Many NALP members have experienced great growth and success in their businesses. Where do they get their best ideas to grow and manage their companies? In addition to networking with their peers and attending industry seminars and conferences, they read business books written by best-selling authors. Here, we ask NALP members: What is your favorite business book and how has it helped you?
Favorite Business Book: Shoe Dog
āItās hard to pick just one. I just finished āShoe Dogā by Phil Knight about Nike. I found it to be an easy and enjoyable read. In fact, I probably read it faster than Iāve read any other book. Nike seems like an overnight success to people, but when you peel those layers back and see what it took them to get there, you realize every business is the same. I read it and found it very relatable.ā āBill Dysert, Exscape Designs, Novelty, Ohio
Favorite Business Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People
āA book that has formed a lot of who I am today is āHow to Win Friends and Influence Peopleāby Dale Carnegie. My dad made me take the course when I was just 18 years old. I dated this girl whose father was the instructor. She took the class, too. But my dad said, āNo, you have to take it separately.ā He really wanted me to focus. Iāve been married to that girl 35 years now. āMichael Kravitsky IV, Grasshopper Lawns, Larksville, Pennsylvania
āāHow to Win Friends and Influence Peopleā by Dale Carnegie.ā It was my first exposure to basic management best practices. I read it when I needed it most: early on in my career when it had the greatest impact and provided the most value. It really helped me change.ā āCraig Ruppert, CEO, Ruppert Landscape, Laytonsville, Maryland
Favorite Business Book: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
āAnother book that has really influenced me is āSeven Habits of Highly Effective Peopleā by Stephen Covey. I can remember being at a NALP-sponsored event, sitting on a beach in Puerto Rico reading that book. It starts off with a drawing of an old woman but if you look at it a certain way, you should also be able to see a young woman. The book tells you not to move on until you can see both. I kid you not, I sat in that beach chair for two or three hours and I could not see the young woman. But when I finally did, it changed my life in a big way. I realized there are two sides to every story.ā āMichael Kravitsky IV, Grasshopper Lawns, Larksville, Pennsylvania
Favorite Business Book: Good to Great
āI read so much and that makes it hard to pick just one but if I had it, it would definitely be āGood to Great.ā The things talked about in that book have really become part of the business lexicon and I constantly find that book relevant and have revisited it many times.ā āDean DeSantis, owner, DeSantis Landscapes, Portland, Oregon
Favorite Business Book: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
āāWhat Got You Here Wonāt Get You Thereā by Marshall Goldsmith. Iāve read a lot of books on sales, business and relationships and Iāve gotten something good out of most of them. This one was different, it truly was a game changer for me. It made me take a hard look at every aspect of my personal and professional life and opened my eyes to many things that I believed were part of my success but, in reality, were part of what was holding me back. I mentally refer to this book and its principles daily and have for about seven years now.ā āChris Lee, Earthworks Inc., Alvarado, Texas
Favorite Business Book: Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service
āI read dozens of books about business, and Iām always interested in those that talk about a culture of service. āDelivering Knock Your Socks Off Serviceā is one that I particularly like. It focuses on what motivates meāthe human interactionābut it also talks about having customers that want YOU. The fact is, we canāt do any work without having a happy customer and that needs to be a focus.ā āBob Grover, owner of Pacific Landscape Management in Portland, Oregon