If you’d like to discover new ideas and build connections, MDRT book clubs offer both. You will meet other MDRT members as you discuss takeaways from favorite business books, including how what you read changed your view of your life, personally and professionally.
Here is a list of my favorite books read by MDRT book clubs:
“The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea” by Bob Burg and John David Mann
This business parable is about a go-getter named Joe, who is frustrated because sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the farther away his goals seem to be. Joe seeks advice from a consultant who introduces him to a series of “go-givers”: a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real estate broker and the connector who brought them all together. They teach Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and the power of giving. This book brings to life the proverb, “Give and you shall receive.”
“Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact” by Phil M. Jones
In your most important moments, do you know what to say? Sometimes we stumble with that, despite our hard work and talent. This book helps you find the right words and have positive outcomes in business.
“Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It” by Chris Voss, with Tahl Raz
Voss was the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. In this guide, Voss shares the tactics and strategies that helped him save lives and can help you become more persuasive in both your professional and personal lives.
“Eyes Wide Open: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities in a World That Can’t See Clearly” by Isaac Lidsky
Lidsky began to go blind at age 13, losing his sight entirely by the time he was 25. He thought he’d be without a future. Instead, he graduated from Harvard College at age 19, served as a Supreme Court law clerk, got married, had four children and turned a failing business around. Lidsky shows us how we can overcome paralyzing fears, avoid falling prey to faulty leaps of logic, silence our inner critic, harness our strength, and live with open hearts and minds.
Joining a book club
MDRT members-only book clubs are worldwide. Clubs typically have about a dozen MDRT members. The general format is that every six to eight weeks, one group member selects a book for the club to read. They then meet via Zoom or a conference call to talk about how the book’s message is relevant to their personal or professional lives and the actions they will take going forward.
If you’re an MDRT member in the U.S. or Canada and you’re interested in joining a book club, fill out this simple form at mdrt.org/bookclub.
If you’re not yet an MDRT member, a similar format would work with your colleagues. You could encourage each other to reach MDRT qualification levels. Also, to help you get to MDRT faster, check out the MDRT Academy.
Whether you join a book club or not, I hope you give one of my favorite books a try. They’ve made a difference in my life, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.
Irene Stolte is a nine-year MDRT member from Somerville, New Jersey, USA. She’s also a Court of the Table member who helps organize U.S.-based MDRT book clubs.
For more books to read and ideas from favorite authors
- Read “5 books to grow your career.”
- Watch Isaac Lidsky’s 2020 MDRT EDGE presentation “Learning to recognize the subjectivity of what you see.” (MDRT member exclusive)
- Watch Phil Jones in his 2021 MDRT Annual Meeting session “Three critical ingredients for complex conversations.” (MDRT member exclusive)
very good book.