Reading recommendation from a reader!

A friend and former colleague at Valleyfair, Lacey Lange recently sent me a note with some recommended reading.  Now in Marketing and Communications at Cloverdale Foods, Lacey shares her perspective of a recent literary find.  Here is what she had to say (reprinted with permission).

“I wanted to ask you if you’ve read the book “Linchpin: Are you Indispensible” by Seth Godin? I’ve shared this book with numerous colleagues, my intern and a couple of friends – as a gift at first – and it soon developed into a sharing of sorts. The book really grabbed me and if anything – gave me a definition for myself…A realization that this was the way I felt, sort of an AHA moment.

It inspired me to talk to the President of our company about the Leadership training that we had been told was mandatory to attend. What I had come to believe, was that they were providing this training as a sort of gift. If we want to become better employees…people…etc. than we could take the lessons of the training and use them. I was right. He agreed with what I had believed and deduced that it’s just like church.

Of course, the training also involved learning our new motto “100 by 100″ meaning we are to grow to 100 million in sales by our 100th anniversary, which will be in 2015. We are at around 50 million in sales currently, so that means doubling in size. In short, we have a long way to go!”

Thanks for sharing, Lacey!  I agree that any type of training, development, feedback or coaching is like a gift… and we know that some are more open to receiving the gifts than others!

The other interesting thing is that this book inspired a “definition for myself” for Lacey.  Ultimately, it’s people who make a team or company successful. When those people are true to themselves, in the right roles and firing on all cylinders, most measurable components of business (profits, sales, productivity, efficiency) increase (making the 100 by 100 an attainable goal!).

If anyone else has read this book or others you would like to share, email me here and we’ll make it part of the discussion.

Thanks again, Lacey!