Recommended Books: Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business and Others Updated: June 2024
It’s been two years since my last book list.? I’ve added a number of books to this version of it – including a number of good marketing books that have come out in the last few years.? I’ve also included some newsletters and podcasts I learn from and that I can recommend.
I believe that learning through reading is as important as formal training and on-the-job experiences for self-development. There are a?lot?of great?business, history and biographies out there that can help people grow.
As former Sec of Defense and 4-Star Marine General James Mattis says
“If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone arent broad enough to sustain you.”
―?Jim Mattis,?Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead
Unsurprisingly I recommend a couple of books on Mattis below – one by him and one written about him.
And the amazing Charlie Munger (who shows up more than a couple of times on the list below) said:
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the time--none, zero. You'd be amazed at how much Warren reads--and at how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I'm a book with a couple of legs sticking out.?
I am a biography nut myself. And I think when you're trying to teach the great concepts that work, it helps to tie them into the lives and personalities of the people who developed them. I think you learn economics better if you make Adam Smith your friend. That sounds funny, making friends among the eminent dead, but if you go through life making friends with the eminent dead who had the right ideas, I think it will work better in life and work better in education. It's way better than just being given the basic concepts.”
– Charlie Munger’s Almanack
I started a habit back in the early 90's of keeping a list of every book I read. These are pulled from that list.
Disclaimer:?All the comments below are my personal opinions so please feel free to disagree. You may think that a book I loved is terrible.? The books below are not strictly prioritized in any way.? It would be hard to do that – some books are highlighted and most of the list is in the order I read them over the years. Find anything that looks interesting and just dive in – the experience will only help you.? I tried to pick only the books that I would really recommend to someone. The bad and the mediocre were omitted - and there were more than a few of those to trudge through.? I did cull a few books from earlier versions for this round.
There are sections below in the following order:
I also appreciate other folks' recommendations on great books, so please share in in the comments.
All the books on here can be found on Amazon - most are available in Kindle versions.? I like Kindle because I’m a fan of the Readwise app which mails you your Kindle highlights daily.
Enjoy! Scott
Leadership and Management? Three books I would hand to every manager
1.??? Wooden on Leadership (John Wooden) — The best book on leadership I've read. Leaders teach; their purpose is to make their team the best they can be. ?I just read this one for the third time a few months ago - it's a fantastic book.?
2.??? High Output Management (Andy Grove) — A must read along with Wooden's book. This is the best book of practical advice for managers on meetings, delegation, performance reviews and other critical elements of management.?
3.??? Who (Randy Street) —?GREAT Book on interviewing.? Planning to make this part of my system.? Highly recommended.
4.??? Radical Candor (Kim Scott) —?A very good book on developing a positive culture and how to connect with your team while helping them to better performance.? There is a lot of practical advice in here – how to do 1:1’s and Staff Meetings well for example.
5.??? Thanks for The Feedback (Douglas Stone) —?I'd recommend this book to everyone.? It's a GREAT guide to giving and receiving feedback.? One I'll read again multiple times.? Feedback can be evaluation, coaching or appreciation.? Be specific about which is it and which is desired by the receiver.
6.??? Turn the Ship Around (David Marquet)?—?The best book I've read on creating a sustainable, empowered culture. It's a story about the improvement of the worst sub in the US Nuclear Submarine Command and its path to becoming the best. It's full of useful tools and techniques, and no knowledge of subs or the Navy is required. This book is my #1 book for a Senior Leader or Manager of Managers. The first book I would hand to someone who wants to be a manager
7.??? Becoming a Manager (Linda Hill)?—?The best book I've run into for people that want to be Managers and aren't yet.? It helps people know what to expect.
Leadership and Management (Other)
1.??? The Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz) – A great, must-read book.? Part CEO autobiography with no punches pulled and part leadership tome.? The appendix section on how to hire a Chief Revenue Officer is worth the price alone.?
2.??? Pleased, But Not Satisfied (David Sokol) – A nice concise book on how to run a company well by one of Warren Buffett’s former lieutenants.? This one was self-published and is only available in hard copy.? It can be pricey but I thought it was worthwhile.
3.??? Creativity, Inc (Ed Catmull) – Read this if you want to learn how to create a highly creative and dare I use the word – innovative – culture.? Catmull is one of the founders of Pixar and this is a wonderful book about how he, John Lassiter and Steve Jobs made a struggling tech company in the wrong business into what Pixar is today.? Read this and the Lawrence Levy book in either order.? They’re a great pair.
