Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were refreshing and as joy-filled as mine. I absolutely love this time of year, a time of reflecting and a time of anticipation of the future. The past few weeks for me has been a balance of getting things done and in motion, a time of reflection and introspection of the year as well as a focus on the future. This can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, but I try and approach this season with the right posture to be able to really hear from God and internalize and process what is needed.

Here are a few things I like to do in this season:

1. Review and audit my Word of the Year. My 2019 Word was Sustainable. I like to open a document and start writing and journaling what I learned, where I grew, what steps I took, and where I failed.

2. Next, I like to open my calendar and on the same document as above I like to go month by month and pull out the major items of the month and categorize them. When you have all twelve months down with all the major items of each month what themes do you see? What stands out, what is missing...and what do you need to do about it? I love this process because my calendar truly reflects what's happening in my world.

3. Last, I like to distill everything down into my next Word of the Year. What has God been speaking, what is he showing me in the details of my life? What path forward do I want to take, and what is the Word that best describes it and will be the rudder or framework for the upcoming year? I have landed my 2020 Word, it is Serve (list of all my words). A word of action and intention, and I am really leaning into it and look forward to sharing more about it in the coming weeks and months.

I pray your 2020 is infinitely more than you can imagine.

Every month I will share my recommendations for books along with a few thoughts. 

February Book Recommendations:

• Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

This book is a MUST read! Author Kim Scott delivers on a topic that is so important—relationships. This book will bring value to your relationships in the workplace, at home, and anywhere that you’d like to communicate better. Radical Candor, Obnoxious Aggression, Manipulative Insincerity, and Ruinous Empathy are the four quadrants Kim brings to light, and they have completely shaped my leadership.

• The Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last 

Whenever I am asked, “If you are going to recommend just one leadership book, what would it be?” this is my choice by the great Tom Peters. I love his writing style and how he thinks. This book covers so many of the essentials of leadership. If you have not read The Excellence Dividend, pick it up now.  

If you missed it, last month I shared the books I’ve read with my daughters. See those here. You can also find my January book recommendations here.

Why focus on books?

I have given you a lot to read and process, so why not bring in some diversity? Let’s talk podcasts. My pastor, Craig Groeschel, delivers high-quality content that will impact your leadership every single month. In January, a bonus episode dropped called "Building a Strong Culture: Q&A with Jerry Hurley." This is a fantastic listen and well worth your investment. Listen Now

Here are a few of my thoughts and writings from the week. You can see them all here, subscribe to the daily RSS feed, or you can have them sent to your inbox.

• Legacy Building

• Leaders are Reminders

• Memory Lane

• Your Five

• Reunification

• The Whole Gospel

ABOUT THE TERRY STORCH DISPATCH

The Terry Storch Dispatch offers bite-sized chunks of what I'm learning, what I'm reading, and technology tidbits I have found interesting this week. I regularly explore leadership, technology, strategy and faith to help you grow as a parent, student, leader, entrepreneur or pastor. Enjoy!