A person is born with abilities and aptitudes that they have no control over. They are the synthesis of their starting point, what they are exposed to and how they respond. No one book will tell you how to be successful, but if you can read and apply the thoughts included in this library, you will be well on your way to success. Get in the habit of reading one book a month. In creating this list, I realize that it is time to revisit some of these. Over time I will add to this list, and if you have specific suggestions, please let us know.

A number of the books below relate specifically to the marketing and advertising industry; however, many of the concepts can be applied to any industry. The Systems section may be intimidating. However, these focus on understanding how to abstract and structure ideas using terms that many can then understand.

Marketing, Selling & Relationships

The Art of Client Service: 58 Things Every Advertising & Marketing Professional Should Know, Revised and Updated Edition by Robert Solomon

Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship by Mahan Khalsa

Book Yourself Solid Illustrated: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling  by Michael Port

The Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth In Tough Economic Times by Jay Abraham

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition by Jay Abraham

Getting Past No: Negotiating with Difficult People by William Ury

Leadership

Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership (Bk Business)2nd (Second) Edition by Joseph Jaworski

The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO’s Strategies for Defeating the Devil’s Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization by Tom Kelley

The Naked Leader: The True Paths to Success Are Finally Revealed by David Taylor

Official Boy Scout Handbook by William Hillcourt

Good Enough for the ‘Bastards’: Courage – Vulnerability – Credibility. Confessions of a Female Leader by Anita Krohn Traaseth

Management

        Traction by Gino Wickman

        Good to Great by Jim Collins

        Great by Choice by Jim Collins

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell

The Portable MBA Desk Reference: An Essential Business Companion (The Portable MBA Series) by Nitin Nohria

The Advertising Agency Business: The Complete Manual for Management & Operation by Eugene Hameroff

Communication

Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott

The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book by Travis Bradberry

The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M. R. Covey

Systems

Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler

Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications (3rd Edition) by Grady Booch

Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought by David Hay

Other

Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

 Agency Mania: Harnessing the Madness of Client/Agency Relationships For High-Impact Results by Bruno Gralpois

Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes by Mark Penn

Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt