My summer reading list is making me a more productive leader. Here are the 5 books making it happen.

With summer in full swing, many entrepreneurs are taking their final vacation days before the busy post-Labor Day period. While I plan to enjoy time on a friend’s sailboat, I am most looking forward to uninterrupted beach and poolside reading.

Early in my career, I read extensively on topics like management and sales. Unfortunately, most of my reading time today is consumed by emails and texts. For summer vacation, however, I carefully select books to enhance my business and personal skills.

Business leaders today face an overwhelming amount of information, especially about emerging technologies and AI. I find that focusing on the fundamentals and maintaining personal connections with customers is most effective. While I explore new ideas, I believe success relies on mastering core skills. Here are five books I have started or plan to read soon:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Nike’s “swoosh” is one of the most recognized corporate logos, worn by athletes worldwide. Phil Knight, a former University of Oregon track athlete, set out to manufacture and sell shoes to compete with Adidas, which dominated the running shoe market in the 1960s and 70s.

Like many young entrepreneurs, Knight had ambitious goals but limited resources. In 1992, he traveled to Japan, hoping to secure a deal with a small manufacturer, and borrowed money from his father to fund the trip. He later persuaded his former track coach, Bill Bowerman, to invest $500 for a 50% stake in the new venture.

 In 1972, Knight began manufacturing his own shoes and founded Nike. Shoe Dog, written as a memoir, reveals Knight’s determination to build a brand capable of rivaling Adidas. At just 24 and newly graduated, he used his accounting job to finance the startup. Fifteen years later, Nike reported $270 million in sales.

Shoe Dog offers more than a memoir. Knight’s straightforward style details Nike’s early culture and shows how attention to detail leads to significant rewards. His personal stories and commitment to a positive company culture make this both enjoyable and educational.

The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham

The overwhelming majority of business books focus on what to do or how to do something efficiently. Cunningham approaches success from the opposite end of the donkey; avoid stupid mistakes first. 

Early-stage entrepreneurs need capital to expand and cash flow to maintain. Why then do young business titans borrow too much money and lie awake at night, wondering whether they can meet next month’s debt obligations when sales are far below expectations?

Cunningham recommends mastering five basic thinking disciplines:

1. Find the unasked question
2. Separate your problems from the symptoms
3. Work with facts and check assumptions
4. Consider the consequences
5. Create the right system

The point that resonated with me was that a symptom and a problem are unique. For example, your sales may be expanding, but your profits are shrinking. Is your sales force discounting too heavily to secure market share? What about transportation costs? Should you introduce a fuel surcharge to offset unstable Middle East oil prices? Problems are never easily solved until underlying issues are explored and addressed.

Maybe it’s time to schedule an executive retreat to examine some hard questions. If you were to reinvent your existing company, what would your team do differently? Is your marketing department over- or understaffed? Should we outsource distribution or expand warehouse space? Making fewer “stupid” mistakes may be more beneficial than achieving a single goal. 

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

At this point in our business careers, I suspect that most, if not all of us, have dined in hundreds (maybe thousands) of restaurants, ranging from fast food chains to five-star Michelin fine dining establishments. If I were a betting man, I would wager that a significant majority of business leaders began their working careers flipping burgers, bussing tables, serving or bartending.

Even if you spent a summer or semester in the hospitality sector, you likely encountered customers who were polite and generous, and those handful of overzealous diners whose expectations and unreasonable demands were so high that even the Downton Abbey staff would fall short.

Looking back, I’m embarrassed to say that on a few occasions I fell into the latter category. Were my service demands too high, or did I have a server who was poorly trained, incompetent or simply didn’t give a damn? Both can lead to an unpleasant experience. 

Hospitality professional Will Guidara has spent decades redefining what excellent service means. When he took over Eleven Madison Park, the restaurant was struggling. Customers naturally expect more when paying $80 for an entrée than when paying $14.95 for the “all you can eat and endless breadsticks” at a national casual dining chain.

Attention to detail is critical in the hospitality industry. For example, staff are encouraged to make eye contact and smile when within 10 feet of a customer and to verbally acknowledge the customer within five feet. A typical greeting might be, “Good evening and welcome. My name is Ben, and I’ll be serving you this evening. Please review our menu, and I’ll return shortly for your beverage order.” Sounds easy, right?

Since this publication is not limited to the hospitality industry, you may wonder, “Why should I read a book about restaurant service?” The answer is that every business encounters unreasonable customers.

Customer service is a critical part of my transcription company. That’s precisely why I don’t use an automated answering system. When you call our office, a real person answers the phone. When a potential customer inquires about our services via email, a member of our sales or executive team responds promptly. 

There are many effective business strategies to foster superior customer service. Guidara advises hiring successful teams, not just individuals.

An excellent server is only as effective as the chef and kitchen staff. Conversely, a well-prepared dish loses quality if it sits too long before being served. If the kitchen staff and front-of-house team do not communicate and collaborate, the system fails.

The bottom line is simple: Acknowledge your customers courteously, listen to their requests, explain how you can meet or exceed their expectations, provide honest responses if you cannot, and thank them for their confidence in your company.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Did anyone inform you that starting your own company or becoming a CEO is hard? If not, then let me be the first. Being an entrepreneur or business leader is exceedingly difficult, yet hopefully one of the most enjoyable pursuits of your lifetime.

Ben Horowitz provides thought-provoking insights and practical recommendations for business leaders, particularly in the tech sector. He emphasizes the importance of building a strong team and explains that many major decisions fall solely to the CEO. Obtaining the right and correct information is what makes decision-making so important.

While many entrepreneurs enjoy building successful companies, not all leaders naturally excel at managing people. However, effectively leading key team members and making critical hiring and firing decisions is essential for every CEO.

A successful CEO must be both versatile and highly skilled. Becoming a “jack-of-all-trades,” as well as a “master-of-all,” is equally important. The ability to make tough decisions distinguishes top leaders. Embrace these challenges and equip yourself with the tools to make decisions with confidence and clarity.

Burn Rate by Andy Dunn

Many of us have experienced burnout. Andy Dunn, an apparel entrepreneur with a Stanford MBA, was determined to make his mark. While building his startup, he faced the pressures of raising capital and marketing, as well as significant mental health challenges.

Countless others who have dealt with a variety of mental health issues most likely never reached their potential. Dunn was lucky, and he recognizes that fact. “This is a book about mental illness told by an entrepreneur lucky to have made it to the other side, even if the other side is an impermanent place full of surprises.” That’s quite an introduction. 

Dunn’s bipolar disorder led him to a rollercoaster-like experience. His reliance on alcohol and heavy doses of caffeine wreaked havoc, not only on his own life but also on those around him. When he eventually relinquished his CEO role, he thought a long sabbatical would re-energize him. However, Dunn quickly realized that running the company was his source of energy and doing nothing was much worse.

Dunn’s story evokes empathy for the challenges he faced. I hope this book inspires you to overcome obstacles that may seem insurmountable.

You may already be familiar with these books. As entrepreneurs and business leaders, it is essential to continually learn from the experiences and insights of others. Remember also to allow a good fiction story to inspire lessons for both your business and personal growth.

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