Good Business Books
from the past year or so you May have Heard Of (or Not)
Good Business Books from
the past year or two that you might want to read (or Not)
Everything you need to know about call/contact centers are not only found in
books and articles about contact centers. That is why the we will scout and scour the field
of business books looking for the new and unusual the old and forgotten and the new and
not known. We will look for books that educate and entertain (without forcing you to
gain weight). If you have a book you think deserves mention please email us
(xdj1@purdue.edu) the title and we will take a look. You want to write a review please
feel free to submit one. (Decision of the judges is final). If we like it we will put it on the
web. If we like it a lot you will get a Purdue trinket (ranging from key chain to T shirt to
sweat shirt to an endowed chair in Contact Center Management in your name ( It will
have to be quite a good review for this award). (Of course a good review and a pledge of
30 million gets you the complete prize package).
By the way if you don’t think a book can make a difference recall the paradigm
shift that Tom Peters and Bob Waterman caused by In Search of Excellence in 1982.
Reviews are my opinion and I am Richard Feinberg (xdj1@purdue.edu)
Orbiting the Giant Hairball
Gordon MacKenzie
I have a feeling that few of you have read this one but it is on my personal
favorite’s shelf. The book…well the book really cannot be described but if I have to it is
about nurturing and accepting those in our organizations that orbit the organization a bit
further away than the rest of us. Creativity and innovation come from these orbiters. The
book is very fun…and illustrated…and if you are the right mind and spirit quite
insightful. Here is the essence:
Good to Great
Jim Collins
The book is the holy grail of recent business books by one of the premier thinkers
of present day. Here is a summary:
Jack: Straight from the Gut
Jack Welch and John Byrne
Being at the right place at the right time or a business genius…you be the judge.
This book articulates a business strategy that has made Mr. Welch an icon and a guru and
a guru and an icon (and you know how painful that can be). Be first or second in your
market (or be gone)…use a form a social Darwinism to only be left with the best people
(get rid of the bottom 10% each year)…react fast…educate…educate…educate (GE
University)…build services…look for acquisitions…six sigma…reduce human touch
points to reduce SG&A. There’s more of course and it is fun to read. I guarantee that
each of you no matter what business you are in will think about how the “things” would
apply and work in your environment. Just for that it is worth the price of admission.
Does it work? It worked for Welch and GE. It has mixed results as we track GE execs
in new positions (ask my wife about my purchase of Conseco stock).
The Art of Profitability
Adrian Slywotzky
A set of recipes that describe and define various business strategies….23 to be
exact. Each one guides your thinking about how to make money. I can see you using
these recipes to evaluate how you might get better or be different. You could not do much
better than to use this as the basis for a year long series of strategy/business development
task force exercise.
Zapp The Heart of Change: Real Life `Stories of How People Change Their
Organization
John Kotter
Kotter tells 34 stories of companies in which extraordinary (and ordinary change
occurred and how it was accomplished. He postulates an 8 step process of change (and
proves it with the stories): increase urgency, build a guiding team, get the vision right,
communicate and get buy in, empower action, create short term wins, don’t let up, and
make sure that it stays. My favorite story is the one about a midlevel manager’s anger and
understanding that the buying function in this company was crazy. He took all 424
different gloves the company had and put them in the Board room table. Top execs were
called in and the problem was clear to all…clearer than a report or a speech. There are a
lot of stories like this.
The old ZAP
The Goal- A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Eliyahu Goldratt
If you were caught in the “Zapp” frenzy 15 years ago (and you liked it) you will
find “The Goal” particularly interesting. If you were not part of the “movement” let me
explain. Instead of telling people what is important write a story…the story tells the tale.
In “The Goal” you are listening to a conversation between a consultant and a manager
talking about how companies make money. In these discussion lessons, strategies,
insights, and maybe answers come forth. It works…try it.
Out of the Box: Strategies for Achieving Profits Today and Growth Tomorrow
through Web Services
John Hagel III
You want real actionable ideas at a high level…this is for you. Here is the
argument…Web services allow integration and self-service through distributed Internet
applications not idiosyncratic and expensive proprietary systems. The supply chain
becomes a partnership chain. There are four strategic opportunities offered here: cost
reduction, enhanced effectiveness of what were diverse and divergent operations, selling
your expertise in web services to other companies, new growth opportunities that emerge
from this new way of doing business (it may not make sense as you read this but really it
makes sense when you read the book). And it is not just for the technical geek…even
technical morons like me can understand and gain.
The strategy focused organization: How balanced scorecard companies thrive in the
new business environment
Robert Kaplan and David Norton
This is a part of the Harvard Business School series on balanced scorecard
approaches in business. The balance scorecard is an attempt to change the over focuses
on financial management. The essential point of all the balanced scorecard books in the
universe is that there are a host of factors that determine success and over reliance on
anyone can become an irrelevant and sometimes mindless exercise…and of course lead
to failure or minimum effectiveness. This book is a good introduction and review of the
foundation of balanced scorecards. Even if you don’t follow its recipe it does make you
think about the things that you might not be measuring and using that might be important.
