I once read 30 books in an entire summer, including 10 John Grisham novels. Reading is something that I enjoy doing. I am a paperback kind of guy as I will dog-ear pages, highlight passages, and make notes in the margins. My wife, on the other hand, only reads Kindle books or listens to audio books.
Whatever your preference, it is important that you read. Readers are leaders. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things that you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
What follows is my recommended list of books in various categories that were published during the last two years. I have previously made recommended book lists of “19 Books to Read in 2019”, “18 Books to Read in 2018”, “15 Best Books for Coaches”, “15 Best Books for Leaders”, and “7 Underrated Books for Leaders”.
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Darrin Gray serves as President and CEO of The Lions Lead. Darrin has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in communications, media, branding, sports philanthropy and non-profit sectors and has managed annual budgets as large as $40,000,000. Based upon his work with All Pro Dad, the national non-profit founded by Tony Dungy, Darrin is recognized as a thought leader and speaker on the topics of family, fatherhood, mentoring and leadership. Darrin co-authored The Jersey Effect, Beyond the World Championship, and supports his community by serving on non-profit boards and as the President of the Center for Serving Leadership at the Sagamore Institute, an action-oriented think tank. Darrin has a unique window into the National Football League by virtue of his day-to-day involvement with All Pro Dad, Family First’s national fatherhood program cofounded by Tony Dungy and Clyde Christensen. Darrin interacts with NFL athletes, coaches, and alumni that serve as spokesmen for All Pro Dad, and he has conducted programming with over half of the NFL franchises. He develops innovative partnership strategies to reach families via special events, broadcast, and new media with the assistance of media partners and corporate sponsors. He conceptualized The Jersey Effect years ago when he wondered what motivated some athletes like Tony Dungy to use their professional platform in sports, their jersey, to make a positive impact both on and off the field. A few years later he invited NFL punter Hunter Smith, while he was still playing in the NFL, to coauthor the book and to help him explore the many ways that sports shape culture, with the help of his world champion teammates and coaches. 
Rob Miller is a partner and motivational speaker for Proactive Coaching, which is one of the top leadership training platforms in the country. Along with his Bruce Brown, they help coaches positively impact their athlete’s lives. Rob is also the commissioner of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, with schools in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Throughout his career, Rob has been a coach at the high school and college levels. He was also instrumental in building up the NAIA’s Champions of Character program.
(editor’s note: originally published on December 5, 2012)