROBLEMS, by Paulo Savaget. (Read my review.) David Schmidt and Jason Pearson joined me for a “Zoom Review” of this fascinating book. (View the review.) Favorite Quote: “My pet peeve is when people say that you must think outside the box, and then they follow a one-size-fits-all brainstorming approach. Not every creative activity needs Post-its and flip charts!” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] #5. CULTURE SHOCK: AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE HAS CHANGED HOW WE WORK AND LIVE. GALLUP'S SOLUTION TO THE BIGGEST LEADERSHIP ISSUE OF OUR TIME, by Jim Clifton, Gallup Chairman, and Jim Harter, Gallup’s Chief Workplace Scientist. (Read my review.) The authors write, “You probably haven’t heard this: ‘Our employees and front-line managers control customer outcomes and daily cash flow more than any other single lever we can pull.’”  Favorite Quote: “The Most Important Habit of a Great Manager.” Why getting this wrong “is the root cause of burnout.” The habit? “One meaningful conversation per week with each team member.” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] #6. YOURS TRULY: AN OBITUARY WRITER'S GUIDE TO TELLING YOUR STORY, by James R. Hagerty. (Read my review.) The author writes, “Don’t let anyone tell you that sharing your story is selfish, a sign of conceit or vanity. It’s an act of generosity.” He quotes poet Jim Harrison, “Death steals everything except our stories.”  Favorite Quote: “…your story is likely to be written in haste by a friend or family member distracted by grief and the many urgent tasks of dealing with a death. And, I’m sorry to inform you, this well-meaning person will probably describe someone you would not recognize.”(Order from Amazon.) [  ] #7. DECISION SPRINT: THE NEW WAY TO INNOVATE INTO THE UNKNOWN AND MOVE FROM STRATEGY TO ACTION, by Atif Rafiq. (Read my review.) In Chapter 9, “Hack Today’s System,” the author writes: “My promise is there will be fewer and more effective meetings for everyone at all levels.”  Favorite Insights: Will your next meeting be about inputs or outputs? Are you working upstream or downstream? Why? Of the five elements of a workflow (participation, purpose, inputs, outputs, and format)—what did you miss in your last meeting? Who should read this book first? (Order from Amazon.) [  ] #8. THE ONE YEAR® BOOK OF HYMNS: 365 DEVOTIONS BASED ON POPULAR HYMNS, compiled and edited by Robert K. Brown and Mark R. Norton; devotions written by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. (Read my review.) After discovering this meaningful book, most mornings now, I turn to the hymn for the day’s date and enjoy reading all four verses of the daily hymn, a brief bio/inside story of the hymn writer (sometimes a devotional thought), and a related Scripture verse. Then I listen to the hymn on YouTube. (Order from Amazon.) Example: The hymn, “Just As I Am” (June 22), was written by Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871), who wanted to clean up her act before becoming a Christ-follower. A minister, however, invited Elliott to “come just as you are.” You’ll recognize this hymn, sung at hundreds of Billy Graham Crusades—except one. In my review, you can listen to Cliff Barrow’s stunning story about the London crusade in 1967. (Listen here.) [  ] #9. REWIRED: THE MCKINSEY GUIDE TO OUTCOMPETING IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL AND AI, by Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel. (Read the review.) I asked two friends, John Reynolds and David Schmidt, to join me for a “Zoom Review” of this fascinating book. (Listen to our review.) Favorite Quote: John Reynolds, President of Los Angeles Pacific University, read and reviewed this book for us and urges every executive to get it off the shelf and onto your desk! He writes, “Circle in your mind ‘practitioner,’ ‘leaders,’ and ‘digital,’ and you will know right now that this is a must-read for every organizational leader.”(Order from Amazon.) [  ] #10. STAY SANE IN AN INSANE WORLD: HOW TO CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES AND THRIVE, by Greg Harden with Steve Hamilton. (Read my review.) “I can’t teach Tom Brady how to throw the ball. I can’t teach Desmond Howard how to catch the ball. I can’t teach Michael Phelps how to do a perfect flip turn. All I can do is teach you how to become the world’s greatest expert on one subject: yourself.”  