Middle Market Methods™ believes that useful knowledge has a brief half-life. Consequently, learning is a journey—not a destination. Clients commonly ask which books we recommend for enlightenment and insights. The growing list below is a subset reflecting those books which have provided the most influential utility for coaching our clients.
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The 4 Disciplines of Execution, by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated), by Timothy Ferriss
The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential, by John C. Maxwell
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team, by Patrick M. Lenicioni
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy, by Hamilton Helmer
The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure, by Grant Cardone
The 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, by Jordan B. Peterson
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success, by Amy Morin
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, by John C. Maxwell
20/20 Foresight: Crafting Strategy in an Uncertain World, by Hugh Courtney
The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, by John C. Maxwell
48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene
The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less, by Richard Koch
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Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, by Peter L. Bernstein
A.I. Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, by Kai-Fu Lee
Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, by Rory Sutherland
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions, by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Art of Achievement: Mastering the 7 Cs of Success in Business and Life, by Tom Morris
The Art of Happiness, by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler
The Art of Negotiating the Best Deal, by Seth Freeman
The Art of Thinking Clearly, by Rolf Dobelli
The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience, by Brene Brown
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear
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Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Siuations, and Live Fearlessly, by Evy Poumpouras
Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn from Their Mistakes - But Some Do, by Matthew Syed
The Black Swan (2nd Edition): The Impact of the Highly Improbable, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy: Classic Concepts and New Perspectives, by Carl W. Stern and Michael S. Deimler
The Breakthrough Imperative: How the Best Managers Get Outstanding Results, by Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert
Bringing Out the Best in People, by Aubrey C. Daniels
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, by Donald Miller
Built to Last, by Jim Collins
Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, by John Warrilow
Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down, by John P. Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead
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The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders, by Tahl Raz, Kim R. Powell, and Elena L. Botelho
Change or Die: The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life, by Alan Deutschman
Chip War: The Quest to Dominate the World’s Most Critical Technology, by Chris Miller
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self, by Michael Easter
Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business, by Paul Jarvis
Competing for the Future, by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad
Competitive Strategy, by Michael Porter
The Courage of a Leader: How to Inspire, Engage, and Get Extraordinary Results, by Amy L. Riley
The Courageous Follower, by Ira Chaleff
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (2nd Edition), by Kerry Patterson
Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too, by Gary Vaynerchuk
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, by Daniel Coyle
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The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance , and the Art of Living, by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts., by Brené Brown
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell
Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni
Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
Developing the Leader within You, by John C. Maxwell
Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture, by Kim S. Cameron and Robert E. Quinn
The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Diffusion of Innovations (5th Edition), by Everett M. Rogers
The Discipline of Market Leaders, by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema
A Discourse on Method: Meditations on the First Philosophy: Principles of Philosophy, by René Descartes
Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motives Us, by Daniel H. Pink
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, by Leonard Mlodinow
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The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker
Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity and Building Talent from Within (4th Edition), by William J. Rothwell
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, by Ashlee Vance
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber
Emotional Intelligence (10th Edition), by Daniel Goleman
Ethics, the Heart of Leadership, by Joanne B. Ciulla (Ed.)
Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, by Phil M. Jones
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
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Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, by Richard Rohr
Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide for Starting Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, E-Mail, and Cold Calling, by Jeb Blount
The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery, by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, by Peter M. Senge
Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life, by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica
The First Billion is the Hardest, by T. Boone Pickens
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
The Five Elements of Effective Thinking, by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird
The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization, by Peter F. Drucker
The Five Temptations of a CEO, by Patrick Lencioni
Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible, by Daniel Burrus and John David Mann
Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
The Four Disciplines of Execution: The Secret of Getting Things Done, on Time, with Excellence, by Stephen R. Covey and Chris McChesney
The Four Obsessions of a CEO, by Patrick Lencioni
The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy, by William Strauss and Neil Howe
Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America, by Alec MacGillis
Future Files: A History of the Next 50 Years, by Richard Watson
Futuring: The Exploration of the Future, by Edward Cornish
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The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation, by A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan
A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring, by John Wooden, Don Yeager, and John Maxwell
Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Boomers, Gen Xers, and Gen Yers in the Workplace, by Ron Zemke, Bob Filipczak, and Claire Raines
Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic's Guide to Growth and Fulfillment, by Dave Hollis
Getting Naked, by Patrick Lencioni
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success, by Adam M. Grant PhD
The Goal, by Eli Goldratt
Good Boss, Bad Boss, by Robert I. Sutton
Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Good to Great, by Jim Collins
The Greatest Mystery in the World, by Og Mandino
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth
Gung Ho! Turn on the People in Any Organization, by Sheldon Bowles and Ken Blanchard
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The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz
The Heart of Change, by John P. Kotter
How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything in Between, by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
How Google Works, by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle
How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth, by Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers, Padma Lakshmi, and Chenjerai Kumanyika
How to Win and Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
How Stella Saved the Farm: A Tale about Making Innovation Happen, by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, by Annie Duke
How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World, by Steven Johnson
Human Resource Management (10 Edition), by John M. Ivancevich
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I Ching: The Essential Translation of the Ancient Chinese Oracle and Book of Wisdom, John Minford
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick M. Lencioni
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, by Nir Eyal and Julie Li
The Indispensable Milton Friedman: Essays on Politics and Economics, by Lanny Ebenstein
The Infinite Game, by Simon Sinek
Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition), by Robert B. Cialdini
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini
Innovation and Entrepreneurship, by Peter F. Drucker
Innovation X: Why a Company’s Toughest Problems are Its Greatest Advantage, by Adam Richardson
The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, by Clayton M. Christensen
The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators, by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen
The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, by Walter Isaacson
The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor
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Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls, by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis
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The Laws of Human Nature, by Robert Greene
Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire, by Paul Smith
Lead with Luv, by Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett
Leadership, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Leadership, by Rudolph Giuliani
Leadership by the Book: Tools to Transform Your Workplace, by Ken Blanchard, Bill Hybels, and Phil Hodges
Leadership is an Art, by Max De Pree
The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company (2nd Edition), by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel
Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual, by Jocko Willink
Leadership: Theory and Practice, by Peter Northouse
Leading Change, by John P. Kotter
Leading the Revolution, by Gary Hamel
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, by Eric Ries
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, by David R. Hawkins, MD
The Legends Club: Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, and an Epic College Basketball Rivalry, by John Feinstein
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
The Little Black Book of Innovation, by Scott D. Anthony
Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, by Jeffrey Gitomer
Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries, by Safi Bahcall
Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions, by Johann Hari
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Made to Stick, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Make It in America: The Case for Reinventing the Economy, by Andrew N. Liveris
Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl
Managerial Economics and Organizational Architecture (4th Edition), by James A. Brickley, Clifford W. Smith, Jr., and Jerold R. Zimmerman
Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning, by Chip Bell
Managing by Values, by Ken Blanchard ad Michael O’Connor
Marketing Management (12th Edition), by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller
Mastering the Complex Sale (2nd Edition), by Jeff Thull
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm, by Verne Harnish
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs, by John Doerr
Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay, Martin Hammond
Mentoring 101, by John C. Maxwell
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck
Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wiseman
My Years with General Motors, by Alfered P. Sloan, Jr.