4.??? Measure What Matters (John Doerr) – Excellent overview of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and how different organizations put them in practice.
5.??? Rumsfeld’s Rules (Donald Rumsfeld) – No matter what you think of Rumsfeld – this is a very good book and should be read by every leader.? Rumsfeld collected everything he learned – his sayings, things he learned from others, quotes he read – into one book.? There are so many good ideas in here that I highlighted entire pages.
6.??? The Five Dysfunctions of a Team?(Patrick Lencioni) – Lencioni uses fictional stories to educate.? This one is the story of getting a senior management team aligned.
7.??? Authentic Leadership (Bill George,?former CEO of Genentech)?—?Inspiring book on how to lead while being yourself and being kind to others.
8.??? Orbiting the Giant Hairball (Gordon MacKenzie) – I’m going to say right away – this is a strange book.? But I think it’s worth the read.? MacKenzie was a legendary manager at the Hallmark Greeting Card company and he had an unusual management style that worked well for creatives and other businesspeople.? It’s only available in hardcover and it’s a short book.? It provides a different perspective from most management books.
9.??? First Break All the Rules (Buckingham, Coffman)
10.??? Now, Discover Your Strengths (Buckingham, Clifton)
11.??? The First 90 Days (Michael Watkins)?—?A very good book for anyone starting a new job. It provides a good framework for figuring out what type of situation you're in and what to focus on for each situation.
12.??? ?People Skills (Robert Bolton) – A good book on improving your listening and people interaction skills.? I was a poor listener early in my career, I’ve had to work on improvement and this book was very helpful.
13.??? Extreme Ownership (Jocko Willink) – Willink, an ex-Navy Seal, has written one of the best books on leadership and how to manage up and down in highly chaotic situations.? All of Willink’s writings are worth reading.
14.??? The Advantage (Patrick Lencioni) – Another good book from Lencioni.? The sections on interviewing are particularly good and I picked up several new tips.
15.??? The Advice Trap (Michael Stainer) – A short and good read on how to and not to give advice to others.? This book and the “Thank You for the Feedback” book below are both good books.
Good Books That Have Leadership Insights
Fictional stories and History can be a great way to gain leadership insights.? I find them “sticky” because they’re memorable.
1.??? Any Dorothy Dunnett book?— “The Lymond Chronicles” or “The House of Niccolò” series have many insights on strategy, character and being tested.?King Hereafter?is based on the author’s research of the actual life of Macbeth from Shakespeare’s play. These are all historical fiction.
2.??? Moneyball (Michael Lewis) – A fun read, as all of Lewis’ books are, a tribute to the power of thinking differently than the conventional orthodoxy.? It also underscores the power of analytics and data.? Beane is the GM of the Oakland A’s and with his team pioneered the use of statistical data to assemble and measure baseball teams.? It transformed baseball.
3.??? The Army at Dawn (Rick Atkins)?—?Book 1 of the Liberation Trilogy that shows how the American Army matured as an organization, in parallel with Eisenhower as a leader. It also has good insights on how to collaborate with others through the lens of the Anglo-American alliance.
4.??? The Day of Battle (Rick Atkins) — Book 2, The Liberation Trilogy.
5.??? The Guns at Last Light?(Rick Atkins) — Book 3, The Liberation Trilogy.
6.??? The March of Folly (Barbara Tuchman) – Tuchman uses historical examples of how governments (large organizations) pursued policies that were counter to their self-interest.? Using examples from the Trojan and Vietnam wars.? She’s an amazing historian and writer.
7.??? Thinking in Time (Neustadt and May) — How the study of history leads to frameworks that solve today's problems.
8.??? The Fifties (David Halberstam) — I’ve had a hard copy of this one for probably 20 years and kept meaning to read it.? I finally did and it was amazing.? Halberstam devotes roughly a chapter to a different set of people or event in the 1950’s.? It opened my eyes – the 1950’s was the decade that shaped the US we live in today.? This is the decade when automobiles became widespread, the interstate highway system was built, mass media (TV) and advertising came about, fast food and multiple economic and social trends that continue into the 21st century.? Highly recommended.
