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1/13/2015 The most important business books ever written - Austin Business Journal
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The most important business booksever written
Ed Stych, National Special Sections Editor
Jan 12, 2015, 11:27am CST
Image provided by Getty Images (PinkBadger)
What business book has had the greatest impact on your
career?
As a business owner for 17 years, the most valuable book for me
has been " The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses
Don't Work and What to Do About It," by Michael Gerber.
It taught me that I needed to set up systems so the company
could run without me, and so it could run consistently every
day whether I was there or not. That was a great lesson that
allowed me to coach my kids' sports teams, volunteer at church
during the week, and take my family on our fair share of
vacations — all without having to worry (too much) about what
was happening in the business.
See Also
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1/13/2015 The most important business books ever written - Austin Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/how-to/growth-strategies/2015/01/the-most-important-business-books-ever-part-one.html?page=all 2/4
month I asked our contributing writers to answer this question:
"What's the most important business book you've ever read?"
Below are half of the answers that I received (the other half will
be published tomorrow, all in alphabetical order based on the
title of the books).
Beyond Entrepreneurship: Turning Your Business into an
Enduring Great Company, by Jim Collins
It's like "Built to Last" (another Collins book), but this one is for
early-stage businesses. The most powerful part of the book is
Chapter 2 on setting the vision for your company. ( Clate Mask,
CEO and Co-Founder of Infusionsoft)
Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes, by
Tom Rath
Learn exactly how what you eat, how much you exercise, and
how long you sleep impacts your work performance and life.
Rath demystifies these elements in an easy-to-read format,
backed with years of scientific research and his own
experiences, as he handles personal health problems. Let
Rath's words inspire you to eat healthier (eliminate bread),
sleep more (at least 8 hours) and keep active throughout the
day. This book has changed my habits and has enabled me to
be more productive and lead a more energetic life. ( Dan
Schawbel , author of Promote Yourself)
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers
Do Differently, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
This book may not have introduced the concept of strengths-
based management, but it certainly provided the most research
to back up the concept. I find that managing to people's
strengths rather than trying to fix perceived weaknesses
provides a fresh and important look at business. This single
concept can save companies money and hassle by improving
performance, increasing employee engagement, and lowering
turn-over. It also keeps managers from wasting time on
behaviors that lead nowhere. ( Stevie Ray, executive director of
training company Stevie Ray Improv Co.)
Geeks and Geezers, by Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas
Geeks and Geezers is a book about leadership. An exhaustive
study was performed on what makes a good leader a good
leader, addressing "How does Era, Values and Defining
Moments Shape Leaders." The gold nugget in this book is about
"crucibles." Every great leader in some point of their life and
career goes through a crucible moment that changes them —
hopefully for the good. Have you heard the phrase "you learn
more from you mistakes than your successes"? This book proves
that and has some great insights. What was your crucible
moment that lead you to be the leader you are today? ( Patrick
Stroh, principal at Mercury Business Advisors)
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1/13/2015 The most important business books ever written - Austin Business Journal
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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini
This book is all about how to get people to say "yes." Cialdini
outlines six "weapons of influence," including: Reciprocation,
Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Authority, Liking
and Scarcity. Whether you're working in marketing, sales,
consulting or just need to improve your persuasiveness overall
(or know when someone else is trying to influence you!), you
will benefit from reading this book. ( Sarah Faulkner, principal
at Faulkner Strategic Consulting)
Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, by
Henry Cloud
Cloud vividly brings home the point that business leaders must
pay attention, not only to getting tasks done and reaching
goals, but to taking care of relationships along the way
(customers, employees, vendors, friendships), because over the
long-term it is relationships that will grow or undermine the
success of your business. ( Paul White, psychologist, speaker
and trainer)
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop
Talking, by Susan Cain
I feel validated! After a lifetime of thinking that something was
wrong with me when I wanted to work alone and did not want
to be part of a team, Susan Cain has written a beautiful book
promoting the value introverts bring to the workplace. The
basic premise of "Quiet" is that we dramatically undervalue
introverts and the contribution they make in the workplace. I
believe that " Quiet" is one of the most important books to hit
the business press in a long time. Many leadership tomes I read
applaud the extrovert ideal showing leadership as an act of
utmost decisiveness and assertiveness. " Quiet" shows us that
the thoughtful, reflective leaders can be just as effective and
need to be embraced, not marginalized as being without merit.
( Alice Waagen, president of Workforce Learning)
Rembrandts in the Attic: Unlocking the Hidden Value of
Patents, by Kevin Rivette and David Klein
This book launched the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM)
movement in the late 1990s, as it's the first book dealing with
the value of patents not only as legal assets, but as strategic
corporate business assets. Written by an experienced IP lawyer
and a war correspondent, this seminal book was written for
senior management who are looking to create valuable
intellectual property portfolios for their companies and extract
value from innovation in meaningful ways. The book
highlights not only success stories, but also serious strategic IP
mistakes made by the likes of Kodak and Xerox PARC. ( Efrat
Kasznik, president of Foresight Valuation Group)
Selling The Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, by
Harry Beckwith
1/13/2015 The most important business books ever written - Austin Business Journal
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The chapters are short, the recommendations punchy and
thought-provoking. Harry's book will be especially interesting
to those who sell services. The big point is "The core of service
marketing is the service itself." ( Joe Scott, vice president of
Scott & Associates)
Ed Stych assembles a daily stream of best-in-class
information for entrepreneurs and top managers that
appears in The Business Journals' national How-To blog.
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