Book recommendations for business leaders: 8/30/18

Aug 30, 2018 | Reading Lists

Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, there are two things you must do: read a lot and write a lot. This is about the “read a lot” part. I include reading lists and book reviews that will help you do business more effectively and write better for business.

In this post, I point you to reviews of The HARD Break: The Case for a 24/6 Lifestyle, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company’s Future — and What to Do About It, and Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive.

From Skip Prichard: Take a Break: The Case for Taking a Day Off Each Week

“I was pulled into Aaron Edelheit’s new book, The HARD Break: The Case for a 24/6 Lifestyle, from the very first pages where he outlines the benefits of taking one true day off from our hectic pace each week.”

From Gabriel Perna: Former Netflix Exec: How CEOs Miss The Mark On Corporate Culture

“Once upon a time, Patty McCord was the chief talent officer at Netflix, helping build the famous corporate culture that shaped the tech giant into the industry leader it is today.”

From Katie Wattendorf: The Making of a Modern Elder

“For Chip Conley, work just keeps getting better with age. That’s saying something when you consider that he’s 50-something in a business world where young people are rapidly assuming more top leadership roles. In 2013, after selling the boutique hotel company he founded, Conley felt lost. That’s when Brian Chesky, the ambitious young founder of a then-tiny start-up called Airbnb, came calling. Conley swiftly became part of a company packed with 20-somethings. He was acutely aware of the age gap and his lack of digital skills, but he also came to realize the value of the wisdom he acquired during his years in the hospitality business. Thus began his journey as a ‘modern elder,’ a term he coined and a role he discusses in his new book Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder.”

From Jenny Luna: Why Every Business Will Soon Be a Subscription Business

“In his recent book, Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company’s Future — and What to Do About It, Tzuo aims to change how executives think about their products and organizational structure in the subscription economy. ‘If you’re not shifting to this business model now,’ Tzuo writes, ‘chances are that in a few years you might not have any business left to shift.’”

From Kevin Eikenberry: Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive

“If you know me, you won’t be surprised that I was drawn to this book when a copy was sent to me. After all, I am a lifelong learner, and nearly all of my writing implies (if not overtly suggests) the value of lifelong learning.”

Here;s the readlng list for this week.

From Ingrid Vaughan: Readers Make Healthy Leaders

“At a time when information is available to us 24/7 in Twitter-esque increments, taking the time to read an entire book is becoming increasingly rare. However, reading—versus just gathering information in bits—stretches our mental capacity, improves our health and is linked to happiness. Moreover, as an activity, reading remains a great source of building imagination, innovation and resilience, while makes better leaders the world over.”

Every Monday, I do a blog post about business reading and business books. Follow this link to the most recent post: my list of The Best Books on Business Strategy.

Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Check out my Three Star Leadership blog, Michael McKinney’s LeadingBlog, and Skip Prichard’s Leadership Insights.