Reading has been one of the most consistent ways I sharpen my thinking, challenge assumptions, and learn from people who have navigated complex decisions before me.
The books below have influenced how I approach leadership, strategy, transformation, global business, relationships, and personal growth. For anyone building teams, leading change, or scaling an organization, they offer a strong place to begin.
Leadership, Teams & Culture
- The Ideal Team Player – Patrick M. Lencioni – A simple but powerful framework for hiring and developing high-performing teammates built on humility, hunger, and people smarts.
- Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy – Amy C. Edmondson – A must-read on psychological safety and how modern teams collaborate and innovate.
- Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell – A compelling look at how environment, opportunity, and deliberate practice shape success, and why performance is rarely just individual talent alone.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey – Timeless principles on personal effectiveness and integrity.
- Leading Change – John P. Kotter – The foundational playbook for driving transformation at scale.
- Accelerate – Building Strategic Agility for a Faster Moving World – John P. Kotter – How organizations can move faster without losing alignment.
Strategy, Transformation & Innovation
- Good to Great – Jim Collins – A classic on disciplined leadership and what separates durable companies from average ones.
- Strategy Rules: Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs – David B. Yoffie – Practical lessons on platform thinking, ecosystems, and long-term competitive advantage.
- Playing to Win – How Strategy Really Works – A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin – A clear framework for making strategic choices instead of incremental compromises.
- What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation – Gary Hamel – Perspectives on innovation and staying competitive in fast-moving environments.
- How Would You Move Mount Fuji? – William Poundstone – A fun but insightful look at problem solving and unconventional thinking.
Global Leadership & Cross-Cultural Perspective
- Different Games, Different Rules: Why Americans and Japanese Misunderstand Each Other – Haru Yamada – Especially valuable for anyone working across cultures and global teams.
- Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries – Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway – Practical guidance for operating effectively across global markets.
- When Teams Collide: Managing the International Team Successfully – Richard D. Lewis – A helpful lens on leading international and multicultural teams.
Influence, Advisory & Client Relationships
- Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert B. Cialdini, PhD – A foundational guide to the principles that shape how people make decisions, communicate value, and respond to influence. Useful well beyond sales for anyone leading, negotiating, or building alignment.
- Secrets of Closing the Sale – Zig Ziglar – A practical, people-centered classic on listening, building trust, overcoming objections, and helping customers make confident decisions.
- The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness – Jeffrey Gitomer – Direct, energetic advice on prospecting, relationships, credibility, and the daily habits that create consistent sales results.
- Clients for Life: Evolving from an Expert-for-Hire to an Extraordinary Adviser – Jagdish N. Sheth and Andrew Sobel – A smart guide to earning lasting client relationships through trust, relevance, and consistently creating value. Particularly useful for advisors, sales leaders, and anyone responsible for strategic customer relationships.
- The New Strategic Selling – Robert B. Miller, Stephen E. Heiman, and Tad Tuleja – A practical framework for navigating complex B2B sales by identifying stakeholders, understanding their interests, and building a disciplined plan to win major opportunities.
Markets, Risk & Decision-Making
- The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine – Michael Lewis – A masterclass in incentives, risk, and market behavior.
- Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets – John Murphy – A practical foundation for understanding market trends and signals.
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street – Burton G. Malkiel – A clear, accessible classic on investing, market efficiency, diversification, and avoiding the costly mistakes that come from chasing short-term market predictions.
Publications I Follow
Books provide depth; current publications provide immediacy. I follow a range of business, economic, technology, and leadership perspectives to stay current and challenge my own assumptions.
Reading broadly remains one of the most effective ways to challenge assumptions, sharpen judgment, and keep growing as a leader.