In this time of social distancing, some of us have taken to reading. SO, just in case you might need a recommendation or two (or more) here are my twenty favorite books of all time. This was tough, by the way, because I like A LOT of books. Now, understand that I do not read mysteries, romance, sci-fi or most any fiction. I mostly read non-fiction/get better at what you do books. AND….. this list is MINE and totally SUBjective.
20. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – the very interesting story of the founding and building of Nike at least to a guy who bought his first pair in 1975.
19. The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander – a great book about leadership where I first heard the words: one buttock player
18. The Last Campaign by Thurston Clarke, an excellent story about the 1968 presidential campaign of Bobby Kennedy.
17. The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk detailing the ROI of the new internet, 17 years after Al Gore invented it. While I love listening to GaryVee, he’s not my favorite author.
16. Tribes one of three books on the list by marketing guru Seth Godin. Another book about leadership, but with the Godin twist.
15. Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins. This is some of Tony’s best stuff when it comes to helping you be the best that you can be. Some awesome NLP stuff.
14. Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith. Nobody writes better stuff about customer service than Beckwith. It was here he gave us the words. “Customer Service is the gap between what the customer expects and what they get.”
13. If it Ain’t Broke, Break it where Robert Keirgel teaches us that all the rules aren’t necessarily right and sometimes the best thing to do is Break them.
12. Never Spilt the Difference by Chris Voss. It’s been a long time since someone wrote a compelling and informative negotiating book, this is it.
11. Permission Marketing by Seth Godin, his 2nd of 3 books on the list, gives us the recipe for powerful opt in marketing, especially relevant for sphere of influence marketers.
10. What Clients Love by Harry Beckwith. It’s actually real close between this and our #14 book by Beckwith but comfort wins out as Harry gives us the secret to customer service and what they love.
9. The Inner Game of Selling by Ron Willingham. Along with Integrity Selling, Willingham really helps us understand selling from the customer’s perspective. It changed the way I thought about sales.
8. The Dip Seth Godin’s top choice on my list answers the age-old dilemma of when to push through and when to quit. A fascinating perspective.
7. Getting Past No by William Ury is the Bible of negotiating protocol with some outstanding information to make everyone a better negotiator.
6. Brain Rules by John Medina. Simply put, if there is an owners manual for your brain, this is it.
5. Athletic Excellence by Jim Loehr. I saw Loehr in 1988 and I have to tell you that he changed my life as a coach and as a person. Whilw I learned a ton about peak performance, His greatest contribution was the practice of savoring the moment, being right her, right now, loving every minute of it.
4. Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. OMG, this book changed EVERYTHING about presenting, teaching, leading for me. It elevated my game to a whole new level and I have spread the word ever since.
3. A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. This book focuses on the coming information saturated world where right brainers rule the future. The chapters on Story, symphony and empathy blew my mind.
2. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra which may very well be the best non-sales sales book ever. Read the Law of Detachment.
And number 1, the best book ever, at least in my life, is Once a Runner by John Parker Jr. No book has ever, or maybe will ever more beautifully illustrated the life of the serious runner. I’ll bet I’ve read it way over 100 times. It’s gotten me through some rough patches both running oriented and personal.
So, there it is. Would love to know what you’re reading. Send to richteaches@gmail.com.
Stay safe and healthy.