Favorite Chapters: The book includes two jammed-packed chapters on interviewing: Chapter 33, “When You’re Interviewing Someone, Let Them Tell You Who They Are,” and Chapter 34, “When You’re Being Interviewed, Turn It Around!” (Order from Amazon.)   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: In my review of the 2019 book-of-the-year, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead, by Jim Mattis and Bing West, I quote General Mattis:    • “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, learning from others who went before you, you are functionally illiterate—you can’t coach and you can’t lead.”    • Gen. Mattis also writes that the Commandant of the Marine Corps maintains a list of required reading for every rank. “All Marines read a common set; in addition, sergeants read some books, and colonels read others. Even generals are assigned a new set of books that they must consume. At no rank is a Marine excused from studying.” THE BIG QUESTION: What are the reading (or listening) requirements for every level in your organization? MORE RESOURCES: • Blog: Pails in Comparison • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • John's book reviews: on Amazon  • Website: Management Buckets • Blog: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations

30 Days Unplugged

 

Issue No. 462 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Jan. 28, 2021) proposes a radical journey during COVID—30 days off-the-grid with St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. (Or try a one-day silent retreat for starters.) And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here for my recent review of Leadership Core: Character, Competence, Capacity.    30 Days Unplugged author Father Merlino imagines a podcast with Jesus from Luke 2:41-50. (Art by Mark Dever)   Father Merlino Goes Off-the-Grid With St. Ignatius! Apparently, when you turn off your iPhone and other distractions—and follow the St. Ignatius spiritual exercises for 30 days (not a typo!)—you’ll discover that Jesus delivers some very, very funny lines! At least that was the 2018 profound experience of Father Darrin Merlino, a Catholic priest in between assignments. During COVID in 2020, when we were “forced to live like monks” (LOL!), he reflected back on that fork-in-the-road month at a Colorado retreat center. And gratefully for us, he shares his joy-filled journey and journal with us. You must read 30 Days Unplugged: How a Catholic Priest Turned Off His iPhone and Took a Call From God. But first, let’s back up a minute for context. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was born in his family’s castle in Spain, sowed his wild oats early, excelled in military skirmishes, but a cannonball almost did him in. While recuperating, he read The Life of Christ and became a Christ-follower. Another early influential book was The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis. On a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Ignatius’ ship was detained and he spent a serendipitous year growing his faith in the Catalonia region of Spain, begging, working, and reading the stories of St. Francis. Thus began his work on The Spiritual Exercises—instructions on how to take a spiritual retreat. Hmmm. While this sounds interesting, even beneficial, most of us can’t imagine “30 days unplugged.” Good for a priest or a pastor—certainly. Realistic for the rest of us? Hardly. (But as Lee Corso always warns on ESPN, “Not so fast, my friend!”) Keep reading, please. Even Father Merlino wondered if his larger-than-life personality, with a super-sized relational side, could cope in a cloistered 30-day Ignatian silent retreat in Sedalia, Colo. Yet he confesses that after serving as a priest for 20 years, “that month was truly life-altering for me.” He adds, “The only reason I was able to hear His voice so clearly was that I had turned off my tech—not an easy task for someone addicted to his phone and laptop…” My Confession. If you’re like me during this unending lockdown, you can hardly wait to travel again. But Father Merlino has an alternative travel plan for us—follow “St. Ignatius’ map to the journey of a lifetime.”  