Creative destruction: Why companies that are built to last underperform the market- and
how to successfully transform them.- Richard Foster and Sarah Kaplan
The point here is that sustainable advantage is a myth. That what goes up
inevitable comes down…” The goal then is to continually reinvent yourself. As Tom
Peters said…”if it ain’t broke break it.”
Primal Leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence
Daniel Coleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
It is not IQ but EQ (emotional quotient). EQ= self-awareness + self-management
+ social-awareness + relationship management. The more EQ the better. Although there
probably is a lot of truth to this…(this explains why many smart people defined by high
IQ just seem so “dumb” and are ineffective. I don’t see this replacing the myth of IQ (in
my lifetime anyway).
What management is, how it works and why. Its everyone’s business.
Joan Magretta and …..xxxx Stone
If only real management were as rational and structured. But if you want a
relatively clear rendition of the basics of management this is a good one.
How companies lie: Why Enron is just the tip of the iceberg.
Larry Elliot and Richard Schroth
Some interesting and good advice on how to spot trouble. My reading…no matter
what the rules and the laws it all boils down to people. Even good people do bad but bad
people can really do bad.
Dot.bomb: My days and nights at an Internet Goliath.
J David Kuo
Do you remember Value America…probably not. Value American was sold as
the Wal-Mart of the Internet…it wasn’t and now it isn’t. By the way even Wal-Mart is
not Wal-Mart of the Internet. Wal-Mart has tried 4 or 5 times to do it right on the Internet
and still doesn’t get it. Don’t feel bad…Wal-Mart has the money for 1000 more tries.
The message of this book is that even good people get carried away. Greed is
Good….NOT if you want to build a solid company. You might also like to watch “Startup a tale of a fictional dot.com start-up, …..available on DVD and VHS and occasionally
on cable. You might like to watch Bubble….. You might also like (and my favorite)
….
They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Watching the rise and fall of Kosmo.com is a
sobering experience.
Business: The Ultimate Resource
Daniel Coleman
9 pounds or so….2200 pages or so…200 authors or so…500 lists and recipes or
so…all for 60 bucks. How could I pass this up. I didn’t. And you want to know
something. It is worth it. I am not sure it is the ultimate guide but it is pretty darned good.
There is really a lot of interesting stuff in here. There is a lot of useful stuff here on things
you don’t know but also things you do know. My only regret…I am not in it. Great
checklists.
Leadership for Dummies
Marshall Loeb and Syephen Kinsel
X for Dummies
X for Dummies
… now Leadership for dummies. If you don’t expect much there is something here.
Geeks and Geezers: How era, values, defining moments shape leaders
Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas
Some people learn from experience and some don’t. Good leaders do. So your
goal should be to learn how to learn from your experience.
Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap and others don’t.
Jim Collins
The business book of this decade (my humble opinion). I think this should be the
one to have lasting impact just like Peters and Waterston did with In Search of
Excellence in the 70’s.
Execution: The Discipline of getting things done
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
Leaders get things done. There may e nothing more important. So a book about
how to get things done is important. This book defines three steps of getting things done.
Step 1- Don’t tell but challenge and direct and get them on board as their own ideas
Step 2- Follow-though- don’t just expect it to get done make sure everyone knows that
it will get done.
Step 3- Hold people accountable and then reward them
On Becoming a Leader
Warren Bennis
Leaders and followers are (when it works right) intimate partners in the pursuit of
vision and goals. Leaders get things done because followers get things done and then
leaders are really leaders.
The Leadership Challenge
Barry Posner and James Kouzes
Great book. I use it as required in my leadership class. I read it every year and still
learn from it after 10 years each time. There are 5 fundamental actions of exceptional
leaders:
1. Inspire a shared vision
2. Challenge the process
3. Enable others to act
4. Model the way
5. Encourage the heart
They give us specific steps to achieve each challenge. Great book.
Hidden Value: How great companies achieve extraordinary results for ordinary
people
Charles O’Reilly III and Jeffrey Pfeiffer
One word…TALENT. Hire good people.
Mean Business: How I save bad companies and make good companies great
Albert Dunbar
You may know him as “Chainsaw Al”. About 10 years ago he was the poster
boy…the guru…for a great business leader. I recommend this book because it reminds us
that many of these books and gurus are faddish. Today Mr. “Chainsaw Al” is seen as a
“boob” and incompetent by some. Ten years ago a genius. This book always reminds me
that we are all full of hot air and while hot air may raise us in one moment it may be short
lived. So be careful about who you listen to and what you promote as the greatest.
