5 Books Every CEO Must Read

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

Olson takes the concept of compounded interest to a whole new level.  His premis:  If you will just put a penny’s worth of effort each day towards your goals, over time you will achieve them. If you are to be a successful CEO,  make the Slight Edge philosophy a part of your daily attitude. Making a business work takes a lot of time and effort.  Your effort must be a little bit every day, and consistant.

Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard

Blanchards work focuses on organizaiton excellence presented in the form of “legendary customer service”What is a raving fan? The premis:  “If you really want to ‘own’ a customer, if you want a booming business, you have to go beyond satisfied customers and create Raving Fans.” A raving fan is an advocate of your products or services in the marketplace and an integral part of successful businesses.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Habits are a matter of choice. In this book Covey dives  into the depths of our attitudes (paradigms) and principles to help us identify “where we are coming from”. Once we can identify which of our paradigms are keeping us from interacting effectively with others, then and only then can we truly begin to work on changing them.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Gerber’s book is all about why most small businesses don’t work.  To me it is the very summation of the definition of insanity seen in the business world everyday.  Don’t get caught in the rat trap and the lie of entreprenuership, thereby only creating a glorified job for your self.  Discover the Five core leadership skils as defined by Gerber:  Vision, Discrimination, Strategic Thinking, Commitment, and Inspirational Communication.  A definite must read for CEO’s

Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This is likely the book every most CEO’s have read as budding entreprenuers, or at least has been told it is a must read. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to just think about being rich and have it happen? Published in the 1930s, the personal issues Hill wrote about Like the thoughts and behaviors that hinder people’s success in acquiring riches are still relevant today.