Have you ever read a book that changed your life? For me, that is Turn the Ship Around, by L. David Marquet. It recounts the story of how Navy Captain L. David Marquet worked with one of the worst-rated submarines in history and helped them become the best.

What it did for me was life-changing: it made me realize that what I really wanted was to lead people and to help them just as he helped that crew.

After reading that book I could no longer ignore the problems I saw at work and I could no longer ignore the people being affected by them. I had to step up even if I didn’t know what to do, even if it scared me.

I have become a different person because of it.

That is the magic of books. That is the magic of leadership.