Small Business How-to Seminars, Careers, Jobs, Small Business Seminars
Favorite Business Books Series - Part F
by Helena Escalante, Business Outreach, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center at SNFLOctober 17, 2017
PART F: HONORABLE MENTIONS - OTHER FAVORITE BUSINESS BOOKS (continued)
Good and happy morning! How did you like Part E of the series? Today we’ll be looking at our Honorable Mentions with titles from E to I. This is another great group of books that will surely inspire! Let’s get right to them:
“I love this book for its practical approach to moving through day to day tasks. The premise is to focus on getting the hardest task done first so it doesn’t drain our energy for the rest of the day—thus the title Eat that Frog (the frog is the ugly hard task). I also love the use of time blocking in the book. We’ve implemented both Eat that Frog tasks and time blocking (we call it our ‘power hour’) into our company to help us move through the mountain of tasks we struggle to get done. When we follow both principles we meet project deadlines—it’s that simple.”
“The most inspiring book to me is a toss up between either Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage or The Rickover Effect by Theodore Rockwell — both books are about incredible accomplishments and the leader that inspired teams to push beyond their own perceived capabilities.”
“I've read a lot of business books in my time, but it was the first one that had the most profound impact on me. I remember being at university and seeing a red, hardback book on a high shelf in a second hand bookshop: Going for It! by Victor Kiam. It was the first book I read that basically described the job of 'entrepreneur,’ and it set my brain racing with ideas of starting my own company. It's written in a personal and honest style, and role-modeled the important tenets of hard work, leadership and dedication.”
“This is my favorite business book. It's such an amazing book for any leader; it breaks down many key concepts and it has made me a better manager from planning projects, delegating authority, to having great one-on-ones with my team. It's also very well written in a succinct, direct fashion, with none of the fluff of many business books (it's only 180 pages), which has made it easy to recommend to many of my friends and colleagues, and lead to me re-reading it a few times.
Grove's book has also been a huge inspiration as my company helps managers learn, build, and maintain the kind of timeless management habits that Grove writes about. It's amazing how much he had figured out back in the 1980s that, only now, we have data to prove are the right approaches.”
“The ‘Why’ of a brand matters. Especially from the customer’s point of view! My big lesson from having worked in large corporations to my own entrepreneurial ventures: product design and its brand inference is every bit as important for the small as well as the big companies. That’s the reason why this book appeals to me: Eyal has outlined the different aspects of buyer psychology, especially how habits and cues influence our buying decision. I am rereading it currently because it is technical but well worth it.
His examples, notably, the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) for the Instagram audience on one end and the Bible App on the other end of the spectrum, reinforce the premise for me. Today, the consumer wants info in quick, bite-sized pieces, and that’s a part of their habit makeup. There are valuable takeaways on how you can break down the action and how to design the user's experience around it. I would recommend it for anyone who has a brand focus for their business, rather than just growth.”
“This is the book that changed the way we did business. Unfortunately, sales is not a skill that most people have, but luckily, it can be learned. Through his book, Frank Bettger not only taught us the secrets of selling, but also the value of enthusiasm, how to conquer fear, and how to improve confidence when dealing with customers. We take the values we learned in this book and teach them to our employees to maximize the performance and productivity our team. This book, although 25 years old, has truly changed the way we interact with our customers, and has paid off with better customer relationships, across the board.”
How to Launch a Brand: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Crafting a Brand: From Positioning to Naming and Brand Identity, by Fabian Geyrhalter
“The step-by-step format is perfect for founders who are juggling responsibilities and need a straightforward guide to the branding process and how to make it an essential part of the company’s DNA. As a serial entrepreneur and someone who helps others launch their startups, I have referenced and recommended this book many times since it was published.”
Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership, by John Dickson
“This one may not be squarely in the 'business' genre, but definitely applies to leadership across sectors. I really enjoyed it for two reasons: First, the voice of the author is very authentic and conversational, which I find far easier than stereotypical business books that try way-too-hard to be smart. Second, I loved the way Dickson used history to underscore (and at times, question) his thoughts. Ironically, he offered many of his own opinions (admittedly) while still offering a lot of objective stats and anecdotes. It proves there are many different types of leaders and leadership styles, and how the present views something today may look very different from how the future views something in the past.”
“This is a book that changed my approach to managing my own personal finances so that I could focus more of my time, energy and attention on my career. His step-by-step systems for setting up automation—like saving for retirement—takes David Bach's ideas from the page to reality. I've read parts of the book several times and it's the first book that comes to mind as a favorite, because it took something that was once a worry and a headache and put it on autopilot.”
- Jim Wang, Entrepreneur and Blogger, Wallet Hacks
As you can see, the topics today varied among productivity, leadership, resilience, management, branding, sales, and the psychology of persuasion. All of them cover important aspects of business, whether you are an entrepreneur or a professional employed at a company, and I’m sure that you can relate to some of the comments from the great folks that have read these books.
So which one of these titles is your pick for the next one on your reading list? Let me know in the comments below. (At this point I’m wishing I had nothing to do for a month to dedicate myself to read, read, read and do nothing else!)
Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow for Part G with more great business books.
* * *
P.S. - As a quick reference for you to know what to expect and find in this series of posts, here’s a guide (the links will be live on the day the post is uploaded):
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Submitted by Helena Escalante on October 25, 2017 - 11:33am
Hey Nick! So glad you are enjoying the series -- thank you so much for your kind comment. After writing this, my reading list grew too!
Have a wonderful day. :) Helena
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“I've read a lot of business books in my time, but it was the first one that had the most profound impact on me. I remember being at university and seeing a red, hardback book on a high shelf in a second hand bookshop: Going for It! by Victor Kiam. It was the first book I read that basically described the job of 'entrepreneur,’ and it set my brain racing with ideas of starting my own company. It's written in a personal and honest style, and role-modeled the important tenets of hard work, leadership and dedication.”
“This is my favorite business book. It's such an amazing book for any leader; it breaks down many key concepts and it has made me a better manager from planning projects, delegating authority, to having great one-on-ones with my team. It's also very well written in a succinct, direct fashion, with none of the fluff of many business books (it's only 180 pages), which has made it easy to recommend to many of my friends and colleagues, and lead to me re-reading it a few times.
“This is the book that changed the way we did business. Unfortunately, sales is not a skill that most people have, but luckily, it can be learned. Through his book, Frank Bettger not only taught us the secrets of selling, but also the value of enthusiasm, how to conquer fear, and how to improve confidence when dealing with customers. We take the values we learned in this book and teach them to our employees to maximize the performance and productivity our team. This book, although 25 years old, has truly changed the way we interact with our customers, and has paid off with better customer relationships, across the board.”
“The step-by-step format is perfect for founders who are juggling responsibilities and need a straightforward guide to the branding process and how to make it an essential part of the company’s DNA. As a serial entrepreneur and someone who helps others launch their startups, I have referenced and recommended this book many times since it was published.”
“This one may not be squarely in the 'business' genre, but definitely applies to leadership across sectors. I really enjoyed it for two reasons: First, the voice of the author is very authentic and conversational, which I find far easier than stereotypical business books that try way-too-hard to be smart. Second, I loved the way Dickson used history to underscore (and at times, question) his thoughts. Ironically, he offered many of his own opinions (admittedly) while still offering a lot of objective stats and anecdotes. It proves there are many different types of leaders and leadership styles, and how the present views something today may look very different from how the future views something in the past.”
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
Comments
I really like this series. It
Submitted by Nick (not verified) on October 17, 2017 - 11:11am
Thank you!
Submitted by Helena Escalante on October 25, 2017 - 11:33am