Welcome to the PMI-OC Book Club! On this page, you will find a wealth of information. First, you will find takeaways (provided by Book Club participants) from books that the Book Club has already read and discussed. Second, you will find rankings of those books. Books are ranked from "1" to "5" where "1" is the worst and "5" is the best. For each book, the initial ranking is a survey of initial thoughts about the book. The final ranking is a post-discussion ranking to discern opinions after discussion in case the opinions have changed. Finally, you will find information for the book to read for the next Book Club meeting.

Books Read 2025

Book Information and Takeaways	Initial Rank	Final Rank
"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek Be proactive and be the change you want to see in your company culture. I liked the way Simon Sinek talks about being a servant leader. Regardless of where you are, help make your team feel human and have empathy! Reinforces the idea that we're all people who are just helping each other! Do what is under your power to do and allow your credibility to influence those above you in the pecking order. It makes me reflect on better ways to lead the team.	4.5	4.64
"The Mensch Method" by Todd Zive This book has transformed my perspective on leadership, emphasizing the importance of being selfless and making a positive impact on others' lives. It has also made me reflect on the legacy we leave behind as individuals. I've learned to shift my mindset from a "have to" attitude to a "get to" attitude, embracing all the opportunities that life presents. The Mensch Method advocates for living a life of meaning, authenticity, and intentional growth. Success is not about status or wealth,but about becoming your best self and lifting others along the way. The book has lofty ideals but there is a practical path to becoming a better person. it's simple things, like choosing to pause and respond intentionally rather than react. It's choosing to assess the situation and take ownership rather than play the blame game. My overall takeaway was that person down the road that I want to be, sometimes it feels far away and I'll never get there so why try (a pessimistic viewpoint). Sometimes we get discouraged and develop this pessimistic viewpoint. I think "that's impossible, I'm not going to be top tier at my position."	4.3	4.6
"Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin My takeaway is that, as a leader, you should take full accountability for your team - this is a must if you want to lead a team. What we have in our power impacts our associates' well being. Taking responsibility is a win-win for the people and organization. I am really challenged to remember there is always a way I can always improve in my leadership, whether it is defending my team better, looking ahead on their behalf to see what we can make more efficient or scale down, giving them credit, or finding their "why" that resonates with them. There is always something I can be doing to advocate for my people better. My takeaway is about the "why". I do not think I do a good enough job communicating why a project I am working on is benefiting the organization and how it aligns with our strategic initiatives and saying only "hey we need to get this done" without explaining why we are doing the project (what it means for the company and what it means for the team members).	4	4.64
"The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" by John C. Maxwell One nice takeaway is the advice early on in the book to take the time to laugh and to enjoy the process involved in your personal growth. I enjoyed the section on reflection. The questions the author asked himself to bolster his reflection was interesting - there was a foreshadowing of the Law of Pain and an interesting interaction with the Law of Reflection that went hand in hand. One thing I took away was that part of being proactive and intentional in your growth is the importance of finding mentors to help you on your journey. Someone may be a better listener or be more organized than you and it's important to take the opportunity to ask that person to be a mentor. It helps me to get feedback and helps keep me accountable for my personal growth. In addition, asking for feedback eliminates the knee-jerk reaction I might have to defend my actions instead of taking the feedback as a learning experience. I enjoyed the reading and will likely read again. There were several takeaways that can be applied and applications of different laws show up for me at different times. Good to have on hand to refer back too. Loved the book. Will be giving it to all of my future mentees to encourage their growth journey. One thing that affected me was the section on the Law of Trade-Offs and how, in order to get what you want, you may have to discard actions and activities that do not lead you in the right direction.	4.4	4.2
"Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work" by Arianna Molloy Burnout isn't binary, it's a continuum. My takeaway was about humility and learning about the idiosyncrasies of humility - understanding that humility is knowing your strengths and weaknesses, to be able to step back and knowing things will be okay, having a learning heart, and being able to step back. Rest is a part of work, not separate from work. I began to understand the difference between modesty and humility - I used to use those terms pretty synonymously but liked the distinction the author made between the two - humility is driven by caring more for others and less focus on yourself. I had 3 major points: Do not keep giving if you are not growing. Practice makes progress - progress is more important than perfection. It is wise to plan your sabbath in an intentional way. We spoke about real challenges with Sabbath sadness, job idolization, and the pressure to always produce. Practices like meditation, ceramics, and swimming emerged as ways to restore balance.	4.22	4.44

Current Book to Read:

"How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie

PDU Type: Power Skills

Synopsis from Amazon

Updated in 2022 for today's readers, Dale Carnegie's timeless bestseller "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is a classic that has improved and transformed the professional and personal and lives of millions.

One of the best-known motivational guides in history, Dale Carnegie's groundbreaking book has sold tens of millions of copies, been translated into almost every known language, and has helped countless people succeed.

Originally published during the depths of the Great Depression‐and equally valuable during booming economies or hard times‐Carnegie's rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their professional and personal lives.

How to Win Friends and Influence People teaches you:

How to communicate effectively

How to make people like you

How to increase your ability to get things done

How to get others to see your side

How to become a more effective leader

How to successfully navigate almost any social situation

And so much more!

Achieve your maximum potential with this updated version of a classic‐a must-read for the 21st century.

Reviews

"The biggest strength is how practical the advice is. It focuses on simple but powerful principles like listening more, showing genuine interest in others, avoiding criticism, and making people feel valued. These ideas are straightforward, but they are explained in a way that makes you reflect on how you interact with people in everyday life."

"This book has taught me the importance of staying in control and how beneficial it is to be in control of our behaviors and act in a way of service to others. The examples described in the book made it simpler to understand the concepts that Dale is teaching."

"Instead of using manipulation, Carnegie focuses on simple habits like listening more than you talk, genuinely praising others, and avoiding useless arguments that just make people defensive. It's written in very plain, conversational language with plenty of old-school stories that show why being kind and curious is actually the most powerful way to succeed."