Eight Books I Loved This Year (2004)

On average, I read at least one new book on business every month. Sometimes more. These eight books are the ones that inspired me the most this year.  I hope that by giving you this list, I can prompt you to pick up at least one of them to enjoy for yourself.

Lasting Change: The Shared Values Process that Makes Companies Great by Rob Lebow and William Simon and Accountability by Rob Lebow and Randy Spitzer. Together, these books tell how a company can transform itself by adopting a set of eight shared values. These are the values that people the world over say they want governing their work environments.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins. This book answers this question: how can good companies, mediocre companies, and even bad companies achieve enduring greatness. Not just success, but greatness that lasts.

Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow is that state of mind,  sometimes called the zone by athletes, that allows us to perform at our absolute peak. Written in everyday language, this book tells how we can all live better, healthier, happier lives, and to experience the joy of complete engagement in our lives and work.

As the Future Catches You by Juan Enriquez. This is a powerful and very readable book describing how computers, genetic science, and other new technologies are shaping our lives for the present and future.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. The authors say that "a great deal of the value of a company lies between the ears of its employees." This book shows how to be a great manager by growing that value.

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. This is a revolutionary program that shows how to discover and then develop your unique talents and strengths and those of the people you manage. It includes an online test you can take to discover your own key strengths.

1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson. This book is filled with low-cost ideas and proven strategies as well as case studies showing how to provide the one thing that is absolutely guaranteed to motivate your employees: recognition.

I referred to several of these books in my articles this year. Each one will expand your understanding of running your business in some important way. I can't possibly work with every subscriber in person, but by offering this list I hope I can give each of you something that will help make next year your best ever.

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