10 Books That Changed The Way I Think About Business
What experiences have influenced you the most as a business owner? For myself, besides learning from the mistakes I’ve made (too many to count), reading books has had a tremendous influence in becoming the person I am today, both personally and as a business person.
I’m a firm believer that in order to grow as a person and as a successful business owner, you need to always be learning. Learning new ideas, new skills and most importantly, new ways of thinking. I’ve read dozens and dozens of books on business, biographies, and personal development and I feel the 10 books listed below are the ones that shaped me the most in becoming a knowledgeable and confidant business owner. They shaped me not only because of the great messages written in these books, but more importantly, they changed the way I think, about the way I view business and people.
What books and people have shaped the way you think and act as a business owner?
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
by Michael E. Gerber
For anyone thinking about starting their own business or has just started one, this is the first book I recommend they read. It contains some cold truths and insights about owning your own business that could spell the difference between success and failure for your business. I think Michael Gerber hits the nail right on the head as to why people start a business and why they fail….and what you can do about it.
What I learned:
Being a business owner and entrepreneur is much more than just doing the work you love, it’s about understanding what it takes to manage the dozen different hats you’ll need to wear as a business owner and not to get caught up in just doing the work itself and forgetting that you’re now running a business.
My favorite quote:
If your business depends on you, you don't own a business, you have a job, and it is the worst job in the world because you are working for a lunatic.
The Magic of Thinking Big
by David Schwartz
This book is like having your own motivational coach. It talks about having the right mindset, having confidence in yourself and your ideas and be bold enough to think big. I’ve read this book several times and it’s one of my go to reads when self doubt starts creeping in. This is one of those books that you read with a highlighter in your hand because it’s full of great nuggets of information.
What I learned:
Almost everyone is better than they think they are and can do more than they think they can. Having self confidence and removing excuses from your vocabulary is the key to a successful business and life.
My favorite quote:
The thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you have
How to Win friends and Influence people
by Dale Carnegie
I think this book should be required reading in school. It teaches invaluable lessons on communicating with other people, be it your spouse, co-workers or customers. It basically teaches you how to communicate in a friendly way, give others the benefit of the doubt and to start thinking about others, not yourself. This book was first published in 1936 and the lessons learned are just as relevant (probably more) today than they were when the book was first published.
What I learned:
To always listen first, to think the better of people, and to communicate with the other person in mind, not just yourself.
My favorite quote:
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently
By by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
A must read book if you manage others. It’s not a book on leadership, but a book on management, there is a difference as the book explains. The key point in the book is hiring for talents, not skills, education or anything else. Know what talents you need for each position and then hire people that have those talents. Great advice on building employee engagement, promoting people and the things that turn managers into great managers.
What I learned:
The key to being a great manager is finding the hidden talents and strengths in your employees and putting them in a position or situation where they can show those talents off. Find the intrinsic motivations that drive your team and stop trying to fix everything with rewards and rules.
My favorite quote:
The great manager mantra is don’t try to put in what was left out; instead draw out what was left in. You must hire for talent, and hone that talent into outstanding performance.
Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney
by Lee Cockerell
A great book on what it means to be a leader. Lee Cockerell ran Walt Disney World Resort for over a decade and in the book he writes about the journey he took from soldier to CEO of Walt Disney World Resorts and that the secret to the Disney magic is the people who work there, from the cleaning services to the CEO. I really like this book because the lessons are not so much about how a great leader did such a great job, but how the people in an organization can do great things when they have a leader who cares and believes in them.
What I Learned:
Everyone is important and vital to the health of an organization and every position and person should be treated with dignity and respect. Everyone can be a professional, not matter what their job is.
My favorite quote:
It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
A must read book if you tend to avoid uncomfortable, but important situations. For both personal and business, this book will show you how to approach difficult conversations and how to work through them without a breakdown in communications. If you’re a business owner and you’re uncomfortable with giving feedback to others, or you’re avoiding letting someone go because you dread the conversation, this book is for you. What I like about the book is that it’s not just theory, it’s kind of a “How to” and outlines steps to take and things to be aware of when entering a potentially difficult conversation.
What I learned:
If you’re avoiding a situation or conversation with someone, it’s probably important and not an option to avoid it. There are often many choices that can be made in a given situation and don’t “fool yourself” into thinking you had no other choice except the one you made.
My favorite quote:
Watch out for Villain, Victim and Helpless stories. They are limiting, not empowering. Choose stories that empower you to take action and produce more effective results.
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
by John C. Maxwell
John Maxwell is probably one of the most respected and liked leaders in the world. I really like his simple writing style and how he includes real life stories in conveying his message. What I really like about this book is the premise that you don’t need to be at the top of the hierarchy in order to be a leader. Everyone has the ability to be a leader and influencer, even if you’re a middle manager or just starting out in an organization. I give this book to all of my managers to read and it shows you how to not only lead those under you, but also your peers and those higher up in the organization.
What I learned:
Leadership develops from the little things you do everyday, it’s not something you start when feel you’ve been promoted to the proper position. Everyone in an organization can be a leader.
My favorite quote:
Influencing others is a matter of disposition, not position. – You can influence from anywhere in the organization
Anything You Want
by Derek Sivers
What a great book. I would call this the Winnie the Pooh philosophy of business. It’s contrary to most things you read about from other business books. The main premise of the book is to keep it simple and to care about your customers more than your business. Derek Sivers is the founder of CD Baby and shows you how to went from happy go lucky musician to running a multi-million dollar company, and not caring if it succeeded or failed, as long as it served it’s customers. If you’ve never seen his Ted talks, you should check them out.
What I learned:
Life’s too short to be unhappy in what you’re doing and serving the needs of your customers should be the sole focus of business, if it’s not, it probably shouldn’t exist.
My favorite quote:
If you think revolution needs to feel like war, you’ll overlook the importance of simply serving people better
The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies
by Chet Holmes
A great book about marketing and sales and what it takes to be good at both. The secrets to success in sales is straightforward, you need to have “Pigheaded determination and discipline”. Chet writes how so many of us in sales and marketing run away at the first sign of resistance or the first “no” and miss the opportunities that are waiting for us. It’s a very straightforward book and a little egotistical, but if your business includes sales, it’s a must read. I really like this book because there’s really no fluff, theory or anything else….if you want to be good at sales you need to be able to accept rejection and keep moving forward.
What I learned:
To stop taking “no” or any kind of resistance as a personal rejection of myself. Pushback is a natural part of doing business and it can either be looked at as a brick wall or a platform to see more opportunity. You’re not going to succeed sitting around, you need to go out and make things happen.
My favorite quote:
Implementation, not ideas, is the key to real success
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
This book is a simple fable about a boy’s journey to find his “own personal legend”. It’s a short and simple book that is packed with life lessons that can applied to anyone’s life. What I liked about the book is that it talks about pursuing your dreams, and how so many of us give up on our dreams out of fear, self-doubt and insecurity. Every teenager should read this book, and every adult who has given up on their dreams.
What I learned:
The path to pursuing your dreams is one with many successes, failures and roadblocks. Regret is much worse than trying and failing.
My favorite quotes:
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure
The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times
Gary
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