In our first book recommendation roundup, you'll find the titles Business Journals Leadership Trust members turn to for guidance in the areas of strategy, finance, sales, and marketing — the factors that have the most direct impact on your bottom line.
The name of the recommending member follows each recommendation; titles recommended by multiple members are shown in bold text. Check out all three posts in this series: 29 Business Books to Boost Your Bottom Line; 28 Business Books on Leadership and Company Culture; and 27 Business Books on Mindset and Innovation.
Strategy
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business (or anything) by Patrick Lencioni
— Steve Smallman, Baltimore Business Journal Leadership Trust
Beating the Business Cycle: How to Predict and Profit From Turning Points in the Economy by Lakshman Achuthan and Anirvan Banerji: “It is very possible to make more money in a recession than boom times if you are prepared.”
— Jim Jacobi, Atlanta Business Chronicle Leadership Trust
Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek
— Steve Smallman, Baltimore Business Journal Leadership Trust
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins: “There's never been a better time for Jim Collins' books. I re-read Good to Great every couple of years.”
—Chris Hogan, Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust. Also recommended by Srikanth Balusani, Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz: “Changed my business and my life”
— Erin Scannell, Puget Sound Business Journal Leadership Trust. Also recommended by Andrea Turnipseed, Austin Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries: “A terrific book about companies who stayed agile and pivoted.” Highly recommend!
— Nick Vass, Baltimore Business Journal Leadership Trust
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
— Andrew Moore, Louisville Business First Leadership Trust and Erin Scannell, Puget Sound Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Mind Of The Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business by Kenichi Ohmae. “I have read this book [a] few time[s] over 20+ years. Kenichi provides an approach to strategic business thinking especially to look through challenges as an opportunity.”
— Raj Ganesan, Silicon Valley Business Journal Leadership Trust
No Man's Land: Where Growing Companies Fail by Doug Tatum
— Steve Smallman, Baltimore Business Journal Leadership Trust
Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty by C. Todd Lombardo, Bruce McCarthy, and Evan Ryan
— Omri Baumer, Boston Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Pursuit of Wow! Every Person's Guide to Topsy-Turvy Times by Tom Peters
— Paul Herring, Charlotte Business Journal Leadership Trust
Reinventing Organizations: An Illustrated Invitation to Join the Conversation on Next-Stage Organizations by Frederic Laloux and Etienne Appert
— Katty Douraghy, Los Angeles Business Journal Leadership Trust
Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson: “Challenges all assumptions in the current workplace.”
— Stephen Maher, Nashville Business Journal Leadership Trust
Start with Why by Simon Sinek: “A great read!”
—Anita Kiehl-Quarles. Also recommended by Steve Smallman, Baltimore Business Journal Leadership Trust; Andrea Turnipseed, Austin Business Journal Leadership Trust; and Ron Pierce, Tampa Bay Business Journal Leadership Trust
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman: “Great simple system for running your business.”
—Jessica Browdy. Also recommended by David Bezar and Elizabeth Dvorak
You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most by Leonard J. Marcus, Eric J. McNulty, Joseph M. Henderson, and Barry C. Dorn: “Specific examples, good and bad, and best practices of leading in crisis, from the FEMA disaster of Hurricane Katrina to the Boston Marathon bombings and many others. Coincidentally, there's a section on the swine flu pandemic and [it] provides a stark contrast to today's crisis.”
— Bill Tobin, Pacific Business Journals Leadership Trust
Finance
Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less by Cameron Herold: “It reshaped my thinking about how to focus on the most important levers that really drive growth and profitability. One example is how to create an environment that attracts and retains superstar employees, and how to identify these stars in the recruiting process. There are also loads of other great ideas on operations, marketing, and financial management.”
—Scott Shrum, Los Angeles Business Journal Leadership Trust
Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz: “A great read, and I am definitely pulling some good nuggets out of it. As entrepreneurs, we typically are so focused on growing revenues, but I have finally learned that big revenues are great, but big profits are even better!
— Sharon Bondurant, Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason: “When I was a young man, one of my early mentors told me to read the book. To this day, I still quote it, much to the chagrin of my adult children and young colleagues. … I think it is still relevant to young business entrepreneurs.”
—Thomas Couch, Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
— Moe Jafari, Washington Business Journal Leadership Trust
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson: “A classic! Worth re-reading if you haven't in a while.”
— Hubert Zajicek, Dallas Business Journal Leadership Trust
Sales and Marketing
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée A. Mauborgne
— Steve Carstensen, Puget Sound Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John Mann: “One of those parable books that uses a story about a failing, then succeeding, sales person to highlight the message. Worth listening to.”
— Rick Hill, Washington Business Journal Leadership Trust
Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly by Bernadette Jiwa
— Maggey Oplinger, Milwaukee Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue by Robbie Kellman Baxter: “It's a concept that brings one to think it may take more than just a website to do business.”
— Corine Prieto, Houston Business Journal Leadership Trust
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz: “There is an art to negotiation and this book highlights how to be prepared to negotiate and never haggle again.”
— Dieter Gable, Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust
The Other Guy Blinked: How Pepsi Won the Cola Wars by Jesse Kornbluth and Roger Enrico: “For marketing gurus ... a really fun read that is full of innovative approaches.”
—Chris Hogan, Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust
Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others and It Starts With Clients: Your 100-Day Plan to Build Lifelong Relationships and Revenue by Andrew Sobel: “Great for growing customer relationships.”
— Nichole Jordan, Dallas Business Journal Leadership Trust
The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen Covey. “A very direct impact on making your customers happier and making your team more effective.”
— Paul Herring, Charlotte Business Journal Leadership Trust
Business Journals Leadership Trust is an invitation-only network of influential business leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs in your community. Find out more.
