I read a steady stream of business books to keep current, and get motivated.
There are plenty of great business books out there. Amazon currently lists 1,740,180 results if you search for "business books."
Unfortunately, most of those 1.7 million titles are not worth my (or your) time. But there are some wonderful gems out there.
Here are five books I've been reading:"PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow" by Chip Conley
One of my clients mandated that I read "Peak" before we began a project. I'm so glad he did. Chip Conley is the CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, California's largest boutique hotel chain, and a student and teacher of business management. PEAK uses psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs--the infamous pyramid that ranks human needs from base to self-actualizing. Conley applies Maslow's theories to drive "peak performance" of employee, customer and stakeholder satisfaction. Check out Conley's interview about the book.
"BE BODACIOUS: Put Life in you Leadership" by Steven D. Wood
Be Bodacious: Put Life in Your Leadership is a different type of business book, presented in a story format. The book follows a young man who discovers the secrets of effective leadershipthrough a mentor named "Cowboy." Though their conversations, Cowboy's secrets to "bodacious leadership"are revealed, teaching readers how to become a better role model athome, in the community and at the office. The "story" format gets a little heavy-handed at times, but some of the leadership lessons make it worth the read.
"SWITCH: How to change things when change is hard" by Chip and Dan Heath
There is one thing I repeat over and over again in my consulting practice is that "change is hard." and "nobody likes change." When I saw these two phrases used by author/brothers Chip and Dan Heath in their book description, I knew "Switch" was right for me.
"Change is not inherently frightening, but our ability to alter our habits can be complicated by the disjunction between our rational and irrational minds: the self that wants to be swimsuit-season ready and the self that acquiesces to another slice of cake anyway. The trick is to find the balance between our powerful drives and our reason."
"REWORK" by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
This is the perfect book to motivate you to think differently. Written by the founders of 37 Signals, their lessons are a bit exclusive to the specific business that they started (rather than a broader world view), but if you want to get motivated around the idea that the regular way isn't necessarily the right way, and want it delivered in one of the quickest-reads of any business book I've ever read, "Rework" is for you. As Seth Godin says: "This book is short, fast, sharp and ready to make a difference."
"BUILT TO LAST: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" by Jim Collins
Since its publication in 2004, "Built to Last" has become mandatory reading in much of Corporate America. I once worked for a Fortune 500 company who forced their management team to only use Collin's business theories when planning their 5-year growth plan.
So, I've added this book to today's reading list. If you haven't read B2Last, read it now. If you've already read it, I encourage you to read it again before your next planning meeting.
