As the Christmas holiday season arrives, I’d like to share a few book recommendations in case you find some down time and want to expand your leadership thinking.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

No doubt you’ve heard of 7 Habits before. But if you’ve never read it, you’re really missing out on a leadership masterpiece. 7 Habits is my second favorite book of all-time (behind How to Win Friends and Influence People). Not only is it packed with great ideas, it also presents a solid leadership framework that has stood the test of time. Effectiveness begins by being proactive and ends (or rather continues) with sharpening the saw.

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson & others

Crucial Conversations is essentially a field manual on how to communicate positively and effectively in situations where opinions vary, stakes are high and emotions are strong. Unfortunately, Patterson notes, many people communicate at their worst when it matters most. If you are looking for a communication boost with many personal and professional examples, this book is probably the best place to start. The list of success stories is long – and you may find yourself wanting to take a Crucial Conversations training course after you’ve finished reading.

Decisive by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Many of us are paid to make decisions. But how often do you think about how to make good decisions? What do you do when there’s no clear-cut choice in front of you? In Decisive, the Heath brothers offer many approaches that can be applied to all kinds of decisions, from launching a new business strategy to whether to stay in a relationship. As in the rest of the Heath brothers’ books, Decisive contains many interesting stories and illustrations.

The Heart of Leadership by Mark Miller

Mark Miller is one of my favorite leadership authors and bloggers, but I have to admit I labored through many of the character-centric principles in this leadership fable. Whether it was the admonition that leaders ALWAYS think others first or that they expect the best, I quickly realized that my own leadership character is still very much a work in progress. If you’re looking for a short read that really challenges your guts, this is probably the one to go with.

Go Big by Cory Cotton

Go Big is an inspirational read from an energetic group of young guys called Dude Perfect who make and film trip basketball shots for a living. But it’s practical as well. You may not shoot hoops from moving airplanes, but we all need to “get excited” about what we’re doing as well as learn to “blink later” in times when change comes rapidly. Go Big is definitely the most lighthearted read of this list.

What are you reading over the holidays?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

But it wasn’t enough to just build a business based off crazy basketball shots. Cory Cotton took things a step further by putting the group’s contagious philosophy on basketball – and life – into a book: Go Big: Make Your Shot Count in the Connected World. In it, Cotton shares not only how the group capitalized on social media to become YouTube’s 3rd largest sports channel, but also how the average person can go big in their own life. Here are a handful of Cotton’s (and Dude Perfect’s) principles for going big:

Get Excited

When it comes to creating a movement, starting a business, getting a job or engaging in any kind of activity, Cotton says that it all starts with excitement. If you aren’t genuinely excited about what you’re doing, then you’re probably doing the wrong thing. It may sound cliche coming from a group of guys who shoot baskets for a living (actually that’s just a small part of it at this point), but the principle holds true. If you aren’t excited to up in the morning to get to work on whatever it is you do, there’s no reason anyone else should be excited about following you, either on YouTube, Twitter or in real-life.

Have Relentless Integrity

According to Cotton, integrity is one of those ideals that is noble in theory but extremely inconvenient in practice. His analogy is patriotism. It’s a lot easier on Independence Day than on Tax Day. But if you compromise once, not only will you be tempted to compromise again, you’ll ruin your brand promise to the public. For Dude Perfect, this meant making a decision early on to never post a video of a trick shot that wasn’t 100% legitimate, even though it would be much easier to doctor the videography than to spend the extra time working.

Blink Later

Cotton and the rest of the Dude Perfect crew are barely removed from college, yet they’ve collaborated on projects with many Fortune 500 brands. With the speed of technology, it’s possible to “go viral” literally overnight. In fact, at one point Dude Perfect picked up over 2 million views in two hours when Yahoo! featured a video on their home page. When success hits you full force, you have to be able to make certain decisions on the run in order to capitalize before the window of opportunity closes. Many times, this means making pre-decisions about who you are and what is most important, and then using those decisions to navigate the uncertainty when things speed up. It may feel uncomfortable, but some things simply can’t be prepared for in advance.

Inspire Others

In the end, Cotton says that money, fame and recognition aren’t enough. They never are, no matter the dream. Do something that makes a difference for other people. Use your platform and your niche to benefit others. Since Dude Perfect are the self-proclaimed Ambassadors of Fun, inspiring others means adding an element of fun to certain non-profits who provide clean water and necessities to under privileged kids around the world. Inspiring others shouldn’t be a separate element of your work. It will mean so much more if it relates directly to your niche.

If you want to know more about Dude Perfect, I’d definitely recommend Cotton’s book Go Big. But don’t start there. Start on YouTube with one of their videos, such as this one:

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.