We are so excited to feature Gina Folk, author of People Leadership: 30 Proven Strategies to Ensure Your Team’s Success, in this week’s Inspired By! Here, she shares why these five books have inspired her as an author most.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is my all-time favorite book. Although charged with not so magical topics, like rape and racial tensions, the story inspired me to be more compassionate and caring for all people. Scout, the six-year-old main character is such an inspiration and beautiful reminder of how we are meant to treat all people regardless of how they may appear on the outside.

The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

Sales is my least favorite thing to do in the business world; however, this book gave me a fresh new perspective on the subject. The story is about a poor camel boy, Hafid and the 10 keys he learns about achieving abundance in life. I continue to use the guidance provided in this book in my life and when I do , I achieve great things.

Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey and Raj Sisodia

Not only do I love to shop at Whole Foods, I love the philosophy behind how the company operates. In this book, Whole Foods Market cofounder John Mackey and professor and Conscious Capitalism, Inc. cofounder Raj Sisodia highlight how some of the best companies operate “consciously” in today’s world by creating value for all stakeholders: including customers, employees, suppliers, investors, society, and the environment. It is refreshing to read a business book that’s operating premise is do good works and the money will follow.

Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath

This is a simple book whose premise is that we are all more productive as individual sand as leaders when we use our strengths instead of trying so hard to overcome weaknesses. The book details various categories of strengths that people possess. Most people including myself either don’t know or are not comfortable identifying and being proud of their strengths. Strengths Finder 2.0 helps people uncover their personal strengths by providing a code with every book purchase to take a simple test. When I took the test, I was amazed at how accurate the results were. I have always believed that people are more effective when they are able to use their talents and strengths and this book validated that belief!

The Charge by Brendon Bouchard

Brendon Bouchard is a very powerful people developer! In The Charge, he identifies 10 things that makes humans feel alive, energized and charged to achieve anything. The book is based on principles from psychology and neuroscience with some undertones of spirituality. As a life long student in human behavior and personal development, The Charge is a simple yet powerful guidebook of the keys to being successful and fulfilled in life.