A few weeks ago, I was on a call with a fellow marketer and she asked what some of my favorite business books were. It was a fantastic question, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share three of my “go-to” favorite business books.
First, I’ll start with why business books and business reading is key. I do it for inspiration, ideas, understanding, learning. In one book you can get so much. Typically, I have one “fun” book going – which is a fiction book, and one “business book” going. It’s a great way to allow your brain to experience reading for relaxation and reading for learning.
Innovation on Demand by Allen Fahden
This book was shared with me YEARS ago. And to this day, I still don’t know who left it on my desk, but whoever that was, I am forever grateful! So much makes this book great. It starts with outlining the types of innovators – which I always thought sounded a lot like the ideal marketing team. You have the Creator that generates the concept. The Advancer that thinks about all the ways to implement it. The Refiner that challenges the idea. This role is key – this role makes sure the idea goes through iterations so it can be the best it can be. Then you have the Executor that ensures the implementation happens. The best thing about this structure is – when you have a strong team – people can change roles. The Creator on Initiative A can be the Refiner on Initiative B, and so on.
My favorite take-away from this book, and one that I have used on many teams is the idea of “Make it true”. When you are trying to innovate or solve a complex problem, do an exercise where the solution has to be true. Now instead of touting all the ways the innovation can’t happen, the team is laser focused on all the ways they can make it work. It’s a shift, but it can be powerful. I remember about 4 years ago, I asked a room of people to try this. I’ll never forget the look on one team member’s face. Literally as I was speaking, her eyes got big, she looked around the room like this lady is asking the weirdest thing. But she went with it, and the team made great progress that day. It was fun for me to watch someone go from this is odd to this helped us breakthrough.
The book is a nice easy read, full of great examples. If you are ready for inspiration and helpful frameworks to ideate, this is a great read.
Find it on Amazon for under $10.
The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time by Verne Harnish & the Editors of Fortune
I’m fairly certain I grabbed this book at an airport shop when flying and wanting something to read on the plane. I am glad I did! First, it is a super easy read.
The book outlines 18 examples, from leading brands, when tough decisions had to be made, and how those decisions set a path for success.
When I flip through this book, it has notes all in the margins, underlines throughout the text. It is truly a great read if you are a leader facing a tough decision, a leader preparing for the day when you will have to make a tough decision – or if you are just looking to see examples from companies and think through how concepts can apply to your business.
Find it on Amazon for under $30.
The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes by Margaret Mart and Carol S. Pearson
Every brander is familiar with the 12 archetypes. This book is the overview of those – and for me – a really handy book to keep at my fingertips. When you have an established brand expressing itself, I find sometimes it’s good to grab a few examples, open this book and make sure your creative is still aligning to your brand archetype. It is easy to sway away from your archetype and/or brand character. Auditing helps you stay true to your brand and consistent for your consumers.
I also keep it close as I have the joy of working on several new brands in my role. For me, starting by defining your archetype is always the first step. Understanding your archetype makes the development of the rest of the brand foundation easy.
But there is a third reason I keep it close. Archetypes at the end of the day are people. This is a great leadership book. Take the time to understand each of your team members’ archetypes. It will help you be the best coach for them. When you know your team’s archetype, you can then root yourself in their desires, goals fears, traps and gifts. Those are powerful tools to help with development. I encourage all team leaders to look at their direct reports and understand their archetype.
Find it on Amazon for under $25.
I want to thank the person on that call a few weeks ago. The ask was great and it was fun to sit at my bookshelf and choose some of my favorite business books. Let’s keep the share going, what are some of your favorite business books that have helped you the most?
