Recently, we asked our CEO, Tom Burnside, which business books he considers essential classics for inspiration, guidance, tools and knowledge. Each of these time-tested books has helped Tom with a certain problem he’s faced as a leader and has provided great inspiration for him along the way. If you’re building a business-bookshelf, these are five greats to start with.

• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell – “As a leader, there is a lot of information coming at you from many different directions. This book gives you the tools to be able to ‘thinly slice’ the information presented and focus on the key drivers.”

 

• Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras – “This book provides a ‘blueprint’ for setting up and maintaining a successful company. Reading about the common best practices in several successful companies will help guide your own way to success.”

 

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey – “Don’t be put off by the popularity of Steven Covey’s classic. This one should be on every CEO’s top 5. One of the things that leadership is faced with is being proactive vs reactive. With a fast-growing company, you must stay one step ahead at all times. This ranges from seeking product enhancements, perfecting scalability and efficiency to watching economic trends.”

 

• The One Minute Manager by Spencer Johnson M.D. – “This book focuses on important key factors of success that will help organize and empower you.” Here are the takeaways:

1. Organizing your day
2. If you fail, fail fast
3. Everyday focus on a certain task
4. Learn from failure and focus on success

 

• How to Sell Anything to Anybody by Joe Girard and Stanley H. Brown – This book shows how to create a winning game plan for packaging, selling, and making a profit. Tom said, “being in sales in my younger years, I have watched ordinary salespeople turn into great salespeople” and this book outlines keys to that kind of success.

 

• Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook by Tony Robbins – This one is like a step-by-step playbook that takes you on a path to transform your financial life and accelerate your journey to financial freedom. Tom says, “I’d especially recommend this book for those trying to really grasp their financial goals. It can open the mind to things you may have never imagined possible.”