The Short List
ACP Staff's Picks for Spring 2012
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence From Anywhere in the Organization, John C. Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2011
The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL, Eric Greitens, Houghton Mifflin, 2011
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, Eric Ries, Crown Business, 2011
Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System-and Themselves, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Penguin, 2011
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1998
Full List of Recommended Reading by Category
Business & Economics
Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco, Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, HarperBusiness, 2009
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, Collins Business, 2002
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, Jim Collins, HarperBusiness, 2001
Oglivy on Advertising, David Oglivy, Vintage, 1985
Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, Geoff Colvin, Portfolio Trade, 2010
The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, Matt Ridley, Harper Perennial, 2011
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, Ori Brafman, Portfolio Trade, 2008
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books, 2002
Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System-and Themselves, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Penguin, 2011
What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People, Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins, William Morrow, 2008
Entrepreneurship
A Stake in the Outcome: Building a Culture of Ownership for the Long-Term Success of Your Business, Jack Stack, Crown Business, 2003
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, Tony Hsieh, Business Plus, 2010
EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches, Dave Ramsey, Howard Books, 2011
Sam Walton: Made In America, Sam Walton and John Huey, Bantam, 1993
The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm, Tom Kelley, Crown Business, 2001
The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, Guy Kawasaki, Portfolio, 2004
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber, HarperCollins, 1995
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, Eric Ries, Crown Business, 2011
The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: The tell-it-like-it-is guide to cleaning up in business, even if you are at the end of your roll., Mike Michalowicz, Obsidian Launch, 2008
Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants, Stephen Fishman J.D., NOLO, 2011
Leadership Biography
Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader, Dinesh D'Souza, Free Press, 1999
Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson, Simon & Schuster, 2011
Management
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books, 2007
Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, McGraw-Hill, 2004
Developing the Leader Within You, John C. Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2005
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink, Riverhead, 2011
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck, Crown Business, 2002
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, Simon & Schuster, 1999
It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, Michael Abrashoff, Business Plus, 2002
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box, Arbinger Institute, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times, Donald T. Phillips, Warner Books, 1993
Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, Harvard Business Review Press, 2004
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence From Anywhere in the Organization, John C. Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2011
The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation, Jay Elliot, Vanguard Press, 2011
Mentoring
Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives, Karen Kimsey-House, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2011
Monday Morning Leadership: 8 Mentoring Sessions You Can't Afford to Miss, David Cottrell, Alice Adams, and Juli Baldwin, Cornerstone Leadership Institute, 2002
Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Proteges Get the Most Out of Their Relationships, Ellen A. Ensher and Susan E. Murphy, Jossey-Bass, 2005
The Mentor Leader, Tony Dungy, Tyndale House Publishers, 2010
Military
All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, Paula Broadwell and Vernon Loeb, The Penguin Press HC, 2012
A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military: A comprehensive reference to the customs, language and structure of the Armed Forces, Barbara Schading, Writers Digest Books, 2006
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, Mark Bowden, Grove Press, 2010
How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq, Matthew Alexander, Free Press, 2008
Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat, James McDonough, Presidio Press, 2003
The Go-Getter: A Story that Tells You How to Be One, Peter B. Kyne, Simon & Brown, 2011
The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL, Eric Greitens, Houghton Mifflin, 2011
We Were Soldiers Once … And Young, Harold Moore, Joseph Galloway, Presidio Press, 2004
Novels
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing, Basic Books, 1999
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae, Steven Pressfield, Bantam, 2005
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, Karl Marlantes, Grove Press, 2011
Once an Eagle, Anton Myrer, Harper Perennial, 2002
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox, North River Press, 2004
The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War, Michael Shaara, Modern Library, 2004
The Ultimate Gift (#1), Jim Stovall, David C. Cook, 2007
The Ultimate Life (#2), Jim Stovall, David C. Cook, 2007
Personal Development
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen, Penguin, 2002
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Roger Fisher, Penguin, 2011
How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie, Pocket Books, 1998
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What it Was: How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It, Barbara Sher, Dell, 1995
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, Keith Ferrazzi, Crown Business, 2005
Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Free Press, 2001
Strengths Finder 2.0, Tom Rath, Gallup Press, 2007
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Crown Business, 2010
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey, Free Press, 2004
The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary, Mark Sanborn and John C. Maxwell, Crown Business, 2004
The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Peale, Touchstone, 2003
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter, Hyperion, 2007
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1998
Personal Finance
Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom, Robert Kiyosaki, Plata Publishing, 2011
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, Robert Kiyosaki, Plata Publishing , 2011
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy, Thomas Stanley and William Danko, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2010
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