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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