For my birthday I got myself some big girl bookshelves to enable my book addiction.
I now have an entire section for non-fiction! While arranging all of my books in their new home, I got to thinking about my favorite books about business and leadership.
Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I love to read. My first "big girl" job was in a bookstore, where I stayed for 8 years before admitting that the soul-sucking corporate retail life was no longer worth the pleasure of being around books all day.
I brought my love of books with me to the next venture, and the next. I consumed books on management and leadership at an alarming rate, sometimes blurring the themes and quotes until I couldn't remember which author wanted me to define my hedgehog, be the buffalo, or find my cheese. I'm positive that I annoyed and confused anyone who happened to wander into my office while I was "inspired" by whatever author I was high on that day. But a few stuck with me over the years and have helped to shape me into the leader and entrepreneur that I am today.
There is an unreasonable amount of content out there on business & management, and different people will connect with different ones. These are some that have connected with me. You might like them too.
The E-Myth Revisted, Michael E Gerber - This was one of the first books that I read about actually running a business. Gerber uses the model of a franchise and applies it to creating repeatable systems within a business. This allow the owner to essentially replicate themselves, freeing up their time so that they can create an endlessly scalable business, and get their life back.
Start With Why, Simon Sinek - If you're not familiar with Simon Sinek's work, I highly recommend his quick TED talk called, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. This book goes into more detail about the concept of an organization's "Why", and why that's important, giving detailed examples from his research.
Dare to Lead, Brené Brown - Brené Brown is the absolute queen of courage, vulnerability, and shame-resilience. Dare to Lead takes her groundbreaking research and applies it to the world of leadership and work. This book is for anyone who is a fan of Brown, or anyone who has a job. Or doesn't. Whatever. She's great.
The Advantage, Pat Lencioni - I've been teaching Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team for probably 15 years within my teams, so I'm already a big fan of his. While most of Lencioni's books are short, parable-style, deep dives into a single topic, the Advantage takes several of his best ideas, removes the storytelling to just leave the actionable good stuff, and combines them in this cohesive guide to organizational health. It's so freaking practical, and has become my go-to manual for anything work related. I continue to revisit my marked-up copy over and over.
Profit First, Mike Michalowicz - I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book saved our business, and quite possibly, our marriage. An innovative approach to small business accounting and finance, Michalowicz uses our already built in habits and impulses to create an elegantly simple method of turning a profit in a business from day one. Think of it as using the envelope system of budgeting, but for your entire business. It works, and it's insanely simple to use. If Kyle's ADHD brain can work this system, then trust me, you can too.
I'm always looking for something new to read, and I love getting suggestions! If you have a favorite non-fiction book I should check out, shoot me an email or a message on facebook or instagram!