Personal Leadership
Nearly every "highly" successful person I have ever met has a "Personal Leadership
Library" which consist of some of their favorite titles... Books that helped to shape their
personal leadership and management philosophy, or validate it. These are books that
represent a portion of my Leadership Library. I invite you to select a few for your own
Library as well.
Built to Last : Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
A compelling, thorough, well-written, unprecedented look at what it
takes to "create and achieve long-lasting greatness as a visionary
corporation. I now use this book as my culture handbook and know that
it can benefit you as well. Leaders are reading this book, and when you
do, you'll have, in common with them, a shared set of ideas, and a shared
language. I preferred the audio version but own the print as well. I loved
how the research shattered myths like these five and several others.
1.
2.
3.
4.
It takes a great idea to start a great company
Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders
Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values
Highly successful companies make their best moves by brilliant and complex
strategic planning
5. The most successful companies focus primarily on beating the competition
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and
Others Don't
I have recommended this book to several people, always with the
promise that they will enjoy the book so much, that they'll want to buy
me lunch just to thank me. So far, I've eaten lunch with every one of
them. This is one heck of a powerful culture book so if you are a
culture person .I've read it twice so far, and am going back for
Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box
Ready for a candid view of yourself... a really candid look? For the
courageous seeker of personal development and change. I recommend
this book almost more than any other... I enjoyed it so much I sought out
the company and attended a couple of their training and education
workshops. This book is worth several reads...and without question you
should own it! If you don't absolutely love it... I'll buy it from you!...
Ender's Game
I usually just tell people that I enjoyed this book so much I read it twice
through in less than 24 hours. I have since read it several more times and
consider to be one of the greatest books on leadership I have ever read,
even though it makes no claim to be any such thing. Read it once for
pure pleasure... then as you read it again, and you'll want too, perhaps you
can start asking yourself as I did, why is this book so engaging?
Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost
destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world
government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts
of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is
a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time
is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?
The Leader's Voice: How Communication Can Inspire Action and
Get Results!
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work : A Practical Guide from the
Country's Foremost Relationship Expert
I was commissioned to read and review nearly 50 texts on marriage
relationships and parenting, and of all that I read, this book was my
absolute favorite! There are so many reasons why... call me if you want
details... or better yet... READ THE BOOK, or listen to it on...
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the
sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually
getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy
and Ram Charan demonstrate in Execution, the ultimate difference
between a company and its competitor is, in fact, the ability to execute.
Execution is "the missing link between aspirations and results," and as
such, making it happen is the business leader's most important job. While
failure in today's business environment is...
What the CEO Wants You to Know : How Your Company Really
Works
Ram Charan learned about business from his family's shoe shop in India
before attending Harvard Business School and going on to advise senior
executives in companies large and small. His experiences taught him
that universal laws apply "whether you sell fruit from a stand or are
running a Fortune 500 company," and that the business acumen that
comes from understanding these basics can be applied throughout any
operation. What the CEO Wants You to Know is Charan's primer on this
point, which he illustrates with explanations filtered through the eyes of
street...
Re-imagine!
Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antartic Explorer
The explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton has recently become the legendary character at the
center of a renewed fascination with the early days of Antarctic exploration. Though not
the most renowned explorer of his day, nor even the most successful in terms of stated
goals, Shackleton's story of adventurous ambition, incredible endurance, and heroic
survival against all odds is indeed the stuff of legend. And now, thanks to the detailed
research and helpful insights of Morrell and Capparell, his story is also the meaty
material of lessons on how to lead with authority, integrity,...
The Leadership Challenge, whatever Edition
In the 1980s and again in the '90s, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z.
Posner published The Leadership Challenge to address issues they
uncovered in research on ordinary people achieving "individual
leadership standards of excellence." The keys they identified--model the
way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act,
encourage the heart--have now been reexamined in the context of the
post-millennium world and updated in a third edition. "What we have
discovered, and rediscovered, is that leadership is not the private reserve
of a...
The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an 'Employee'
into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!
If Dilbert and Tom Peters ever attended the same party, they'd probably
find themselves in opposite corners. The cynical cartoon character would
have a hard time in Peters's upbeat, high-energy world of "Cool-BeyondBelief." The Brand You50 is Peters's manifesto for today's knowledge
workers. It joins his Reinventing Work series, which includes The
Projects50 and The Professional Service Firm50.
In The Brand You50, Peters sees a new kind of corporate citizen who
believes that surviving means not...
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten : Fifteenth Anniversary
EditionReconsidered, Revised, & Expanded With Twenty-Five New
Essays
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I have used this book so many times in so many
ways with so many different types of teams. Whether with folks on the
front lines or with executive roundtables across America and even in
Europe... this book has never ceased to amaze me with it's simple yet
profound appeal. This book connects! If you don't find at least 5 stories
you want to read to your team upon reading it... then you're not trying.
If you don't own it, your missing out!...
Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor
and Middle Class Do Not!
Personal-finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his
unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate
influences: his own highly educated but fiscally unstable father, and the
multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The
lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose
weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to
meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by
his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but
"the rich have...
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question
After I give a speech, or conduct a Readership Leadership lecture or a
Books and Breakfast event at a conference, at least one person comes
up and talks to me about this book. They assume from the content of
my remarks that I have read it. Well I hadn't until just recently... and
WOW! Talk about a validating, inspriring and empowering little book!
I'm still pondering it, but ... I am thinking this little book just bumped
another one from my all time TOP !
Leadership is an Art
One of you sent me this book in the mail... I took on my next flight and
it catapulted itself to the very top of my Recommended Reading List!!
This is a MUST READ, MUST HAVE BOOK. It is the very first
business book I have ever read that has the word "covenant" within its
pages. The first few pages contain enough repetitions of the words
relationships, connections and culture to get any servant leader excited.
If the introduction doesn't close the deal for you...then the story of the
"Millwright" on page 7 will! I started underlining a few great ideas on page 11 and didn't
life my pen again until page 19! This is an exciting little book that will bless the life and
leadership efforts of any and all who read from it's pages. ...
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Inspirational yet honest, and always rhythmically rollicking, Oh, the
Places You'll Go! is a perfect sendoff for children, 1 to 100, entering
any new phase of their lives. Kindergartners, graduate students,
newlyweds, newly employeds--all will glean shiny pearls of wisdom
about the big, bountiful future. The incomparable Dr. Seuss rejoices in
the potential everyone has to fulfill their wildest dreams: "You'll be on
your way up! / You'll be seeing great sights! / You'll join the high
fliers / who soar to high heights." At the same
Books Recommended by other people
You
Improving your life, your person and your strengths.
Flow by MihalyCsikzentmihalyi
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
How to Be a Star at Work by Robert E. Kelley
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey B. Mackay
The Power of Intuition by Gary Klein
What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson
Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss/Theodore Geisel
Chasing Daylight by Eugene O'Kelly
--------Leadership
Inspiration. Challenge. Courage. Change.
On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem
The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree
The Radical Leap by Steve Farber
Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will by Tichy and Sherman
Leading Change by John P. Kotter
Questions of Character by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.
The Story Factor by Annette Simmons
Never Give In! Speeches by Winston Churchill
--------Strategy
Eight organizational blueprints from which to draft your own.
In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.
Good to Great by Jim Collins
The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Discovering the Soul of Service by Leonard Berry
Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
Competing for the Future by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad
--------Sales and Marketing
Approaches and pitfalls in the ongoing process of creating customers.
Influence by Robert B. Cialdini, PhD
Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout
A New Brand World by Scott Bedbury with Stephen Fenichell
Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith
Zag by Marty Neumeier
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore
Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar
How to Become a Rainmaker by Jeffrey J. Fox
Why We Buy by Paco Underhill
The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
--------Rules and Scorekeeping
The all-important numbers behind the game.
Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan
Financial Intelligence by Karen Berman and Joe Knight
The Balanced Scorecard by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton
--------Management
Guiding and directing the people around you.
The Essential Drucker by Peter Drucker
Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming
Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno
Reengineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack with Bo Burlingham
First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Buckingham and Clifton
The Knowing-Doing Gap by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono
--------Biographies
Seven lives. Unlimited lessons.
Titan by Ron Chernow
My Years with General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.
The HP Way by David Packard
Personal History by Katharine Graham
Moments of Truth by Jan Carlzon
Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton with John Huey
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson
--------Entrepreneurship
Seven guides to the passion and practicality necessary for any new venture.
The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
The Republic of Tea ** by Mel Ziegler, Patricia Ziegler, and Bill Rosenzweig
The Partnership Charter by David Gage
Growing a Business by Paul Hawken
Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
The Monk and the Riddle Randy Komisar with Kent Lineback
--------Narratives
Six industry tales of both fortune and failure.
McDonald’s: Behind the Arches by John F. Love
American Steel ** by Richard Preston
The Force by David Dorsey
The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
Moneyball by Michael Lewis
--------Innovation & Creativity
Insight into the process of developing new ideas.
Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie
The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman
Jump Start Your Business Brain by Doug Hall
A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
--------Big Ideas
The future of business books lies here.
The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy
Out of Control by Kevin Kelly
The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Driven by Paul R. Lawrence and Nitin Nohria
To Engineer is Human by Henry Petroski
The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
--------Takeaways
What everyone is looking for.
The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins
Up the Organization by Robert Townsend
Beyond the Core by Chris Zook
Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan
The Team Handbook by Peter Scholtes, Brian Joiner, and Barbara Streibel
A Business and Its Belief by Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
Lucky or Smart? by Bo Peabody
The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas L. Friedman
Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko
More Than You Know by Michael J. Mauboussin
Who Moved My Cheese
Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard
Simply because everyone else has read it you need to read it.