Great Biographies That You’ll Learn About Leadership From
I read a lot of history and biographies. I find that these stories are also stickier for me. It's also comforting that all these people are human beings with a lot of?good?and some flaws as well.? Every book in this section is recommended and they’re not strictly prioritized – that was difficult to do.? There are several biographers that I’ll read anything they write – Caro, Isaacson, Kearns Goodwin – and a number of business and historical figures that I find so interesting that I read multiple books on them.? For example, I think I’ve read 15+ Eisenhower biographies at this point.
1.??? Master of the Senate (Robert Caro)?—?Fantastic biography of LBJ as Senate Majority Leader, and how leaders can influence without formal authority. Johnson’s story is almost Shakespearian in having so much greatness and so much that is flawed in one person.
2.??? When Pride Still Mattered (David?Maranis)?—?A great Vince Lombardi bio.? Lombardi took a Packers team that was beyond terrible and transformed them into multi-time Champions.? It’s a great read.
3.??? Lincoln (David Herbert Donald) – My favorite Lincoln biography. Lincoln had his “wilderness” years and grew immeasurably during that time.
4.??? Lincoln (Gore Vidal) – A fictional history that is inspiring and moving.
5.??? Team?of Rivals (Doris Kearns Goodwin)?—?Any book by Kearns Goodwin is good.? This one is about Lincoln and his Cabinet – which he filled with his former rivals for the Presidency.? A book about leadership through character and influence.
6.??? Leadership in Turbulent Times (Doris Kearns Goodwin) —?Focuses on Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Lyndon Johnson at 4 critical periods in their lives to understand how they developed their leadership styles.? Lots to learn.
7.??? Eisenhower (Stephen Ambrose)?—?Ike is my hero and I've got every book I can find on him.? This book is a great introduction to Eisenhower.
8.??? George C. Marshall: A Life (Forrest C. Pogue, 4 volumes).? It’s a shame that Marshall – who created The Marshall Plan that saved Europe from starvation and worse after WWII – is not very well known today.? He was an amazing leader and talent spotter.? He transformed the US Army for WWII.
9.??? The Hidden Hand (Fred Greenstein)?—?A revisionary analysis of how Eisenhower really ran his presidency. Eisenhower’s presidency has undergone considerable upgrading from when he left office – deservedly.? Ike was incredibly smart and very hands on while appearing not to be so.
10.??? The Power Broker (Robert Caro)?—?A great biography of Robert Moses the architect of much of modern New York City and Long Island. A study of how power can be gained and can ultimately corrupt.?
11.??? Jobs (Walter Isaacson)?—A great read and there's a lot to be learned about?the power?of vision and perseverance, the importance of focus, building the right culture and being a life-long learner. There's also a lot to learn?about what not?to do.
12.??? Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)?—?Some of the stories are very well-known now, but this is still a very good book to learn from.
13.??? Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela) – An incredible story from an incredible person.? Mandela’s patience and focus on a single goal – a unified South Africa – is inspiring.? He was a wonderful writer as well.
14.??? Jack: Straight from the Gut (Jack Welch)?—?Read this years ago; really enjoyed the early part of how/why he got to be CEO.? Probably a bit dated now but a good story of a smart businessperson.
15.??? Deng Xiaoping and The Transformation of China (Ezra Vogel) – Deng made modern China.? He was the leader who put modernized the economy and took steps to make it more open (with setbacks).? This is a great biography and a first-rate history of Communist China.
16.??? Total Recall (Arnold Schwarzenegger) – Surprisingly good biography.? Arnold is candid and he’s no angel, but you can’t help but be inspired by his determination and goal orientation.? He arrives almost penniless and can barely speak English and he ends up Mr. Olympia (7 Times!), the #1 Box Office Movie Star, a real estate mogul and Governor of California.? The power of visualization and hard work.
17.??? Damn Right!? The Life of Charlie Munger (Janet Lowe) – I’m a sucker for anything about Buffett or Munger.? Fun read and the usual good advice.
18.??? The Trillion Dollar Coach (Eric Schmidt) – A great biography of Bill Campbell – who was the CEO of Intuit and was a mentor to Schmidt, Page and Brin in Google’s early days.? Campbell was a fantastic coach and there’s a lot of business and life wisdom in here.
19.??? The Ride of a Lifetime (Robert Iger) – An autobiography by the former CEO of Disney.? Iger was a great leader who settled Disney after Eisner’s chaotic reign and then systematically grew the company into what it is today.? There are multiple lessons and practical advice.
20.??? Belichick (O’Conner) —?I’m a life-long Jets fan and Belichick drives me nuts but this is a great book about hard work and dedication to craft.? Belichick outworks and goes deeper than anyone else – except Nick Saban – to master the craft of Pro Football.? The last 10% of the book is not as good – all about DeflateGate, etc.? But the first 90% is very good and I’d pair it with Gridiron Genius above. ?
21.??? Call Sign Chaos (Mattis) – Auto-biography of James Mattis – one of the all-time great Marines, a 4-star general and former Sec. of Defense.? Lots of leadership insights including senior leadership.? Mattis is also a life-long advocate for being an avid reader and built reading lists for Marines.? Officers in the Marines are expected to read broadly and deeply.? The appendix has his recommended reading list which is a great list.
22.??? The Man Who Ran Washington.? The Life and Times of James Baker III (Peter Baker) – Excellent bio of James Baker.? I wish more bios were written like this - fun to read and without a ton of psychobabble and criticism.? The Middle East Peace section is the only one that bogs down a bit. But the whole Ford, Reagan, Bush 41 Campaign section is amazing.
23.??? A Man for All Markets (Edward O. Thorpe) – I first saw this book on the Founders Podcast (see below) and it looked fascinating – it was.? Thorpe is a true genius in a world where that word is often overused.? He worked with Claude Shannon (the Father of Information Theory) to devise a way to beat blackjack and then roulette using mathematics and wrote books that are considered the primary books.? He then applied mathematics to create the first hedge fund and became very wealthy in the process.? He was also a very good human being and imparted lots of lessons.? There are sections in the book that he wrote to help people be economically and financially literate.? I’m planning to read the Claude Shannon bio this year.
24.??? Pride in Performance (Les Schwab) – Recommended by Charlie Munger (that was enough right there) and then Founders did an episode on the book because Munger recommended it.? Munger recommended it as the best book there is on the power of economic incentives in companies.? Schwab used his principles to create the largest tire shop and distribution business in the Pacific NW and West Coast.? He became a multi-billionaire in the process. The book is written in Schwab’s unique style and leverages company memos extensively.? Well worth a read.
Personal Development
1.??? Charlie Munger's Almanac (Charlie Munger) – this is an absolute must read for everyone who wants to get smarter about everything.? Munger is one of the wisest and best learners ever.? His hero is Benjamin Franklin and like Franklin he created his own Almanac with his speeches and writings.? It used to only be available in a hardcover version which is a huge book.? The recently released Kindle version is a lot easier to read.? Please read this book.
2.??? Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger (Peter Bevelin) – A very good book on using multiple models to think intelligently.? It’s published by Berkshire Hathaway and was recommended by Munger.? It covers a broad range of behavioral, economic, psychological and scientific models which can be applied in tandem for better thinking.
3.??? What Got You Here Won't Get You There (Marshall Goldsmith) – where the idea for my User Manual came from. Thank you, Marshall!
4.?? Getting Things Done (David Allen) – Still the basis of my self-organization system 10+ years later.
5.?? Make It Stick (Peter Brown) – The best book on learning and how to learn that I’ve read.? You can apply sound principles to learn things more quickly and more deeply.
6.??? Lessons of Experience: How Successful Executives Develop on the Job (Morgan W. McCall)?– Super interesting study based on interviews with a large number of successful senior executives across multiple industries.
7.??? Miller's Bolt: A Modern Business Parable (Thomas Stirr)?– I've read this one at least three times over the years. Helps me relearn good habits.
8.??? The Elements of Style (Strunk and White)?– The?best?book on writing well. I re-read this one regularly.
9.??? Death By Meeting (Patrick Lencioni) – The first Lencioni book I read and still one of his best. It’s a fun to read fictional story with smart lessons.? I’ve read several Lencioni books since and find them all very worth the time.
Business Strategy
1.??? Extreme Revenue Growth (Victor Cheng) – YES!? A must read for all business leaders.? Cheng lays it out so simply and clearly that some of it seems obvious but it's all spot on.? Like the #1 Product Feature should be an ROI report - never thought of that but after reading it - of course it must be.
2.??? Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders (Warren Buffet) – This is a Kindle compilation of 50 years of BH shareholder letters.? Buffer has a genius for explaining businesses and industries in common sense, ordinary language.? It’s a first-rate business education.? If you only have time to read one – then read the 50th Anniversary Letter in 2015 (also available on the BH website) – it includes two of the most well-written essays on management and business ever produced by Buffet and Charlie Munger.