St. Ignatius (who, by the way, was named the patron saint of spiritual retreats in 1922), structured a four-part rhythm/retreat experience—over four weeks (30 days). As recommended, during his July 1-30, 2018 retreat, Fr. Merlino met each morning with a spiritual director who provided handouts/assignments and encouragement. The practice of solitude and silence enabled Fr. Merlino to engage in the Meditations (intellect) and the Contemplations (imagination). Using our imagination and creativity, St. Ignatius urges us to picture ourselves in the Gospel stories. Example: Fr. Merlino pictured himself in Luke 2:41-50 as Matthew Marconi, the interviewer and podcaster, broadcasting a Q&A segment with Jesus on his “Matthew on the Mic Show.” The first caller’s question to Jesus: “Yeah. Uhh, my name is Charlie from Nova Scotia. What did you talk about with the Jewish leaders in the Temple?” Jesus explains and then adds, “When I was a twelve-year-old boy in the Temple, I got through the explanation of about 200 prophecies when My mom and dad showed up. I was on a roll. I was shocked to see My parents, really. I wasn’t sure why they were there.” (You must read the full narrative for July 16!) In the exercises, St. Ignatius asks retreatants to leverage their hearts, minds, and senses. You’ll enjoy July 9 (“I really had a lot of fun with these meditations throughout the day”) when Fr. Merlino journals more than 175 things that have touched his senses over the years. Just a few here:    • Tasted: In-N-Out Burgers, Parma prosciutto, gelato (he’s Italian!)    • Seen:  Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier, Sistine Chapel, Venice    • Smelled: garlic, coffee, cologne    • Heard: children laughing, the click of a camera, Gregorian Chant    • Touched: soft bread, pinching cheeks, Eucharist What’s on your taste-see-smell-hear-touch list? Amazingly, this unpretentious priest grants us permission to read his journal! His transparency is refreshing. • Fr. Merlino imagines God at a workbench “creating a computer program, which is me. I see all my gifts and talents, one by one, being added.” He adds, “Unfortunately, I then see Him taking away the ability to be organized. Yes, He does have a sense of humor!”  • “My spiritual director suggests I read Isaiah 43:1-19 at least three times out loud.” Fr. Merlino then imagines a new image in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling: Adam is out. He’s in! “Pearson—you mentioned there was Jesus humor. Is there more?” • In Fr. Merlino’s commentary on Luke 2:51-52, he notes, “Breaking from my meditation, what I find fascinating is that none of the boys in Nazareth made the cut to be an Apostle!” • Imaging himself as a guest on Bill Maher’s TV show: “He is accusing me of being a sinner. I say, ‘Duh, of course I am. The difference between you and me is that I admit that I am a sinner, but you haven’t yet.’” • Yet, Fr. Merlino’s guardian angel chimes in, “This one is taking forever to perfect.” • Archbishop Fulton Sheen, speaking to prisoners, “The difference between you and me is that you got caught.” (True story!) In silence and solitude, Fr. Merlino recalled his calling while reading the meditation on Matthew 4:18-25. At the time, he “had NO desire to be a priest, ever!” Yet he writes that on January 6, 1987, around 10:30 p.m. “my mom blurted out of nowhere, ‘I think the Lord is calling you to be a priest.’” He admits, “All of a sudden, I felt a real strong presence of the Holy Spirit, causing me to lose my breath. It almost literally suffocated me.” Fortunately, Fr. Merlino survived his calling (!), and over a mile high in Colorado in 2018, he discerned, and the Lord confirmed, his calling to media evangelism as co-founder of Catholic Media Missionaries. (Media? His ordination in 2000 was the first ever in U.S. history to be broadcast live via the internet). Visit his website here to learn more, including how to view CMM’s flagship video conversation series, “Hound of Heaven.” (Note: discernment is a big deal in St. Ignatius’ spiritual exercises.) Did you know—that TV’s “instant replay” is a form of contemplation? 30 Days Unplugged notes, “Contemplation comes easily if we let it. It is simply part of us and of our world. Whenever we recall a keenly embarrassing moment, or a fondly remembered moment in our lives we are contemplating them. We are replaying them, making them a deeper part of our lives.” And this insight about contemplation: “It lets the Church, and us, remember the many things [Jesus] said and did. And, we can hardly be surprised that, where we do not have all the data, we fill in; we make the moment come alive. His story is important, and we want to keep remembering and retelling it.” And wow, God has gifted Father Merlino with a vivid imagination! He invites us to scamper along his rabbit trails and sidebars, including: George McFly in Back to the Future, the Divine experience of an eight-man rowing crew team (reminded me of The Boys in the Boat), then at Dodger Stadium—he’s blasting home runs during BP. And get this: under Michelangelo’s tutelage, “God chisels me fatter and bald to show me the true image of how he sees me now.”  