Cheese=life
Life= Maze
Maze = Cheese
Cheese=cheese
Life is change and you need to be ready for it, appreciate it, anticipate it, embrace
it. I would rather hire someone who comes in each day and says…”OK rip the carpet out
from under my feet I am ready I can handle it.” then someone who might have a
particular skill.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert Kiyosaki
His Dad was poor. His friend’s Dad was rich. He learned some lessons and he
shares it.
Losing my virginity
Richard Branson
Can you learn lessons from other people’s successes and failures….maybe.
Cashflow Quadrant
Robert Kiyosaki
This book is based on the observation that many of our brightest college grads and
MBA’s want to work for people who have never graduated college…Gates, Dell,
Branson, Turner…and others.
10 Day MBA
Steven A. Silbiger
All the major topics that are taught in the top MBA programs
Awaken the Giant Within
Anthony Robbins
Self-improvement in all aspects of your life and work. Who knows!
People …..
Andrew Pike
People management is the key. Add value to employees and they will add value to
your business. A satisfied employee will satisfy customers.
Mind of a fox
Chantell IIbury and Clen Sunter
What can a fox teach us about life and business…in turns out a lot.
Profit from the Core: Growth Strategy in an Era of Turbulence
Chris Zook and James Allen
A 10-year-long Bain & Company study uncovered that only 10% of businesses
achieved sustained growth and provided shareholder satisfaction. The authors argue that
most companies veered off course from their core business into adjunct markets without
redefining their core market strategy. Without clearly defined strategies, the move into
adjunct businesses hurt, rather than helped, most companies. Chris Zook and James Allen
say companies fare better when they concentrate on customer loyalty, channel
dominance, product superiority and value.
The Myth of Excellence: Why Great Companies Never Try to Be the Best at
Everything
Fred Crawford and Ryan Mathews
Consumer research compounded with business insight equals, "Don't try to be all
things to all people." The authors lead you through the why and how of finding the
unique value of your business to the market. After surveying 5,000 consumers, the book
offers thought-provoking research that will make you reevaluate how your company
should position itself.
What the CEO Wants You to Know: How Your Company Really Works
Ram Charan
The same business principles that guide the global corporation behemoth also
guide the successful street vendor. By understanding the fundamentals of business, you
too will be able to contribute to your company's health, regardless of your job title. This
book can help every IT employee in your department generate new ideas and improve
upon work processes.
Speed Is Life: Street Smart Lessons from the Front Lines of Business
Bob Davis
Bob Davis' account of the rise of Lycos teaches branding, audience development
and that ever-elusive dot-com goal: how to make a profit. Realistic business advice
offered not just by Davis, but other visionaries - including Vince Lombardi, Tom Brokaw
and Steve Case - present a great place to start.
Leadership
NEVER GIVE IN: THE BEST OF WINSTON CHURCHILL'S SPEECHES
edited by grandson Winston S. Churchill (2003)
"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or
petty…. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the
enemy."
ON LEADERSHIP
John Gardner (1990)
Gardner sees leadership as an ever-evolving learned skill separate from status or
power, and he carefully dissects its many elements--without resorting to cute language or
strained metaphors.
PARTING THE WATERS: AMERICA IN THE KING YEARS 1954--63
Taylor Branch (1988)
This spellbinding tale of how Martin Luther King Jr. and others built the civil
rights movement shows creative, disruptive leadership in action. King and his comrades
possessed none of the conventional tools of power but found ways to wield it
nonetheless.
PERSONAL HISTORY
Katharine Graham (1997)
The late Graham grew up shy and insecure and stayed that way till her glamorous
husband shot himself. Then she found the strength to take over Washington Post Co.,
which hit new financial and journalistic highs during her tenure. Her defense of the First
Amendment made her a hero; her dinner parties made her a legend.
TITAN: THE LIFE OF JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER SR.
Ron Chernow (1998)
If 75 books were burning and you could save just one, this might be it: a
biography as powerful and detail-minded as its subject.
Negotiating and Managing
A CIVIL ACTION
Jonathan Harr (1995)
Harr's story --an attorney fights polluters over carcinogenic toxic waste they left
in a town's groundwater--reads like a thriller. It shows how one dogged individual can
take on the formidable resources of two corporate giants.
THE EFFECTIVE EXECUTIVE
Peter Drucker (1966)
Before you can manage anyone else, you've got to learn to manage yourself. In
this slim volume, Drucker tells you how.
REMEMBER EVERY NAME EVERY TIME
Benjamin Levy (2002)
Here's a book that delivers on its promise. Read it, and you'll never stare blankly
at an employee or a client again.