3.??? One Strategy (Steven Sinofsky)?—?Read Sinofsky's sections and skip the Harvard Prof's section. A great book on how to plan, organize a team against a strategic plan and measure progress against it.? This is a GREAT book for product people including Product Managers, Planners and Program Managers.
4.??? Work Backwards (Bill Carr and Colin Bryar) – A great read on Amazon’s business principles from a couple of insiders – one of whom was a Technical Assistant for Jeff Bezos.? I heard about this one on the Founders Podcast and read it immediately after.? Lots of practical advice for businesses at all sizes and growth rates.?
5.??? B4B (JB Wood) – This book dives into how SaaS and outcome-driven customer success models are transforming software delivery.? Very good book that starts with the traditional product/service model that dates back to the 1800’s and walks through to where we are today and how companies can take advantage of it.
6.??? Execution (Larry Bossidy) – Bossidy was a senior GE leader who then had a very successful run as CEO of Allied Signal.? This is a very good book on the importance of execution and how to lead teams to do it.
7.??? Warfighting —?Marine Corps manual they give in Officer Candidate School.? It focuses on agility and craft to deal with ambiguous and uncertain situations.
8.??? Good To Great (Jim Collins) – Anything by Jim Collins is worth reading.? Same comment for the next two books.
9.??? How the Mighty Fall (Jim Collins)
10.??? Great By Choice (Jim Collins)
11.??? Microtrends (Mark Penn)?—?Very good book for Campaign Managers, Market?Research?and Product Marketers. At this point, it’s probably a bit dated on the actual segments but it’s thought provoking in showing that are many, many micro-segments that businesses can target.
12.??? The Innovators’ Dilemma (Clayton Christensen) – this book changed the way people looked at industries and business models.? Christensen’s analysis is deep and thoughtful about why and how industry leaders are disrupted by newcomers due to the forces of inertia.? Sadly, a lot of people quote it without having read it – it’s a good read.
Marketing
For many years I couldn’t find many good marketing books.? Books from the well-known marketing gurus aren’t included below because I don’t think their books are very good.? They’re just being provocative to sell books without any practical advice.? But… in the last few years I’ve stumbled onto several excellent marketing books which are included below.
1.??? Unleash Possible (Samantha Stone) – The best book I’ve read on Demand Generation Marketing – it has page after page of practical advice on how Marketing and Sales can work together to drive revenue.? I put this first because driving Revenue is the number one thing for every marketer.
2.??? Obviously Awesome (April Dunford) – GREAT book on Product and Company Positioning with practical hands-on advice.? Highly recommended.? Best book I've read on it.?
3.??? No Forms, No Spam, No Cold Calls (Latane Conant) – A very good marketing book - one of the few - about Intent-Based Marketing.? While it's partially a pitch for 6Sense it is a great discussion about how to do Marketing in the age of Customer Data Platforms.? You can skip the first 2 - 3 chapters – those were focused on how Marketing is, etc.
4.??? Sales Pitch How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win (April Dunford) – Like I said above – anything April Dunford writes is worth reading.? This is her 2nd book and it’s an excellent companion to her positioning book.? It covers a process and practical advice for building a great sales pitch after you’ve done your positioning.
5.??? Everybody Writes (Ann Handley) – Great, great book on content - how to think about it, write it, manage it - across blogs, websites, everything.? It provides advice on the writing process and important things like headlines.
6.??? Copywriting Secrets (Jim Edwards) – Very good book and would recommend this on my Book List.? Lots of practical advice on writing good copy and written in a fun style.
7.??? Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy) – A good, fun read on advertising that still applies.? Skip the sections on running an agency and focus on the advertising sections - which are very good. This book and the next are good books to read together.
8.??? Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins) – Written in 1923 and still a great guide on doing ads scientifically and well.? The examples are fun - Pierce Arrow and Locomobile for two.? But the advice still stands up almost a century later - look at ads like you would salespeople.? The job of ads is to sell and you can use scientific analysis to figure out if they work and if they’re the right cost.
9.??? The Psychology of Influence (Robert Cialdini) – I’d been meaning to read this for years and finally got to it.? Wow… what a great book.? Practical and useful advice.? If you’re interested in behavioral economics or human beings in general or just want to make better decisions – read this book!? It’s a great companion book to any of Charlie Munger’s books.
