Want to create a great business or be a great leader? Read these 4 books.
Over the last three years I’ve read over 100 books. I’m a big believer that the more you read, the more you learn. And especially when it comes to growing as a leader, there’s just nothing like reading about someone else’s journey to help inspire you to improve.
Below are the 4 books that I’d recommend be read (in this order) to create a successful business, or to improve yourself as a leader:
#1 Find your Purpose by reading Start with Why.
A company’s Purpose is the reason they exist, or as Simon Sinek calls it, their “why”. It’s the higher purpose that your company strives for and it should guide everything you do. At Dragon Army, our Purpose is to Inspire Happiness. Yes, we’re a mobile and innovation company, but that’s what we are, not why we’re doing it. Having your “why” is incredibly important for a company (and a leader, here’s mine) to have.
#2 Learn how to put your Purpose and Culture at the center of your business (and keep it there) by reading Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
Once you have your Purpose, you must create your business around it. Setting the Table is the story of Danny Meyer, a very successful entrepreneur and restauranteur, and his journey building his business and keeping his Purpose and Culture at the center of it all. Here’s my short book review.
#3 Create a system for aligning your company goals with your team’s goals by reading The Great Game of Business.
Once you have your Purpose and you know how to keep it at the center of your business, you need to create an atmosphere within your business to align everyone, build trust, and achieve great results.
The Great Game of Business is, in my experience, the best way to align a team with the goals you have for the business. If you believe, like me, that a business should run like a sports team – everyone knows the goal, how your team is doing against the goal at any given time, how they can directly contribute to the team reaching the goal, and everyone is rewarded when you do reach the goal – then this the book for you.
#4 Cultivate a killer leadership team built on trust and teamwork by reading The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
The last piece of the puzzle is to create a strong leadership team that can help you achieve your goals and be a model for the rest of your company. Patrick Lencioni has several great business books, but The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is probably my favorite. It helps you understand why teams, even ones with fantastic individual players, can be unsuccessful.
As a leader, there’s nothing more important to the success of my company than the leaders on the team. And if they don’t work together well, nothing great can be accomplished.