TAKEN FOR A RIDE: HOW DAIMLER-BENZ DROVE OFF WITH CHRYSLER
Bill Vlasic and Bradley A. Stertz (2000)
A tale of how the merger unfolded--and how Daimler's Jürgen Schrempp always
managed to stay two moves ahead of Chrysler's Bob Eaton.
WOMEN DON'T ASK: NEGOTIATION AND THE GENDER DIVIDE
Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever (2003)
The first book to adequately explain the dramatic differences in how men and
women negotiate and why women so often fail to ask for what they want at work (starting
with equal pay). Every male manager in America should read it.
Office Politics
LIVE FROM NEW YORK: AN UNCENSORED HISTORY OF SATURDAY
NIGHT LIVE
Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (2003)
Given the behind-the-scenes sex, drugs, and screaming matches, the most
amazing thing about Saturday Night Live is that it ever managed to get on the air, let
alone stay there for 30 seasons. Consider this oral history a handbook for managing the
highly creative and the borderline deranged.
THE PRICE OF LOYALTY: GEORGE W. BUSH, THE WHITE HOUSE, AND
THE EDUCATION OF PAUL O'NEILL
Ron Suskind (2004)
No, George W. Bush ("a blind man in a roomful of deaf people") does not come
off well. But whatever your politics, you'll be fascinated by the dishy descriptions of how
Bush, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney operate around the office.
THE PRINCE
Niccolò Machiavelli (1513)
Machiavelli wasn't as Machiavellian as he is made out to be. Today we'd probably
call him "pragmatic." But his treatise--penned after losing his political job in Florence-was shockingly frank. Power and idealism, he said, don't really mix.
SOMETHING HAPPENED
Joseph Heller (1974)
This novel--Heller's follow-up to Catch-22--portrays one man struggling with the
American dream and a Kafkaesque office where perseverance is the key to promotion.
Power
FATHER SON & CO: MY LIFE AT IBM AND BEYOND
Thomas Watson Jr. and Peter Petre (1990)
A son's-eye view (co-written by a FORTUNE senior editor at large) of how
Watson Senior started and ran IBM and how Junior took it over. Told in an intensely
personal voice, by turns shrewd, grudging, exasperated, and kind, it is the operatic story
of power passing between generations.
THE 48 LAWS OF POWER
Robert Keister (1998)
The overarching thesis--deceive others lest they deceive you--is appallingly
cynical. The wealth of observations ("The longer I keep quiet, the sooner others move
their lips") is eminently useful.
INDECENT EXPOSURE: A TRUE STORY OF HOLLYWOOD AND WALL
STREET
David McClintick (1982)
McClintick turns the federal case against Columbia Pictures and David Begelman
into a drama of power--East Coast moneymen like Herb Allen vs. West Coast production
honchos--and lets you watch, in intimate boardroom detail, as they tear at one another's
throats.
INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION
Robert Cialdini (1993)
How do you get people to say yes? To answer that question, psychologist Cialdini
mines nuggets as diverse as mother turkeys, pickup situations, Hare Krishnas, and the
unlikely power of the word "because"--and identifies six principles that entice people to
buy your stuff.
THE POWER BROKER: ROBERT MOSES AND THE FALL OF NEW YORK
Robert Caro (1974)
Moses, the legendary city builder, defied mayors, governors, and even a
President, constructing a political machine that lasted for decades. Caro's classic
biography is one of the most exhaustive--and exhausting--studies of American power
ever written.
Project Management
AMERICAN STEEL: HOT METAL MEN AND THE RESURRECTION OF THE
RUST BELT
Richard Preston (1991)
If Nucor employees can get molten metal flowing in one unbroken strip, they'll
revolutionize the steel industry. If something goes wrong, their new plant can blow up.
The author of The Hot Zone makes the tale truly riveting.
THE BILLION-DOLLAR MOLECULE: ONE COMPANY'S QUEST FOR THE
PERFECT DRUG
Barry Werth (1994)
No writer has ever gotten as deeply inside a company as Werth got inside biotech
Vertex. He offers deep insight into the difficulties of drug discovery, the trials and
tribulations of startups, and the conflict between great science and good business.
CADILLAC DESERT: THE AMERICAN WEST AND ITS DISAPPEARING
WATER
Marc Reisner (1990)
The West was not won by gunslingers and whores with hearts of gold. It was won
by people who gave it water. This is the best book ever on how politics, business,
ambition, and most of the seven deadly sins can work to literally shape the landscape of
America.
THE MAKING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB
Richard Rhodes (1986)
Reaching far beyond Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project, this hefty tome
meticulously pieces together one of the most important and terrifying scientific projects
in history.
Strategy
THE ART OF WAR
Sun Tzu (circa 500 B.C.)
What may be the greatest book on war ever written contains such aphorisms as
"All warfare is based on deception" and "When the army engages in protracted
campaigns, the resources of the state will not suffice." It's time-tested poetry for the
strategic mind.
