“There are two books I re-read for leadership and management...the autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, for understanding how to balance conflicting priorities, and The Annals of Tacitus, whose accounts of the change from Roman Republic to autocracy is must reading for any American.” –Don Mazzella COO & Editorial Director, Information Strategies, Inc.
“Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive. He nails the most important habits a leader must develop.”
–Joseph M. Puggelli, Educator, Head of School, Seattle Academy
Thomas Edward Lawrence — The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Envision, commit, impassion, lead.
Reinhold Messner — Moving Mountains: Lessons on Life and Leadership.
Risk, adventurous living, danger, survival and the bigger learnings of a sagacious life.
Alfred Lansing — Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.
Musashi Miyamoto: Go Rin No Sho [The Book of Five Rings, with artwork by Miyamoto].
In each of these books, the point to inspiration and leadership counsel is never, per se, a how-to, “I’m a leader” overview, but rather stories that tell the truth about fire and passion, insight and landscape perspectives, commitment and endurance, openness and willingness to examine change, inventiveness and resilience. Leading people means that you’re putting yourself—literally—in “the lead,” you’re in front. Being a leader is the most exposed, the person most at risk, the gambler with—generally speaking — the most to lose. And, to the upside—the most to gain. –Tim Girvin, Principal, Girvin, Inc., Seattle, San Francisco, New York City and Tokyo
“Above all other business books, I prefer one that I wrote. STEPS is more than an ordinary business book. In STEPS, I suggest that you should not even consider building a brand unless you are willing to do the hard work the same way a dancer learns technique, movement and artistry.“ –Patricia Vaccarino, Founder, Xanthus Communications and PR for People®
Round-up: What is your favorite business book?