10.??? Stop Random Acts of Marketing (Walker) – Another good Marketing book – full of good reminders for Marketing people and good advice for CEOs to understand Marketing.? A lot of good tactical ideas and some important foundational ones too.
11.???? Content Chemistry The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing (Andy Crestodina) – Andy is the founder of Orbit Media Studios a content marketing and SEO agency (I hope he doesn’t mind me describing it that way!).? He was a guest speaker on a CMO Breakfast I attend and he was so smart and had so much practical advice that I went out and bought his book.? This is the BIBLE of Content and SEO Marketing – if all here.? My only complaint is that the latest 6th edition is only available in hardcover.? So I’m going through it page by page with a highlighter.? The prior editions are available on Kindle and I wish this one was too.? I’d love to be scanning the highlights regularly.
12.??? Play Bigger (Al Ramadan and co-authors) – Good book about Category Design (product + brand + category) creates Category Kings – think Birdseye Frozen Foods, IBM in Minicomputers, Google in Search.? Very well written and compelling.? Good practical advice as well.
13.??? Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success (Ken Segall)?—?This is a fantastic book for marketers and for people who want to think about branding, naming, packaging and advertising. Segall isn't just an Apple fanboy — he?distills?broadly applicable and useful principles on these areas with real-world examples.
14.??? Building a Story Brand (Donald Miller) – A good book on how to craft a branding narrative using the principles of storytelling.
15.??? A New Brand World?(Scott Bedbury)?— A very good overview of how to think about brands and bring them to life with examples (albeit somewhat dated).?I don’t agree with Bedbury on all his Microsoft comments having worked there but it’s a good read.
16.??? The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products That Win (Steven Gary Blank)?—?A must-read for new product people and startup businesses. It can be very?dry?but the questions, tools and framework are the best out there for new product introductions.
17.??? The Price Advantage (Walter Baker)?—?A very good book on pricing strategy by McKinsey consultants. Pricing sounds pretty dry but this book is very interesting and pricing is the biggest lever to increasing profitability. There's a very good framework here.?
18.??? Likeable Social Media (Dave Kerpen) – The best book I’ve read on social media marketing.? It provided a lot of good tactics and ideas for taking social to the next level.? It’s shaped my approach to social media marketing in a big way.
19.??? Drip Marketing (Glen Fallovolita) – Skip the first 10 chapters and go right to chapter 11 – from there it’s a very good book with some smart hacks and tactics on how to do email nurturing, integrate marketing and selling rhythms and drive leads.? Glad I stuck with it.?
Sales and Sales Management
1.??? The Qualified Sales Manager (John McMahon) – This book became my favorite book on Sales Management – displacing the excellent Jason Jordan book slightly.? Both are must-reads.? McMahon uses the story of a Sales leadership consultant brought in to help a struggling SaaS company that’s trying to grow.? The consultant is McMahon and you’ll be able to figure out the company.? I can’t recommend this book enough.? If you’re looking to establish sales processes and culture this is the book to go get.
2.??? Cracking The Sales Management Code (Jason Jordan) – THE 2nd best book on Sales Management that I’ve ever read.? Really made me think about Sales Management as four systems – Territory Management, Account Management, Opportunity Management and Sales Management.? Filled with practical advice.?
3.??? The Sales Acceleration Formula (Mark Roberge) – #2 on my Sales Management list.? Written by the former CRO of HubSpot.? Roberge was an engineer and had never led Sales so he applied a systems-thinking approach + data to Sales and it worked. Also filled with practical advice.? Geared more towards Inside Sales/ADRs with some good advice on aligning with Marketing.
4.??? Sales Management, Simplified (Mike Weinberg) – The first half on how to avoid having a company having a dysfunctional sales culture is very good. The 2nd half has great practical advice for Sales Managers.? A very good book for first time Sales Managers.
5.??? The Sales Development Playbook (Trish Bertuzzi) – Excellent book on organizing, managing and operationalizing Inside Sales, ADRs, BDRs, SDRs.
6.??? The Hard Thing About Hard Things – See comments elsewhere.? Read the appendix on hiring a CRO/VP of Sales.
7.??? Blueprints for a SaaS Sales Organization (Jacob Van Der Kooij) – An excellent book with practical advice for SaaS companies on calculating and managing lead funnels, determining staffing and how to optimally organize Sales and Inside Sales teams.? It’s a bit pricey at $60 on Amazon when I bought it but worth it.
