Brent’s Recommended Book List

One of the most “highlighted” books I own. Explores the science of total motivation / high performance cultures. Offers a quick assessment of organizational motivation.

Click here to purchase “Primed to Perform”.

 

 

 

Without question, one of my favorites of all time. This book “spoke to me” on so many levels. A gospel for entrepreneurs and independent business operators.

Click here to purchase “Small Giants”.

 

 

Logical insights about positioning in the marketplace and what can, and can’t, help differentiate your business. A primer for marketing strategy.

Click here to purchase “Differentiate or Die”.

 

 

An absolute must for anyone passionate about helping others achieve behavior change & understanding how to overcome common challenges.

Click here to purchase “The Willpower Instinct”.

 

 

 

 

One of Lencioni’s best. Reinforces the absolute priority of organizational health and explains how to build a culture of productivity and communication.

Click here to purchase “The Advantage”.

 

 

 

Identifies individual natural strengths, personalities, and predictive thought patterns. Great team building exercise /platform.

Click here to purchase “Strengths Finder 2.0”.

 

 

 

 

Practical business concepts and “big picture” overview of the commercial health club industry. Authored by former CEO of IHRSA John McCarthy.

Click here to purchase “IHRSA for Lenders & Investors”.

 

 

 

Studies on employee engagement all advocate frequent recognition for jobs well done. As the title suggest, this book offers simple and inexpensive ideas to do just that.

Click here to purchase “1001 Ways to Reward Employees”.

 

 

 

Seth is a free thinker and “Tribe” has become a buzzword. He expands on the thought that a tribe is a group of people connected to; one another, a leader, and an idea.

Click here to purchase “Tribes”.

 

 

 

 

In this era of hyper-competition, this books shares insights (many unconventional) on differentiation and escaping the “herd” (copycat) mentality that is so prevalent.

Click Here to purchase “Different: Escaping the Compeitive Herd”.

 

 

 

Poignant truths as the title suggest. Common courtesies and lessons that can serve your children and yourself well in any setting.

Click here to purchase “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”.

 

 

 

Speaks to the role of being a “consultant” and providing genuine service that truly helps clients. Elevating the mindset of delivering value over the fear of losing a client.

Click here to purchase “Getting Naked”.

 

 

 

A biblically based leadership book. It offers practical application and spiritual guidance about using your gifts and developing others.

Click here to purchase “Leading From The Lions’ Den”.

 

 

 

Mostly just entertaining and thought provoking. Makes you think deeper across a broad spectrum of topics and challenges the status quo.

Click here to purchase “The Tipping Point”.

 

 

 

Coaching on living out purpose and servant driven leadership. How leadership actually starts from the inside and supports both vision and implementation.

Click here to purchase “Leadership by the Book”.

 

 

 

The best book out there about “open
book management” and employee
engagement. All about clarity of
purpose, consistency, alignment, and
transparency.

Click here to purchase “The Great Game of Business”.

 

 

 

“No amount of success at work can compensate for failure at home”. A practical / real life reminder about priorities and how to stay true to your deeply held beliefs.

Click here to purchase “When Work & Family Collide”.

 

Simply stated and presented concepts that offer guidance related to managing common “game-changing” patterns of behavior.

Click here to purchase “The Primes”.

 

 

A very practical and strategic approach to focus organizations on the most important elements of their business. One of my most “highlighted” books.

Click here to purchase “Scaling Up”.

 

 

Reinforces the concept of servant leadership and that leadership is less about you – and more about them personally. Asking “how can I help” should be a common mantra.

Click here to purchase “Touch Points”.

 

 

Based on a high end salon, this book offers some of the best service strategies and perspectives you will find anywhere. If improving service is a goal, this can help.

Click here to purchase “Secret Service”.

 

 

 

A classic about customer service, emphasizing commitment, systems, consistency, and understanding what the customer wants.

Click here to purchase “Raving Fans”.

 

 

 

 

A great platform to explore the leadership team dynamic. I have taken numerous teams through this content / exercise and it can be difference maker for growth.

Click here to purchase “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”.