BLACK HAWK DOWN: A STORY OF MODERN WAR
Mark Bowden (1999)
No one--not the Pentagon, not the spooks, and certainly not the soldiers rappelling
from helicopters into the middle of Mogadishu--had any idea of the hell they were getting
into. Bowden's history of the humiliating U.S. incursion into Somalia is an eloquent
treatise on how not to plan an operation.
INFORMATION RULES: A STRATEGIC GUIDE TO THE NETWORK
ECONOMY
Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian (1997)
If most writing from the dot-com era reads like 17th-century medicine (give the
patient mercury?), here's a book that that holds up. No, the laws of economics haven't
changed. Shapiro and Varian show how they apply to the world of information.
ONLY THE PARANOID SURVIVE
Andrew S. Grove (1996)
Think of this as a Special Forces handbook for corporate managers. Grove, a cofounder of Intel and its current chairman, shows you squarely how to thrive in the most
feared of business environments: one where competition, technology, or the very rules of
engagement have suddenly changed.
THE TIPPING POINT: HOW LITTLE THINGS CAN MAKE A BIG
DIFFERENCE
Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
What do bestselling novels, crime waves, and yawning have in common? They're all
examples of how ideas and group behaviors can "tip" from fad into epidemic. Gladwell's
book is filled with examples of eclectic freethinkers using the phenomenon to their
advantage.
Technology and Innovation
THE LAST LONE INVENTOR: A TALE OF GENIUS, DECEIT, AND THE
BIRTH OF TELEVISION
Evan I. Schwartz (2002)
This is a cautionary tale of the brilliant visionary (Philo T. Farnsworth) up against
Big, Determined Business. You can guess who wins.
NEW AND IMPROVED: THE STORY OF MASS MARKETING IN AMERICA
Richard Tedlow (1990)
Who invented the shopping cart? What become of Coke-Ola, Co Kola, and Koke?
When did consumers first appear on the American continent? An eminent business
historian answers questions you wish you'd thought to ask.
THEY MADE AMERICA: TWO CENTURIES OF INNOVATION FROM THE
STEAM ENGINE TO THE SEARCH ENGINE
Harold Evans (2004)
Evans takes us from the steam engine to the search engine, profiling 53 of the top
innovators in U.S. history. The trait they share isn't greed or the lust for fame, but the
drive to democratize--the often shocking desire to bring to the many products previously
enjoyed only by the few.
SAM WALTON: MADE IN AMERICA
Sam Walton with John Huey (1992)
Most great ideas really aren't that complicated, and Wal-Mart is a perfect
example. To wit: Put discount stores in towns that the other retailers thought were too
small to support them. Walton's words (written with the editorial director of Time Inc.,
FORTUNE's parent) still resonate with simple wisdom.
THE VICTORIAN INTERNET: THE REMARKABLE STORY OF THE
TELEGRAPH AND THE 19TH CENTURY'S ON-LINE PIONEERS
Tom Standage (1998)
A new technology will connect everyone! It's making investors rich! It's the
Internet boom--except Samuel Morse is there!
Wall Street
AGAINST THE GODS: THE REMARKABLE STORY OF RISK
Peter L. Bernstein (1996)
Life has always been chancy, but putting that truism into a mathematical model is
a relatively recent achievement. The effects of that insight have been stunning:
Probability theory has played a role in everything from bridge building to derivatives and
hedge funds.
MORGAN: AMERICAN FINANCIER
Jean Strouse (1999)
The man with the bulbous nose was not so much a robber baron himself as the
man who gave the robbers their financial tools. J.P. Morgan's biographer sees his flaws
but credits him with doing much to create the modern U.S. economy. It was on his watch
that Wall Street became a powerhouse.
REMINISCENCES OF A STOCK OPERATOR
Edwin Lefevre (1923
The fictionalized biography of Jesse Livermore, who might be considered the
original day trader, gives a hugely entertaining insider's view of the market in its wild,
unregulated days of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
WHEN GENIUS FAILED: THE RISE AND FALL OF LONG-TERM CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT
Roger Lowenstein (2000).
Lowenstein's book offers a rare look inside the secretive world of hedge funds. It
is also a story of greed and power gone awry, and that makes it a modern classic.
WHERE ARE THE CUSTOMERS' YACHTS?
Fred Schwed Jr. (1940)
In this mordantly funny critique, a former stock trader reveals that most stock
market pros are greedy fonts of self-serving nonsense and most customers are greedy
fools. (No, not much has changed since 1940.)
Work and Life
NICKEL AND DIMED: ON (NOT) GETTING BY IN AMERICA
Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
This journalist spent months toiling as a waitress, hotel maid, Wal-Mart clerk-and trying to live on what she earned. Her funny and wrenching account shows why it's
so hard for the nation's working poor to get ahead.