8.??? Sales Manager Survival Guide (David Brock) – Recommended for first-time Sales Managers.? The Weinberg book is better for experienced Sales Managers.
9.??? To Sell Is Human (Daniel Pink) – A very interesting book on how all humans sell in some way and that selling a far more critical skill and profession then people give it credit for.? Some very good insights on the psychology of selling.
10.??? The Jolt Effect (Matthew Dixon) – Very good book by one of the originators of the Challenger Sales model.? Should be read by every Sales Leader.? New research shows that the biggest hurdle to closing deals is the prospect’s fear of messing up.? Not status quo.? And prospects would rather make an error of omission (not doing something) than to be make a much more visible and politically dangerous error of commission.? The book has practical tips to address this problem in sales processes.
Great Business Stories?
Books that provided exposure to other industries and mindsets.? I find I learn so much from looking at other industries and organizations.
1.??? The Godfather (Mario Puzo)?—It's violent, there's language and sex, but there's also lots to learn about organizations and the values of patience and thoughtful analysis over emotional fast responses. This is the book I would take with me if I were marooned on a desert island and I could only take one. The movie is also the best movie ever made in my opinion.
2.??? Elephants Can Dance?(Louis Gerstner)?—?A great book on the turnaround of IBM. A fun and insightful read.? Good insights on how hard it is to change a company culture and how critical it is to do it in some cases.
3.??? American Icon: Alan Mullaly and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company (Bryce Hoffman)?—Very good book on the turnaround of Ford and the culture change Mullally had to bring about to enable it to survive.
4.??? To Pixar And Beyond (Lawrence Levy) – Written by the former Pixar CFO this is a great telling of the Pixar story from the deal-making and business strategy perspective.? A great book to pair with Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc. book (listed separately).
5.??? Shoe Dog (Phil Knight) – Autobiography of Phil Knight, the founder of Nike.? Very well written and compelling.? Another classic years and years to become an overnight success story.? Knight had to hustle hard for many years to get Nike to where it is today.?
6.??? Bill & Dave (Michael Malone) – Absolutely amazing.? Malone is a fantastic writer and the story of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard is inspiring.? Two great business leaders who were also fantastic human beings.? It was also personally special to me since we lived around the corner from HP HQ and I learned a bunch of early Silicon Valley history - like Hansen Way and AMPEX.? A great book that should be read by every business leader.
7.??? The Reckoning (David Halberstam) – Amazing book.? Halberstam is a fantastic historical writer.? It tells the story of the rise and fall of the American auto industry and the rise of the Japanese auto industry by focusing on Ford and Nissan.? There are so many lessons for successful companies on not getting overly satisfied.? There are colorful personalities and cautionary tales for managers and employees too.?? A must-read.
8.??? Pour Your Heart into It One Cup at a Time (Howard Schultz) – Very good book about the early days and scale-up of Starbucks.
9.??? Last Man Standing: The Ascent of Jamie Dimon and JPMorgan Chase (Duff McDonald)?—An excellent biography with a lot of insights on organizational culture, the value of execution and what's really important in a business.
10.??? Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from The World of Wall Street (John Brooks) – Bill Gates’ favorite book.? There are some great stories in here – I found the Xerox story to be a great read.? Could be written today.
11.??? Barbarians at the Gate —?A funny compelling story about the RJR Nabisco LBO.
12.??? My Years with General Motors (Alfred Sloan) – It’s a classic and there’s a lot to learn about the early days of GM but the last 1/3 is a bit dry.
13.??? Made In America (Same Walton) – Fast and fun read on how Walton founded WalMart and grew it.? Like Shoe Dog it shows how long it takes to become an overnight success.
14.??? Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics (Stephen Levitt) – A fun read about how economic incentives shape human behavior. Lots of good people insights for marketers and salespeople.
15.??? Setting the Table (Danny Meyer) – Meyer is a famous restaurant empire owner in the US.? His company owns multiple world-class restaurants and he started Shake Shack.? It’s a fun read and his business advice in the second half of the book is applicable to anyone and excellent advice.
16.??? Principles (Ray Dalio) – This book could also be in the Personal Development Category.? It’s a very good and very long book.? The first part is an autobiography of Dalio and his founding of Bridgewater Associates.? That’s very interesting. The 2nd and 3rd parts are Dalio’s listing of his Life and Work Principles.? They’re very well thought out albeit a bit dry.