There’s more: Chesterton Chats, “Freedom” by Aretha Franklin, the Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, God putting the finishing touches on his D.I. “Darrin’s intelligence,” and “Grow the heck up!” Crafting a personal mission statement—then with Holy Spirit nudges, re-writing Version 2.0 around midnight. Brilliant: how Jesus wipes “away sin like a high-powered windshield wiper during a heavy rain.” In the July 10 meditation on Psalm 34, Fr. Merlino asks, “How can my soul glory in God?” and the answer comes to him through songs and hymns. The line “Taste and see that the Lord is good” is paraphrased in The Message (think the senses) as: “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.” So, naturally, this sent me to YouTube where I found The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir’s “taste and see” version with almost 27 million views! Listen to The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sing Psalm 34 (8 min.) BONUS! 30 Days Unplugged features stunning original artwork—more than 60 drawings by 24 artists. Buy two books: one for your coffee table and one to read and reread and reread. Visit the artists here. Finally, be assured Fr. Merlino knows that most of us will not be able to do the 30-day silence and solitude drill. There is an eight-day option. Even Dr. Scott Hahn, who wrote the foreword, admits he may never do the 30-day plan, but adds, “I have two sons who have done it, and I’ve seen the difference it made in them as they discerned their priestly vocation.”  30 Days Unplugged includes five next steps, suggesting you “use this book for a makeshift home retreat.” Plus, the robust website, Ignatian Spirituality, includes a nine-minute video with a summary of the four phases of The Spiritual Exercises. The video also suggests alternatives to the 30-day experience. Click here. Need a retreat location? Click here and click here. To order from Amazon, click on the title for 30 Days Unplugged: How a Catholic Priest Turned Off His iPhone and Took a Call From God (Full Color Edition), by Father Darrin Merlino, CMF. Note: To order the specially-priced “Black & White Edition,” click here.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) The prayer for July 9 in 30 Days Unplugged, includes this: “Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit, for Your voice—in busyness and in boredom, in certainty and in doubt, in noise and in silence. Teach me, O God, to listen.” When you’ve experienced boredom during this COVID marathon, how have you addressed it spiritually? 2) Father Merlino invested five hours in the spiritual exercises for July 9. During the fourth prayer period, he focused on: risks I took (“jumping off a bridge about 90 feet above the water”), dangers experienced, influences, Scriptural influences, cherished people, life’s achievements, and unfulfilled desires. What would be the value for you—of pausing and reflecting for an entire day with the Lord?    “Our Perennial Knack for Disobedience” Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook  Read 30 Days Unplugged and Fr. Merlino’s reminder that Jesus’ forgiveness covers kleptomaniac kids and disorganized adults. Amen! The core competency in the Book Bucket notes, “We mentor team members with thoughtfully selected titles and chapters to help them…grow in their faith and serve others with passion. We don’t just talk about books—we actually read them!” Here are four resources for exercising your spiritual muscles: #1. Leadership Transformations. Steve Macchia is president of Leadership Transformations (click here) which has a plethora of resources for spiritual formation, including online soul care events, and a spiritual discernment retreat guide. Speaking of prison (see above), in his book Crafting a Rule of Life, Steve Macchia profiles the great hymnwriter Fanny Crosby (8,000 hymns!). She wrote “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” after speaking at a prison prayer service and heard one of the prisoners shout, “Savior, do not pass me by!” I found this soulful version by Lyle Lovett. Click to enjoy.  