Over seven years ago I was listening to a podcast about LOST (the television show) and the host was talking about his personal life and how he was trying to get out of debt and he was trying to follow a plan called "The Total Money Makeover" by a guy named Dave Ramsey. This guy had a radio show (that wasn't in the Detroit area at the time) and he "preached" a debt free life style and saidt that it was biblicaly based. Not being completely happy with my family's finance's (honestly what 25 year old married guy really is) and with our first child on the way, I decided to see what this guy had to say. Not only did he present his plan in a common sense method (common senses isn't so common any more) but I felt his interpretation of the bible and what it had to say about money was right on. So I started downloading his free podcast's and listening to him that way for a number of years. Since then, we have paid cash for three cars and haven't had a car payment in over 6 years. We started more retirement accounts and college savings accounts for the kids. Our only debt is now our home. (we are on baby step 6) Much of that has been from the guidance of Dave Ramsey. All that is to say that before I read this book, I already had a high opinion of this gentlemen. Now after reading it, I wish I could work for an organization like his. But in the same breath, I have to look at myself in the mirror and ask the question, would Dave Ramsey even higher me? He only hires rock stars. Though I would like to concider myself one (which in most lazy working cultures isn't hard to do, just getting to work on time seems to be a big accomplishment for a lot of people), am I rock star enough to work for him?
One of the main reasons why I wanted to read this book was because I am constantly looking for effective leadership books. No quick fix stuff. But idea's that I can incorporate into my life. Not just at work but even at home. How do I become a better leader? Everyone one is a leader, in some form or another we all are. At its most basic form, we are leaders for our own life. You can be influenced, but ultimately you are responsible for yourself. And from there you can be a leader of a family, small groups, church, community, or a leader in the work place. The bulk of this book revolves around Dave's 20 + years of being in business for himself. Starting from a card table in his living room with himself as his only employee, to a 300+ employee organization, that is debt free, and is consistently voted as one of the best places to work in Tennessee. He talks about everything from purchasing, to hiring and firing, to benefits, communication, to expectation, to how to create a place of business that is pleasant for the employee's and a company culture polices itself.
There was a ton of great stuff in this book. Whether or not you want to own your own business (I didn't phrase as "being in business for yourself" because ultimately we are all in business for ourselves) there are so many useful pieces of information in here, as a leader you will be hard pressed not to come away with pages of action items you can apply to your own life. For any leader, this is a must read.
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