RECLAIMING THE FIRE: HOW SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE OVERCOME
BURNOUT
Steven Berglass (2001)
If you haven't hit that wall, you will someday. At that point, you can head for
Hawaii--or you can try to understand what burnout is. Written by a shrink who counsels
entrepreneurs and executives, this book is a fine place to start.
THE TIME BIND: WHEN WORK BECOMES HOME AND HOME BECOMES
WORK
Arlie Russell Hochschild (1997)
We're starved for time. We want balance. So a sociologist interviews everyone at
a FORTUNE 500 company--executive suite to factory floor--and guess what? We're not
using "flextime," paternity leave, or even all the vacation time offered. Are we the
problem?
WORKING: PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY DO ALL DAY AND HOW
THEY FEEL ABOUT WHAT THEY DO
Studs Terkel (1974)
It would take a callous reader to flip through these interviews of dozens of
working Americans, from dentists to gravediggers to housewives, and not come away
with the impression of how difficult many lives are--and how gracefully so many people
cope. Terkel, a questioner of brilliance and empathy, got it down on paper.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Patrick Lencioni
It does a good job of presenting the importance of neutrality and openness of a CEO
when making decisions and sheds light on the roles managers can inadvertently assume -not to the company's advantage.
--Amy Bermar, president and founder, Corporate Ink Public Relations Ltd.
Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future
Joel Arthur Barker
The book defines successful leaders as those who simplify the complex by creating a
compelling future vision of success that employees believe in and work passionately to
"turn visions into reality" by their thoughts, actions and daily decisions.
--Paul Silvis, founder, Restek Corp.
The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America
David Whyte
A must-read for the business owner who believes steadfastly that any work can and
should be a creative endeavor, and who believes in building an environment that nurtures
the individual and, as a result, an organization with purpose and resonance.
--Tess Coody, partner, Guerra DeBerry Coody
RECOMMENDED READING
ARCHIVE
Get a regular take on what experts are reading to stay on top of their field, whether it be Small Business,
Technology or Trends. Check back weekly at The Journal Report4 and see an archive of previous
columns5.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do
About It
Michael E. Gerber
This book had quite an influence on us in our early days. It taught us to focus on working
on the business rather than in it.
--Tim Jenkins, co-founder and co-chief executive, Point B Solutions Group
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don't
Jim Collins
It illuminates what it takes to build a great company, emphasizes the importance of a
workplace that wins the right people. It is one thing above all others – the ability to get
and keep enough of the right people.
--Bill Petty, chief executive, Exactech
The New Pay: Linking Employee and Organizational Performance
Jay R. Schuster and Patricia K. Zingheim
This is the book that I used to help design our cash profit-sharing program. --Jan
Blittersdorf, chief executive, NRG Systems Inc.
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and
in Your Life
Spencer Johnson
It is a great book about dealing with change and one's personal mindset, and it can be
very reflective of so many situations.
--Dave McKee, director of sales and marketing, Phelps County Bank
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
Their 12 questions that measure the strength of a workplace from a worker's perspective
are spot on from my experience. The book underlines the incredible importance of an
employee's immediate supervisor in employee retention, contentment, and productivity.
--Kirk Hoessle, president, Alaska Wildland Adventures Inc.
Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
Jim Collins
Not-for-profit organizations have to be every bit as smart, disciplined, and creative as any
great Fortune 500 business in order to fulfill their missions. This quick-reading
monograph, a companion to Collins's classic "Good to Great," takes those of us in the
social and nonprofit sector on a systematic expedition on how to achieve organizational
greatness while maintaining organizational "heart."
--Don Kemper, chief executive, Healthwise
Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise
Peter Block
The book provides excellent insight for maximizing input and cooperation by both
internal and external clients.
--Jere Cowden, president and chief executive, Cowden Associates Inc.
The Best of Jack Falvey on Management
Jack Falvey
The book is an emotionally honest look at American business and why some
organizations make great workplaces. This book explains by example and case study why
it's so important to hire the right people and provide them with a quality work
environment.
--Bill Brett, president and chief executive, Barclay Water Management
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
I first read this book as part of a business school course at MIT 20 years ago. I pick it up
every six months or so and always come away with something new.
--Michael Foley, chief executive, Reflexite Corp.
A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
Daniel H. Pink
It is really a book about the New Economy…and how individuals who embrace creative
thinking will thrive in the New Economy. Conversely, those individuals who think very
linearly, their jobs will be automated or offshored.
--Jim Tippmann, chief executive, FRCH Design Worldwide
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan and Charles Burck
It is a valuable resource for any business person wanting to build and protect the
credibility of their company.
--Larry O'Toole, founder and president, Gentle Giant Moving Co.
Strategic Planning: What Every Manager Must Know
George A. Steiner
While the primary emphasis is on a very important aspect of business management, the
strategic plan, the author proves that the employee is the heart and soul of the operation.
--Finn Neilsen, chief executive, Summit Aviation Inc.