Ben’s Bookshelf

Out of the many tools and resources Ben Harris, President of Production Solutions, utilizes to grow and lead a thriving and infinite culture, a few books (and podcasts) have made a difference in his life, making him more of an “impactivist” than ever before. Pick up one of these books, turn up the volume on this series, or start your own search for the tools that will guide you in growing into the greatest version of yourself in this new decade.

Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson

We are living in a time of accelerating disruption. Disruptive companies and ideas turn markets upside down by doing something truly unexpected, and that is what this book is all about. Johnson does a fantastic job discussing disruption and self-innovation not only in her book but in her groundbreaking podcast: Disrupt Yourself Podcast. Ben has put the power of disruptive innovation to work in his own life by deciding that this decade will be his best decade yet (B.D.Y.!), and encouraging others to make that decision along with him. 

When asked to choose a word to describe this decade, Ben chooses: transformation. 

“In order to remain infinite and successful, and make progress during a time of relentless change, I need to turn people on to disrupting themselves and transforming their lives… A big part of that work is turning myself on, and cultivating these beliefs that ultimately become contagious and empowering for others to do the same in their own lives.”

Making the choice to challenge himself each day, Ben uses self-innovation to keep him on track towards his B.D.Y. Ben expresses that he has a desire to share the drive towards his best decade with everyone he works with. Ben wants to cultivate a shift in as many people as possible to practice self-innovation. He wants all of PS to transform their days for the better, together. PS is supporting us in this initiative in ways that will ultimately make us better and stronger leaders. Ben says, “We groom inspirational, transformational leaders here. Having people leave here and be bold leaders means having this company be infinite… To me, that is the ultimate metric for success… That is the transformation I want to be a part of.”

Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

Impact Theory, hosted by Tom Bilyeu, is an interview video-series that explores the mindsets of the world’s highest achievers, to learn their secrets of success and to ignite human potential. Each video ranges from 15 minutes to an hour. Ben listens to this series twice a week during his commute, and it is a large part of his development and belief system. 

Impact Theory also introduced Ben to Brendon Burchard, best-selling author of “High-Performance Habits”, in Bilyeu’s video featuring Burchard. Burchard has his own podcast called The Brendon Show, and one of his videos, in particular, stuck with Ben. In this episode, Brendon Burchard’s wife, Denise Burchard, says: “Each day you get to choose. You can choose to be average, or you can choose to become extraordinary.” After hearing this phrase, Ben says he is asking himself “more of those introspective framing questions that have you really show up and perform with intention and clarity. It is going to be a really fun way for me to see what more I can do in one day.”

Another key takeaway Ben took from the Impact Theory is the quote by Bilyeu, “Repeat the following phrase to yourself 20 times a day – literally – and it will change your life forever: I can do anything I set my mind to if I am willing to pay the price for greatness.” Ben encourages us to go deep inside ourselves and instill this mindset on our quest to achieving our B.D.Y.

It’s Not About You by Bob Burg and John David Mann

Subtitled, “A little story about what matters most in business”, this book is described by Ben as a “great reminder regarding servant leadership, how to look outward and make your efforts concerned with changing and improving the lives of others.” What Ben took away from this read is the tremendous value in realizing that it’s not all about yourself, it’s about being intentional to listen more with our ears, and less with our mouths. Meaning, it’s easy to relate the conversation back to ourselves, as opposed to fully absorbing what the person is trying to communicate. Ben has made a true effort to be more intentional with PS employees since he became CEO of PS in 2016.

“I decided I am going to be the Chief ‘Employee’ Officer and look at the employees as my clients. My clients are the 100 employees that show up and give their heart and soul every day. I want this to be the greatest period for their lives as well.”

When we shift our focus toward servant leadership, we can help each other achieve our goals. Ben continues, “Making this your B.D.Y. is a commitment that you need to make. But my commitment to you is that when you commit, this company is going to provide you with more opportunities, resources, and experiences than you could ever imagine. We all need to make that shift if we are going to transform the lives of others. And PS leadership is going to help you do that.” 

So, who’s in? Your B.D.Y. begins… NOW!