Book of the Month - January 2023
Jon Gordon
Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been tested by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 26 books including 12 best sellers and 5 children’s books. His books include the timeless classic The Energy Bus which has sold over 2 million copies, The Carpenter which was a top 5 business book of the year, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, The Power of a Positive Team, The Coffee Bean, Stay Positive, and The Garden. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, Campbell’s Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, Miami Heat, The Los Angeles Rams, Snapchat, Truist Bank, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, West Point Academy and more.
Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.
Brief Synopsis:
Michael wakes up in the hospital with a bandage on his head and fear in his heart. The stress of building a growing business, with his wife Sarah, caused him to collapse while on a morning jog. When Michael finds out the man who saved his life is a Carpenter he visits him and quickly learns that he is more than just a Carpenter; he is also a builder of lives, careers, people, and teams.
As the Carpenter shares his wisdom, Michael attempts to save his business in the face of adversity, rejection, fear, and failure. Along the way he learns that there's no such thing as an overnight success but there are timeless principles to help you stand out, excel, and make an impact on people and the world.
Drawing upon his work with countless leaders, sales people, professional and college sports teams, non-profit organizations and schools, Jon Gordon shares an entertaining and enlightening story that will inspire you to build a better life, career, and team with the greatest success strategies of all.
Insights:
“Negative thoughts are the nails that build a prison of failure. Positive thoughts will build you a masterpiece.” - pg. 42
“The carpenter continued, ‘If you build your life and company with fear, it won’t be worth building. In the end, you’ll look back and realize you didn’t enjoy any of it. It will never be what it could have been, and you’ll likely burn out before you finish. And even if you do finish anything built with fear will eventually crumble.’” - pg. 55
“Exactly like that. Remember, fear is draining. Love is sustaining. Fear is short-term. Love is long-term. Fear appears strong, but is weak. Love appears weak, but is strong. Love is the way.” - pg. 55
“Invest in relationships, not because you want something, but because you want to build something! Ironically when you focus on making a difference and building relationships, success will find you.” - pg 64
“Great leaders don’t succeed because they are great. They succeed because they bring out the greatness in others. I believe you have to have an ego to want to be great but ironically you must give up your ego and serve others in order to be great.” - pg 71
“You should focus on the process it takes to win. His favorite Coaching quote was: Don’t focus on winning a championship; focus on becoming a champion. He knew that champions made plays that won championships.” - pg 115
Should I read it or skip it?
I love Jon Gordon’s writing. As someone who is a pessimist by nature, he inspires me to be different. Training Camp caught my attention and introduced me to his writing style. Gordon’s writing style brings to the book the same kind of parable teaching you expect from him. Also, he brings the ideas of positivity out again in this book. The hashtag for this book is #loveservecare. He presents this simple strategy and then moves forward. A few things stand out and could make readers uncomfortable.
The Carpenter’s name is J. Emmanuel. This obvious reference to Jesus (Emmanuel means God with us) continues throughout the book and could cause bristles. This could feel heavy-handed. It shouldn’t present an issue because Gordon presents the carpenter the way Jesus presented himself - a teacher, a servant, and the son of a Father who wants the best for all. Love for all and helpful all the way around. The carpenter doesn’t feel judgmental. Maybe a little pie in the sky but not judgmental.
On the other end of the spectrum, the mention of Depak Chopra could cause some concern among Christians who immediately do not regard him highly. Lots of conservative Christians will regard him as a false teacher and someone who leads people astray. The goal should always be to think critically. Chopra’s focus on meditation and self-care can be felt in the book. Unlike Soup or Training Camp feels much more Zen-focused.
The book is light on application. Maybe that is on purpose. Gordon does a good job of getting the points of his strategy but doesn’t give a lot of practical application to them. The caprenter tells Michael to serve people but doesn’t flesh out what that might look like in Michael’s life. He tells him to care more but no list of ways to care more.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I appreciated it for what it is. However, don’t make this your first Jon Gordon book. Come back once you have sampled one of his better books.