Peoples’ lives change in two ways: the people they meet and the books they read.
The late Charles “Tremendous” Jones, an inspirational and motivational speaker and author whom I have long admired, shared that important bit of wisdom with me many years ago. I’ve taken it to heart and passed it on in most of my speeches.
The natural result of preaching that philosophy has put me in a bit of a dilemma: I’m often asked to list my top 10 favorite business books. But when there are 11,000 business books published in the United States each year, it’s tough to find a gem that will unlock the solution to your specific business situation.
Believe me when I tell you that I have tried to compile such a list. Happily, I have found a new book that has delivered the goods. “The 100 Best Business Books of All Time” highlights the important take-home value of all the business classics and several surprises too. “The 100 Best” even features 25 works of fiction, including four parables, two fables, five novels, four children’s tales and 10 movies. These books will benefit anyone, from entry-level to the corner suite.
Authors Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten read and recommend business books to their customers at 1-800-CEO-READ, so picking the greatest hits of business books is in their DNA. Books have been divided into a dozen categories. What I like best about “The 100 Best” is that it is not a book of lists. There is no numerical ranking. The authors review books that they believe contain the best available information on each subject. Then, if a reader wants more, there is a list of related books at the end of each review.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’m proud that one of my books — “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” — is found in the You section. I share that space with some of my heroes, like Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, Peter Drucker and Dr. Seuss.
Of the Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” the authors say, “At just under 600 words, the book covers the gamut of human experience. Our unnamed young man is told that choice is within his power and that all he has to do is decide … Seuss points him to the less-traveled path because ‘there things can happen and frequently do.’ ”
In the leadership section, Warren Bennis’ “On Becoming a Leader,” Sattersten writes: “The book addresses beautifully the timeless search for meaning in one’s own life and how that can affect your success as a leader … Bennis treats leadership with a certain gravitas that is perspective changing.”
Harry Beckwith’s “Selling the Invisible” is featured in the sales and marketing section. Covert says Beckwith’s “delivery is refreshing. His chapters are like bright flashes, some less than a page in length … Beckwith points out that we Americans have an inflated view of ourselves, and, in turn, our businesses … We should assume that our service is poor, which will force us to improve.”
You can’t have a section on management without featuring a book by Peter Drucker. Reading “The Essential Drucker,” the authors say, “is a different kind of experience. His passages require multiple readings, not because the writing is hard to understand, but because every word is chosen with care to optimize the point he wishes to make.”
Jeffrey Gitomer’s aptly titled “Little Red Book of Selling” points out that “It’s not hard sell, it’s heart sell. Good questions get to the heart of the problem/need/situation very quickly — without the buyer feeling like he or she is being pushed.”
Also on the list is Gordon MacKenzie’s “Orbiting the Giant Hairball,” which will change the way you think about creativity.
I’m going to revisit some of my favorites, and dig in to those I haven’t had the pleasure of reading yet.
Mackay’s Moral: A great business book can change your life.
Harvey Mackay is president of Mackay Envelope Corp. and a nationally syndicated columnist.