Listen to Lyle Lovett sing “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” (5-minutes). #2. Renovaré. Richard Foster, in Devotional Classics, writes about the four-part rhythm of St. Ignatius’ 30-day exercises: “We need a deeper musing upon our perennial knack for disobedience and God’s unbounded habit of mercy. We need a rich contemplation upon that Life that shows us the way so we may follow ‘in his steps.’ We need a fuller meditation upon that Death that sets us free. We need a more profound experience of that Resurrection that empowers us to obey Christ in all things.”  #3. “Slow Down and Wait on God” is Lesson 28 in Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: 40 Insights for Better Board Meetings (2nd Edition), by Dan Busby and John Pearson (order from Amazon). The lesson includes a summary of Lorne Sanny’s classic, “How to Spend a Day in Prayer.” Click here to read the short chapter online. #4. Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center offer retreats, books, and the podcast, “Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.” (Read the review of my pick for 2009 book-of-the-year.) Barton says, “The best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self.”                      JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Are you writing a book during COVID? (Jason collaborated with Fr. Merlino on 30 Days Unplugged.) Many authors are self-publishing. Need help? Check in with Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video).  BOARDROOM DISCERNMENT Guest blogger Jerry White writes, “I once gave a message entitled ‘Life in the Slow Lane.’ My wife laughed, commenting that I needed to slow down first.” Read White’s commentary on Lesson 28, “Slow Down and Wait on God.” Click here. MORE RESOURCES: • Blog: Pails in Comparison • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • John's book reviews: on Amazon  • Website: Management Buckets • Blog: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Buckets Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 650+ blogs posted (between 2006 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month.

Top-10 Books of 2024

 

Issue No. 633 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Dec. 31, 2024) announces my Top-10 Books of 2024 and my Book-of-the-Year. Also, Happy New Year! Plus, click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Bonus! Visit the Book Bucket for the updated master lists of book reviews as of December 31 of every year. Breaking News! Here are my Top-10 Books of 2024, plus my Book-of-the-Year pick. (*Well…actually, there may be more than 10 books.)   2024’s TOP-10 BOOKS*  & Book-of-the-Year! This issue features my favorite books from my 2024 reviews. In 2024, I published 44 issues of Your Weekly Staff Meeting and added 32 posts at Pails in Comparison. Some issues included more than one book, so I reviewed about 80 books in 2024, including two children’s books, plus several films; and I wrote tributes for four special leaders. I also had fun with AI and Google’s NotebookLM and created 14 podcasts. What did you read in 2024? 2024 BOOK-OF-THE-YEAR LEAD WITH PRAYER: THE SPIRITUAL HABITS OF WORLD-CHANGING LEADERS, by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle. (Read my review.) The authors invested three years in research and over 100 hours of interviews with leaders across the globe. (I love the international stories.) They asked leaders about their very personal and private prayer habits. How? When? Where? Why? You’ve never read anything like this. And Ryan, Peter, and Cameron transparently share their own missteps in prayerlessness. (Amazing.) The reality: none of us are spiritual giants. And this I affirm: learning more about the spiritual habits of God-honoring leaders—it changed me. Favorite Quote: Ryan Skoog writes about being at the National Prayer Breakfast “in a breakout session for business leaders. A French Canadian businessman stood up to pray. He was a wise and accomplished leader with thousands of employees. But what most affected the room was his prayer—more specifically, the single word he prayed.” Read more here. (Order from Amazon.) 2024 FAVORITE BOOKS: Personal & Spiritual Development [  ] WHEN KINGDOM LIGHT SHINES: Stories That Inspire Faith, by Mark Ellis. (Read my review.) This new book—jam-packed with 60 inspiring stories that have been featured on the God Reports website—is so, so powerful that I’ve already gifted the book to eight people! Favorite Chapter: “How God Answered Francis Chan’s Ridiculous Prayer for a Son-in-Law.” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] FAITH FOR THE CURIOUS: How an Era of Spiritual Openness Shapes the Way We Live and Help Others Follow Jesus, by Mark Matlock. (Read my review.) Mark Matlock is one creative guy! During the pandemic, he “…facilitated numerous workshops with church and nonprofit leaders, and one of the games we played was ‘keep it, curb it, refresh it.’ Never before has the church had an opportunity to ‘curb’ so many relics we have accumulated over time.” He suggests churches have a “massive garage sale!” Fascinating Chart! How are we communicating to the spectrum of spiritual views today? See Matlock’s chart contrasting “Curiosity” with “Supernaturalism” and these segments: Naturalists, Curious Skeptics, Spiritually Curious, and Practicing Christians. (Order from Amazon.) [   ] UNCOMMON GRACES: Christlike Responses to a Hostile World, by John Vawter. (Read my review.) “When ‘safe sins’ go unchallenged, something of a Christian fantasy religion is allowed to thrive—a religion that condemns alcohol and adultery, yet condones, say, arrogance and abrasiveness.”  Convicting Poke-in-the-Rib! “There should be a support group in the church for those addicted to ‘safe sins’—an AA for the arrogant and the abrasive.” (Order from Amazon.) [   ] BECOMING A FUTURE-READY CHURCH: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders, by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks, and Warren Bird. (Read my review.) Each chapter includes a “One Degree of Change” self-assessment with five to seven questions to prompt leadership conversations on the eight big shifts, “from this to that.” Gut Check: “Most churches in North America have more in common with 1950 than with 2050.” (Order from Amazon.) [   ] GLAD I DIDN'T KNOW: Lessons Learned Through Life’s Challenges and Unexpected Blessings, by Vonna Laue. (Read my review.) Before reading this book, you’d find me in the “I Want to Know Now” camp. Yet, 32 powerful first-person stories later, I’m a fully devoted convert to the “Glad I Didn’t Know” spiritual principles that ooze out of Vonna Laue’s life lessons book. This book may change your mind (and your heart).   Speed Bump. Jim West was grateful he didn’t know—in advance—that after seeing a throat cancer doctor in 2022, the physician would urge him to go home and prepare his will and estate. Jim writes: “I am glad I didn’t know that God had this speed bump in front of me.” (Order from Amazon.)   2024 FAVORITE BOOKS:  Leadership & Business [  ] THE 365 DAY LEADER: Recalibrate Your Calling Every Day, by Dick Daniels. (Read my review.) Dick Daniels has done it again! Two of his earlier books captured my “book-of-the-year” honors. (I was tempted on this one also!) You will love this “daily dose of Dr. D.” Each page features a short “snapshot of what exemplary leaders consistently do.”    Day 3 is titled, “LEADERSHIP DELUSION!” The convicting question: “Have You Ever Had a Coach? The leadership delusion is to assume everyone needs a coach except you.” (Order from Amazon.)   [  ] THE PROBLEM WITH CHANGE: And the Essential Nature of Human Performance, by Ashley Goodall. (Read my review.) Page after page, learning about the unhealthy results of change foisted on previously healthy team members, I was reminded of the many missteps in my leadership years—totally missing the trauma that I unwittingly perpetrated on employees. (So sorry, friends—if we’re still friends.) My entire view of CHANGE has changed.   Favorite Quotes: Ashley Goodall is a writer’s writer. I’m on my second black felt tip pen—underlining his pokes-in-the-ribs glossary, including: “Financification of business,” “Tagline-ification,” “big shiny change levers,” and “shiny new mission statements” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] THE ILLUSION OF INNOVATION: Escape "Efficiency" and Unleash Radical Progress, by Elliott Parker. (Read my review.) Parker writes, “Innovation efforts pursued inside corporations too often look like theater—people acting busy doing something so executives can explain to the board and investors that innovation is definitely, without a doubt, a top priority. But when reviewed after the fact, most of the effort produces little impact.” Fascinating! The takeaway in Chapter 9, “Selecting Shots,” will be challenging for most—but critical: “Run more experiments: fast, cheap, and weird.” Fascinating: what happened when the NBA adopted the three-point line in the 1978-1979 season—a metaphor for innovation. (Order from Amazon.) [   ] HOW LEADERS LEARN: