100 Business Books that have influenced 100 Business Owners (Part 16)
Welcome to part 16 of our 100 business books that have influenced 100 business owners’ blog – meaning we’ve hit 80 books this week!
We are starting off today with Jeremy Toler, who is owner, bookkeeper and consultant at Bookkeeping and Consulting and he chose The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni.
“This book revolutionised the way that I hire for my team. It also helped me to become laser focused on the culture that I want for my business, as well as the culture I will not allow. It was very applicable and easy to implement from the moment I began reading it“. http://linkedin.com/in/jeremytoler
The next book mentioned was Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath suggested by Diarmaid Crumlish, Founder and Director of Fusion FinTech.
“I found it to be the best book on how to effect transformative change. Although the book is focussed on resolving the internal conflict between the rational mind and emotional mind, the Advise the Rider, Steer the Elephant and Shape the Path was easily transferable to influencing in a complex global matrixed organisation. The same methods were similarly applicable to raising funding for a small start-up in the complex world of fintech.” http://linkedin.com/in/dcrumlish
Independent Consultant at GLG, Ornella Nana, chose Becoming by Michelle Obama.
“It is a book that continues to inspire me as a woman of colour climbing the business world and the corporate ladder of success. I could first and foremost relate to her background story. A young Caucasian woman growing up in a suburb area with only a few friends to relate to. As a young woman still in my 20’s, I cannot fully compare our journey as of yet, but I could learn from her aspirations, her work ethics and life management. The resilience she had during her time in the white house. Her dedication to stand by what she believed was right as a leader and the humility she had, putting the interest of the people she was serving at the centre of her decision making, are some of the factors that appeals to me in the book. Also, her time management as a mother, a wife, a leader, a mentor and so many other hats inspires me to believe that you can indeed have it all as a female leader. This is, in a nutshell, why I find the book so inspiring. It’s a book I feel I can always come back to for inspiration and can always accompany me in my journey of becoming the best leader I can possibly become.” http://linkedin.com/in/ornella-nana-51951194
It’s here again – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey makes another appearance from Surya Patra of Softest Consulting Service.
He said that it’s his favourite book, but the part he likes best is: ‘All things are created twice’ – there is a mental or first creation and then a physical or second creation to anything we do, be it a tangible or intangible target or a goal.
“‘Begin with the end in mind’ is what goes behind any creation and ties in well with the ‘purpose driven’ principle. All that we do has a purpose – a clearer purpose renders a less cluttered path to achieve it. Having the right blueprint of purpose is key to success. The clearer the picture we have about the ‘end goal’, the easier it becomes for us to reach it – What our mind perceives, it achieves. If we want to have a successful enterprise, we must clearly define our objectives, precisely know what we are trying to accomplish. This leads to carefully thinking through the products or services we want to deliver and then planning all the elements it takes to build the same (analyse the market, review the niche areas, plan for the finance, prepare for the cashflows, etc). Often most of the business failures are the result of a faulty first creation – poor business plans, lack of market study to assess the demand-supply situation, inadequate financial planning, cashflows issues, and the like. Use the tailor’s rule – measure twice, cut once, planning is paramount – Fail to prepare: be prepared to fail.” http://linkedin.com/in/suryapatra
And last, but not least, Co-Founder of Change Donations WIlliam Conaghan said the most influential book he has read is Zero to One by Peter Thiel.
“It has a strong focus on the individual and the characteristics necessary to become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have a high tolerance for risk and are comfortable with uncertainty. Fearlessness, confidence, and passion; those are necessary traits to venture out on your own to create something out of nothing. However, if wielded incorrectly fearlessness can become recklessness, confidence can become arrogance, and passion can become obsession. ‘Zero to One’ helps refine your skills to become optimistically persistent rather than blindly ambitious.” http://linkedin.com/in/william-conaghan-bb232748
And that’s it for today! Stay tuned for the next installment.