Alfred Sloan’s My Years with General Motors was an immediate success and is considered one of the best management books written by CEOs of his era. Before his book, we’d probably have to go back to Henry Ford’s autobiography to find a management book of this popularity. I now believe Harvey Firestone’s book from 1926 is as good, if not better than Ford’s and Sloan’s. The title is Men and Rubber, a republished book by Latticework Publishing.
[Read more…] about The Harvey Firestone StoryOptions to Reading Peter Drucker
Every financial leader should read Drucker. But many will not because you don’t read Drucker, you study his writings carefully. You don’t read him fast, you go slowly taking notes. Reading Drucker requires work, but the reward is worth the effort.
[Read more…] about Options to Reading Peter DruckerWhat is Active Reading?
Mortimer Adler teaches that all reading is active reading. That is, he says there is no such thing as passive reading. He then explains that active reading is like being a catcher in a baseball game.
[Read more…] about What is Active Reading?Upcoming Book Releases
I like finding obscure business books, biographies, and well-written historical pieces that read like narratives. I’m also constantly watching upcoming releases that fit these criteria. The list below is in order of release date.
[Read more…] about Upcoming Book ReleasesThe Trading Game
Gary Stevenson grew up in an impoverished area of East London where he could hold his life’s belongings in both arms. About three years after graduating from the London School of Economics, Citibank made him a millionaire at a very young age. While Gary defied the odds of becoming a successful trader at Citibank, he explains why wealth did not bring him happiness and why he was eager to leave the firm that made him rich.
[Read more…] about The Trading GameWiring The Winning Organization
Agile, DevOps, TPS, TOC, Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge, and Lean. Is there a mental construct or latticework that connects these robust systems? I believe the answer can be found in Wiring the Winning Organization. The authors Gene Kim and Steve Spear introduce the concepts of the three layers of work and social circuitry. The book also explains its three biggest learning pillars: simplification, slowification, and amplification.
[Read more…] about Wiring The Winning OrganizationA Novel Approach to In-house Lawyers
Corporate Counsel by Peter Carayiannis is a Lencioni-like business fable geared toward lawyers contemplating a career move to become in-house attorneys in private business. However, the book is not just for those who have passed the bar exam. As a finance professional, I found this fast-paced book packed with actionable insights that business owners can apply immediately in their organizations. Finally, business readers have a book to build their legal and corporate risk literacy and acumen.
[Read more…] about A Novel Approach to In-house LawyersThe Buffett Acolyte Who Attended School with His Kids
Of all the books written about Warren Buffett, I am unaware of any authors who grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and went to school with his children. Todd Finkle is the author of Warren Buffett: Investor and Entrepreneur, a book that was fourteen years in the making. Even if you have read numerous books on investing, this one is full of gems from a unique perspective, including a chapter on Buffett’s investing missteps.
[Read more…] about The Buffett Acolyte Who Attended School with His KidsBig Bet Leadership
Making his second appearance on the show is John Rossman. John hit my radar two years ago after he wrote The Amazon Way, which reached my Top 10 list of 2022 books. His newest book is Big Bet Leadership that he co-wrote with Kevin McCaffrey. This strategy and management book reads fast with practical and big ideas not just for high-tech organizations, but those that are low tech large or small. Nonprofits can gain value, too.
[Read more…] about Big Bet LeadershipBuilt to Beat Chaos
Gary Harpst co-founded the ERP solution Solomon Software, which was ultimately sold to Great Plains. CFO Bookshelf enjoys Gary’s past books, including Six Disciplines for Excellence and Six Disciplines Revolution. Gary’s newest book has been 40 years in the making. The title is Built to Beat Chaos: Biblical Wisdom for Leading Yourself and Others. While this is Gary’s message and stories, this provocative leadership book is part of Drucker, C.S. Lewis, Maxwell, and Christensen.
[Read more…] about Built to Beat Chaos