The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas, by David Burkus
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The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees, by Douglas W. Tallamy
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It, by Chris Voss
New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development, by Mike Weinberg
The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century, by George Friedman
Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle
The Nimble C-Suite, by Dr. David Gruder and Mark S.A. Smith
The Nimble Company, by Dr. David Gruder and Mark S.A. Smith
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World, by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment, by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein
Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
Nudge: The Final Edition: Improving Decisions about Money, Health, and the Environment, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
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The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, by Ryan Holiday
On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis
The One Minute Manager, by Kenneth Blanchard
Organizational Theory and Design (9th Edition), by Richard L. Daft
Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration, by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman
Originals: How Non-Conformists Rule the World, by Adam Grant
Outwitting the Devil, by Napoleon Hill
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The Partnership Charter: How to Start Out Right with Your New Business Partnership (or Fix the One You're In), by David Gage
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win (5th Anniversary Edition), by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works, by Roger L. Martin and A.G. Lafley
Positive Intelligence, by Shirzad Chamine
The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats—and Our Response—Will change the World, by Ian Bremmer
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
The Power of Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf
The Power of Unwavering Focus, by Dandapani
Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times, by Bob Whitman, Breck England, and Stephen R. Covey
The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed or Fail, by Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work, by Ray Dalio
Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine, by Mike Michalowicz
Profiting from Uncertainty: Strategies for Succeeding No Matter What the Future Brings, by Paul J.H. Schoemaker
Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes, by Alfie Kohn
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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain
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Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, By Kim Scott
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein
Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better, by Jennifer Pahlka
Regenesis: How Synthetic Biolgoy Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves, by George M. Church and Ed Regis
The Richest Man in Town, by Randall Jones
The Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich August von Hayek
Rules for Radicals, by Saul D. Alinsky
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The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Sales Development Playbook: Build Repeatable Pipeline and Accelerate Growth with Inside Sales, by Trish Bertuzzi
Sales EQ: How Ultra High Performers Leverage Sales-Specific Emotional Intelligence to Close the Complex Deal, by Jeb Blount
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Hoah Harari
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It . . . and Why the Rest Don’t, Rockefeller Habits 2.0, by Verne Harnish
The Scenario Planning Handbook, by Bill Ralston and Ian Wilson
Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation, by Kees Van Der Heijden
Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life, by Mind-Dao Deng
The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do, by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller
Scrum, by Jeff Sutherland
Seeing What's Next: Using Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change, by Clayton M. Christensen, Erik A. Roth, and Scott D. Anthony
Self-Improvement 101, by John C. Maxwell
Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms, by Abbie Griffin, Raymond Price, and Bruce Vojak
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail–but Some Don't, by Nate Silver
The Speed of Trust, by Steven M.R. Covey
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek
Street Smarts: An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs, by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S. Kuhn
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, by Charles Duhigg
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, by Stephen Greenblatt
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
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Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-class Performers from Everyone Else, by Geoff Colvin
The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People before Numbers, by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, by Malcom Gladwell
The Teachings of Napoleon Hill: The Law of Success, The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill, The Magic Ladder to Success, by Napolean Hill
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, by Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone
There is No Such Thing as Business Ethics, by John C. Maxwell
Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See, by Seth Godin
The Three-Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation, by Vijay Govindarajan
Three Key Lessons in Leadership: Re-train Your Leaders, Feed Your Eagles, and Trim Your Turkeys, by Dave Anderson
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, by Patrick Lencioni
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others, by Daniel H. Pink
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, by Tim Ferriss
Topgrading, by Bradford D. Smart
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman
Transparency, by Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, and James O’Toole
Tribal Leadership, by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell, by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle
True North, by Bill George
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The Ultimate David Hawkins Library, by Dr. David Hawkins
Ultralearning: Master Hard Skill, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelereate Your Career, by Scott Young
Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy, by Joan Magretta
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds, by Michael Lewis
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Value-creation in Middle Market Private Equity, by John A. Lanier
Values-Based Leadership: Rebuilding Employee Commitment, Performance, and Productivity, by Susan Smith Kuczmarski and Thomas D. Kuczmarski
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The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman
Way of the Wolf--Straight Line Selling: Master the Art of Persuasion, Influence, and Success, by Jordan Belfort
Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
Whale Done! The Power of Positive Relationships, by Ken Blanchard
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful!, by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation, by Gary Hamel
What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture, by Ben Horowitz
When No One Sees: The Importance of Character in an Age of Image, by Os Guinness
Who, by Jeff Smart and Randy Street
Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork, by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
The Wide Lens: A New Strategy for Innovation, by Ron Adner
Winners Never Cheat, by Jon M. Huntsman
The Wisdom of Alexander the Great, by Lance Kurke
The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World, by Randall E. Stross
Work Inspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work, by Aron Ain
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You’re It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most, by Leonard J. Marcus, Eric J. McNulty, Joseph M. Henderson, and Barry C. Dorn
Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond, by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge
Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, by David Rock
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Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters