Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

A must read for almost anyone. A must read book for almost anyone. Jocko & Leif detail their experience in the US Navy Seals and how this has developed a refined sense of leadership and responsibility. After departing the Seal Teams the authors worked to translate these experiences into useful resources in their post military lives in the private sector . Both authors have gone on to establish a well renowned leadership consultation firm, working with businesses to coach management teams, develop leadership and team building in the public and private sectors.

After reading Extreme Ownership i developed a greater sense of awareness of the value of these qualities in all professions. Jocko and Leif’s work outline the importance of owning problems, accepting responsibility and developing solutions. Reflecting on this book emphasises that high performance, at any level within any industry, is dependent upon firstly owning a situation and taking actions necessary to dominate that situation and lead through decisive action. Through the application of the mindset and principles of a battle hardened US Navy Seal – Decentralised Command, Leading up the chain – a unique perspective is gleaned.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries & Jack Trout

This 22 immutable laws of marketing is a book widely respected as being one of the best books in the field with countless entrepreneurs and business owners referring to its principles and adhering to its rules. Al Reis & Jack outline a series of “laws”, referring to anecdotal and empirical evidence, showing a set of generally unnasailable principals that apply to almost all brands and companies across industries alike.

Though originally published in 1993, the underlying principals of this book remain timeless. My study of this book suggests that, despite the drastic revolution of marketing in the previous 3 decades, the principles outlined by the author are as poignant now as at publication. The ever changing digital landscape and the omnipresence of technology in the modern consumer environment changes the way in which companies can connect with their audience, changes the tactics and strategies used by marketers the world throughout, yet the fundamental concepts expressed by the authors hold as true now as in 1993.

This is Marketing – Seth Godin

As a best selling author and world renowned marketing guru, Seth Godin’s this is marketing instills the importance of customer centric marketing with meaningful engagement in the reader. This is Marketing focuses on creating change, having impact and improving culture through marketing. As a modern take on more traditional marketing approaches, Seth’s unparralaled understanding of the contemporary marketing landscape introduces the reader to a blueprint for constructing and adapting C level marketing strategy in the digital age.

Reading through this is marketing provides insight into a unique way of viewing brand and content marketing. Seth’s principals and modern take on the process of reaching out to customers in a meaningful and contextually relevant way leaves the reader with a new found appreciation for the complexities involved in adapting to new age marketing. After reflecting on this book, the importance of placing the customer, their needs, wants and inhibitions at the centre of business strategy becomes apparent. Though seemingly intuitive, the principal of designing a product and service for your customer rather than finding a customer for your product or service is perhaps the most salient of concepts expressed in This is Marketing.

Management – Peter F Drucker

Peter Drucker as a well published author, arguably one of the most influential management practitioners of last century, a man often hailed as the”father of modern management” published the plain titled Management over half a century ago and it continues to remain one of the best and most relevant management books even to this day. Widely cited as being one of the first books to explore management as a stand alone profession, Managment by Drucker provides a foundation of knowledge and insight required for all managers at all levels and continues to be one of the most respected publications in its class almost 70 years on.

After reading this piece, it becomes apparent that the fundamental principles authored by Drucker are just as relevant as ever. Drucker’s observation that “it is a customer who determines what a business is” is perhaps a more notable concept today than at the time of publication. Modern market conditions see marketing practitioners place emphasis on this concept and with the hyper competitive business environment of modern times sees observations such as this holding as much importance now as ever. As a strong proponent of leadership over strictly bureaucratic management styles Drucker criticism of the “one size fits all” approach saw him advocate for tailored management systems suited to the size and characteristics of an organisation. As a truly exceptional book and perhaps one of the best on the subject, my reading of Drucker’s Management leaves me with no doubt that this book deserves a second read.

Sell it Like Serhant – Ryan Serhant

New York real estate agent, televison personality and best selling author, Ryan Serhant details his journey and success as a real estate broker in his self titled book Sell it Like Serhant. Serhant details the work ethic, drive and determination it took to become one of New York’s best known and most sought after real estate brokers. Ryan details the struggles and mentality required to not only survive, but thrive, in one of the worlds most competitive high ticket real estate markets.

Serhant details the principles he has used to build his real estate empire and personal brand through anecdotal story telling and examples showcasing his unique selling strategies in the top end real estate market. Ryan’s “more balls up” approach outlines the importance efficiency and volume in a high performance selling environment. The principles taught in Sell It Like Serhant and his distinctive sales style are equally as applicable in all high ticket sales environments as in real estate. The key takeaways from this book are the almost universal negotiation strategies Ryan discusses, time management strategies and Ryan’s 7 step selling process.

Effective Executive – Peter Drucker

Drucker’s “The Effective Executive” is arguably one of the best know and most respected pieces of literature in the high performance space among business owners and C suite executives. The book has many noteworthy areas of interest from theories high performance in top management, the value of leadership in managerial staff, responsibility and accountability throughout organisational units.

Drucker presents the importance of self evaluation against ones own expectations in assessing strengths, weaknesses and valuable areas for development. In high performance management the merits of blunt self criticism and careful reviews of ones own performance are invaluable assets when employed systematically to guide ones own personal and professional development. One of the most interesting points that Drucker raises, a point that is a matter for conjecture but a point that is supported all the same, is that an effective executive ought to focus efforts on improving strengths rather than weaknesses. On that point it could be said that one can focus on developing weaknesses at the expense of improving on strengths and finish with a series of underdeveloped strengths and slightly stronger weaknesses. Drucker’s work on time management, prioritisation and concentration of resources on areas that are result producing clearly demonstrate the importance of self management, self critique and the power of delegation in achieving maximum effectiveness. After having read this book twice, and with plans to read it at least once more, this is perhaps one of Drucker’s most influential works.