 

 

 

Effective and clear communication is one of the most common challenges in any organization. This book offers realistic tools to improve honest / open discussions and feedback.

Click here to purchase “Fierce Conversations”.

 

 

Written by the former Chief Evangelist of Apple. Guy encourages readers to “enchant” customers and coworkers through conscious efforts- such as “default to yes”.

Click here to purchase “Enchantment”.

 

 

A must read for anyone passionate about serving others. Inside secrets and strategies that drive the legendary service culture of Ritz Carlton are shared.

Click here to purchase “The New Gold Standard”.

 

 

We each bring our biases and cumulative past experiences to leadership situations – often justifying our actions and judging
others. Recognize it and deal with it.

Click here to purchase “Leadership and Self-Deception”.

 

 

 

This iconic book reinforces thefoundation of character based leadership – principles. All leaders have them – the best live by them at work and at home.

Click here to purchase “Principle-Centered Leadership”.

 

 

Basic / timeless lessons of business and service from the perspective of Dairy Queen. Fundamentals worth remembering.

Click here to purchase “Treat Your Customers”.

 

 

 

A book for aspiring leaders about how to think and act like a leader at any level in an organization. Follow the suggestions and be more effective immediately.

Click here to purchase “You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader”.

 

 

About being a positive inOluence on the lives of others, regardless of your station in life. I and others have used this as part of new employee on-boarding for a decade.

Click here to purchase “Fred Factor”.

 

 

A quick, enjoyable, and easy read that challenges everyone to “stop complaining”. We complain too much and have the power to choose a more positive influence.

Click here to purchase “A Complaint Free World”.

 

 

This book was given to me early in my career by “caring” staff because I had a tendency to pay to much attention to small details. I think it helped? I need to read it again.

Click here to purchase “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”.

 

 

A profound look at priorities and why so often our stated “First things” don’t get the focus of our attention. Introduces the preeminent “time management matrix”.

Click here to purchase “First Things First”.

 

 

 

Simply a quick and easy list of ideas presented in no more than a page each. I have adopted many of these ideas over the years with great success.

Click here to purchase “301 Great Management Ideas”.

 

 

A bestseller for over two decades. Every manager should read this classic. Help people reach their full potential by catching them doing something right.

Click here to purchase “The One Minute Manager”.

 

 

 

Southwest Airlines is legendary for its culture, service, and company spirit. This behind the scenes book shares how they do it. If culture is a concern – an absolute must.

Click here to purchase “Nuts”.

 

 

 

Challenges readers to deeply reflect on why they work and to considertheir “ideal lifestyle” into the future. Inspirational and interactive prose encourage you to plan with purpose.

Click here to purchase “Making Money is Killing Your Business”.

 

 

 If I could only recommend one book to an entrepreneur or leader overseeing a business, this might be it. Invaluable insights across the key components of any business.

Click here to purchase “Now… Build a Great Business!”.

 

 

 

There is a reason this is one of the most read business books of all time. In spite of the fact that many of the companies profiled later failed, it offers tremendous insights.

Click here to purchase “Good to Great”.

 

 

Shares three virtues of a real team player and how to recognize and hire them. Should be required reading for anyone involved in the hiring process.

Click here to purchase “The Ideal Team Player”.

 

 

Challenges readers to consider the most important decisions and questions in life. Purpose, priorities, and the reality of daily living are too often divergent paths.

Click here to purchase “How Will You Measure Your Life”.

 

 

 

True military stories / examples and leadership lessons learned. One of very few books that talks about leading up and down the chain of command.

Click here to purchase “Extreme Ownership”.

 

 

Simple to understand. Illustrates the importance of structured systems and the different roles in a high performing organization. Must for small businesses.

Click here to purchase “The E Myth Revisited”.

 

 

One of the most practical books on leadership- it outlines common mistakes. Encourages introspection with integrity and authenticity.

Click here to purchase “The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make”.

 

A fresh look at the importance of brand framework for any organization. Defining the purpose of work improves engagement of employees and customers.

Click here to purchase “Star With Why”.

 

 

 

One of the most popular books of all time- for a reason. Virtually every successful leader I know has read it.

Click here to purchase “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.