Master the Habits of the World's Most Successful People, by David Novak with Lari Bishop. (Read my review.) This book is very, very practical and the format is brilliant: 27 short chapters (in bite-sized, 15-minute insights)—with each chapter featuring the learning habits of three to five leaders. You’ll be familiar with many of the 105 people spotlighted, including Patrick Lencioni. Favorite Quote: Novak quotes Henry Kissinger on what you can learn from a crisis: “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] IRREPLACEABLE: How to Create Extraordinary Places that Bring People Together, by Kevin Ervin Kelley. (Read my review.) Must-read! “Standing around for weeks on end watching people look at Harleys may not be for everyone, and it created an awkward moment when I first met my wife and told her how I spend my days in disguise as a customer. But it’s what I do.” He adds, “But I’m not just a watcher. I’m also a fixer, adjuster, tinkerer, rethinker, and experience designer.” Favorite Quote: The author’s unusual approach, when his team is stuck on solving a client’s problem, is to “find the funny.” (Order from Amazon.)   2024 BONUS BOOKS:  Nonprofit Management [  ] NEXT LEVEL NONPROFIT: Build A Dream Team + Increase Lasting Impact, by Chris Lambert. (Read my review.) When our son, Jason, and I published Mastering 100 Must-Read Books in 2022, this book had not yet been written—so now in 2024, we have a problem. Should we edit the title so it reads “Mastering 101 Must-Read Books?” Or…maybe I’ll go out on a limb here and add it to my Top-20 book recommendations (see Resource 5.2). Either way…if you understand the power and the importance of nonprofit organizations, this is a must-read. CONFESSION. I confess. I read Chapter 10 in the “Disciplined Execution” section first. “The Weekly” aligns beautifully with this eNews and my Meetings Bucket—and Lambert gives away the store revealing how he and his leadership team conduct purposeful weekly meetings. They are evangelists for weekly meetings. (Order from Amazon.) [  ] LOST IN TRANSITION: Lessons from the Most Disastrous & Successful Ministry Successions, by Steve Woodworth with James Lund. (Read my review.) The author quotes Edgar Sandoval, who followed Rich Stearns as World Vision’s CEO. “According to Edgar, every new leader should ask the former leader, at regular intervals:    • ‘How are you doing?    • How are you feeling?    • How am I making you feel?’” GUT CHECK! “Finding the sweet spot” for outgoing leaders is not easy. Read about John (not me!) who “failed at retirement” within the first 24 hours! He confessed, “I’m a micromanager by nature. I didn’t know it would take so much energy to keep my hands off things.” (Order from Amazon.) [  ] THE CULTURALLY CONSCIOUS BOARD: Setting the Boardroom Table for Impact, by Jennifer M. Jukanovich and Russell W. West. (Read my review.) If you thumbed through my well-worn copy of The Culturally Conscious Board, you’d likely comment, “John! You’ve underlined something on almost every page!” This book changed my thinking! LOL! Leveraging the story of Crystal, a new board member at her first meeting of the fictitious City Farm board, the authors invite us inside this dysfunctional boardroom. (Order from Amazon.) *UM, ER...TOP-14 BOOKS This “Top-10 Book List for 2024” may actually add up to more than 10 books. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. Way too many good books this year!   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: In my review of the 2019 book-of-the-year, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead, by Jim Mattis and Bing West, I quote General Mattis, “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, learning from others who went before you, you are functionally illiterate—you can’t coach and you can’t lead.” Certainly not all of the Top-10 books (or the Book-of-the-Year) will have popular appeal—because all of us are at different levels of competencies and curiosities across the 20 management buckets. But perhaps someone you are coaching or mentoring will appreciate one or more of these top picks for 2024.  MORE RESOURCES: • Blog: Pails in Comparison • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • John's book reviews: on Amazon  • Website: Management Buckets • Blog: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Buckets Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 650+ blogs posted (between 2006 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month