17.??? Gridiron Genius (Michael Lombardi) – The best book I’ve read on how great football coaches/GMs organize their teams, plan for success and create a culture/rhythm to do so.? Lombardi has worked with a number of great coaches and has great anecdotes to support his points.
Living A Better Life
I’m adding this section because as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized (perhaps later than I should have) that balance in everything is important.? These are books I wished I’d read 20 or 30 years ago and I’m hoping that someone will at that age (or at any age) if I list them here.
1.??? From Strength to Strength (Arthur C. Brooks) – I can’t remember who recommended this to me – one of my groups – thank you!? Brooks talks about how everyone (yep all of us) at some point in our lives moves from our 1st strength (fast thinking, super creative but perhaps not that wise) to our 2nd strength (less fast, perhaps less super creative, but much more experienced and knowledgeable) and how to help others.? It happens super early in some professions – physics, mathematics and others – where the field’s stars all do their best work before 40.? A wonderful book that gives a sense of purpose.
2.??? Outlive The Science & Art of Longevity (Peter Attita) – My son bought me this book for Father’s Day which touched me.? It’s a practical book about living a longer AND more enjoyable life based on a more aggressive proactive stance.? What Attita calls Medicine 3.0.? I keep going back to this one – especially around annual physical time.
3.??? The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Erik Jorgenson) – A compilation of all of Ravikant’s blogs and writings.? There’s so much wisdom in here.? I found myself highlighting entire pages many times.? It’s a quick read and there’s advice I wish I had when I was 25.? But oh well better late than never.
Miscellaneous
1.??? Presentation Zen (Garr Reynolds)?– The?one?book I would give every person creating PowerPoint presentations.?Inspiring.?
2.??? Algorithms to Live By (Brian Christianson) – A book about how computer algorithms and computer science provide insights in how to optimize human situations. Things like sorting, searching, queuing and others.? It’s very accessible and doesn’t require any prior computer science knowledge.
3.??? Factfulness (Hans Gosling) – A mind-expanding book on how the world IS getting better and is so much better than it used to be IF you look at the facts.? Gosling was legendary for showing how important trends like poverty, hunger and violence have improved much more than people think.? This is an inspiring book and his website is fantastic.? Sadly, he passed away after the book was written – which is a shame, his voice is needed for balance.
Newsletters
There are many very good ones out there.? I barely have time to read all the ones I like.? You can Google any of the ones below.? Some are paid, most are free or have free versions.?
I read a bunch of others occasionally – the above are the ones I read regularly and save if I don’t have time to read them immediately.
Podcasts
I’m not a big Podcast listener in general.? I find I can read much faster than I can listen – and yes I could increase the playback speed but I like reading, highlighting and taking notes that I can get back in Readwise (highly recommended!)
My favorite Podcast by far is Founders.?? David Senra loves to read great biographies about successful people and recap them.? His subjects include many business leaders, sports stars and others.? If you like my book list above then you’ll love his podcast because there’s a lot of overlap.?
Others I occasionally listen to if I’m on a long drive include 50X, Acquired, Revenue Vitals and Tim Ferris.? You can find all of them in the Apple or Spotify Podcast app.?
CMO | Co-founder Women in Retail Media Collective
5 个月This is great, thanks for sharing Scott Horn
Data Analytics, ML & AI | Turning Data into Dollars ?? | Data Strategy Pro | Cloud & Data Warehousing Enthusiast | Passionate about Making Numbers Talk
5 个月Scott Horn, have always admired your book list. Wealth of knowledge in there. ??
Senior Director, Strategy & Partner Integrations at PrismHR
5 个月I've always appreciated your book lists.
Software Consultant, Computer Science and Entrepreneurship Professor
5 个月This is a great list. A bunch I want to read now. Agree on #1 master of the senate a tour de force. A bit surprised you don’t have team of rivals but you do have two other Lincoln books.
SDR/BDR | Strategic Prospecting and Qualification Expert ?? | Generating High-Quality Leads ?? | Building Lasting Client Relationships ?? | I Help Instill a Passion for Sales Excellence in Every Interaction ?? ??
5 个月I'm always looking for books that will improve my skills and enhance my self-improvement. Your recommendations are great, and I've added them to my list of books to read. Thanks for sharing!