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January 22, 2009
Has a business book changed your life?
One book that changed my life was "Free Agent Nation" by Dan Pink.
For some 13 years, I had always worked for other people, including 11 years at IBM. Ben and I had just left our jobs at a web marketing firm in early 2001 to launch our business. I was nervous but "Free Agent Nation" explained how the world was shifting toward people working on their own, and I now knew we were surfing the trend, however unintentional our intention. Dan's book validated the decision to go free agent, giving me the courage to make the decision part of a permanent, life-altering course. Thanks, Dan!
Is there a business book that you've read that has impacted your life? The biz book guys at 800-CEO-READ are collecting stories about your favorite business books. Tell your story here.
Writing a book can change your life, too. If you've written one, or are thinking about it, you might want to consider attending our SWOM webinar on "Word of Mouth in Book Publishing" with Todd Sattersten from 800-CEO-READ. It's next week, and it's free.
Other blogs that reference Has a business book changed your life?:
The Millionaire Nextdoor. An oldie but goodie. It changed my thinking about money, which changed my thinking about my business.
Does Atlas Shrugged count???
This book gave me more fire to ignore everything political as an entrepreneur and continue to be a producer than any other book. Let everyone else concern themselves with the politics.
Oh, it's so hard to choose just one...
But I do like:
Freakonomics
Blink
The long Tail
They are all "essential reading" for understanding what the heck is going on in this new economy and social environment.
Games Mother Never Taught You. Helped me understand the organizational models business is built on (military and team sports) so I was able to stop inadvertently breaking rules I didn't know existed.
Business isn't fair, but it's consistent. Understanding cause and effect gives some rhyme and reason to the workplace, if not actual equity.
Wow, what a great idea. I was just going through my Google Reader, hit this blog, saw the link to tell my story about a favorite business book changing my life - Who doesn't like to tell stories about life changing events? - and the next thing I know I've just written a book review for another site. In the process I also found a list of great business books suggested by people based on the impact it had on their LIVES! That's not only better than somebody's opinion about how well a book was written that's social proof of it's impact on humanity. Kudos to the geniuses behind this simple but incredibly effective WOM strategy.
Selling to the VITO
VITO: Very Important Top officer.
The man who decides in the end about to buy or not to buy.
Get Back in the Box changed my view on business and marketing.
The first book that had an impact on me about business was Growing a Business by Paul Hawken. It made me aware that business can succeed and do good.
Cluetrain Manifesto convinced me
"Influence: Science and Practice" by Dr. Robert Cialdini changed how I look at business and communications (personal or professional). It's certainly become the cornerstone of everything I do as a marketer: gifts are more powerful than rewards, consistency moves mountains, where crowds are more powerful than experts (and vice versa), and how scarcity works. If you haven't read it, go out and buy it. Strong medicine.
The book, Dare to Dream and Work to Win by Dr. Tom Barrett changed how I ran my small business. I would recommend it to anyone starting a small business or in a network marketing business.
A very small book made a big impact on me. You're Working Too Hard to Make the Sale, by Bill Brooks and Tom Travesano is a sales book. It was data-based, but its key point was all insight. In one complex sentence--"People buy what they need from people who understand what they want," they managed to crystallize the very emotional and empathetic connection that motivates the vast bulk of buying behavior, whether in simple or complex businesses.
This helped me greatly in moving the ball further in my own books, Trust-based Selling, and (co-authored) The Trusted Advisor. Credit where credit is due.
I love On Becoming A Leader by Warren Bennis. It has so many good nuggets of info. Whenever I am overwhelmed being a young entrepreneur I open the book to a random spot and begin to read. More often than not I end up finding a solution or an answer to what has been bogging me down.
80/20 Principle
4 Hour Workweek
Made to Stick
I could list out a few more in the same thread of: Letting go of a bunch of things you THINK you need... Set up a few basic systems where you don't have to think or worry and kick a whole lot of booty.
It's really hard because you have to take them literally and actually put it to work. Not just read if for the sake of reading. And when you haven't tried them yet, they always seem crazy.
I accidentally read Purple Cow and The Influentials back to back. That was almost ten years ago and it did change my life. The last step in getting hired at Fizz is reading those two book and then discussing them with me over lunch.
Good question Jackie. Thanks for asking.
The business books that have most influenced me are: Influence by Cialdini (a must-read for any marketer), Built to Last, The Cluetrain Manifesto and Wikinomics. All four provided insights or ways of thinking that stick with me today and that I refer back to regularly.
I've got a few that have had a big impact- http://blog.freedoma.com/2009/06/12/the-best-10-business-books-to-read/- enjoy ;)
