We’re Hitting the Books in 2019!
Last year at this time, I was expecting 2018 to be the year that I started reading more. So, I stacked the odds in my favor by ordering several books from Amazon—some for enjoyment, some for growth. How did my ambitious reading plan work out? Well, it’s twelve months later and…I read two of the books on my list. Now, before you start shaking your head, I should point out that I did manage to sneak in a few others purely for enjoyment, so the year wasn’t a total loss.
Knowing that there’s strength in numbers and understanding the power of accountability, I decided to begin 2019 by not only rededicating myself to a reading challenge but taking a few people along with me as well. This year, several of my YMC team members are joining me in the goal of reading one book per month—but not just any books. We will be intentional about our selections and stick to books that help us accomplish the goal of staying green and growing (not ripe and rotting).
With this shared goal in mind, we decided to kick things off in January with It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of Basecamp. I chose that book because it offers valuable insight into a quality we want to develop as a team. Which quality, you ask? Being calm. After strategically pruning our client list down to select clients that understand boundaries, truly want to grow, and appreciate our team’s willingness to roll up our sleeves and work alongside them, it’s time for us to do quality work more consistently by having an air of calm about us in everything we do.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking “That’s great for Bo and his team, but he doesn’t know what it’s like at my workplace. Calm is a foreign concept!” On one hand, you’re right. I probably don’t know all the specifics of your workplace. But on the other hand, I may be more familiar with your situation than you think. Over the last decade, my team and I have worked with dozens of clients and credit unions across the country. Along the way, we’ve discovered that many of the challenges financial institution leaders face are more common than you realize. We also found that most of the solutions are often closer than they appear—and many of them can be found in books like It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work.
We’re excited about the books our team will read this year, and we hope you can sense that! If you’d like to follow along with us, we’re happy to make that possible. Every month our team will share our thoughts on the book we’ve read, what we’ve learned, how we’ve applied that knowledge, and the results we anticipate. We will also share some ideas and concepts you can take away and implement as well. Look for our monthly article and video on CUInsight, and join us in our crusade for quality, consistency, and calm in 2019!
