These books have been carefully selected from a list of over 60 books that were put forward for a new end of year book list. To be a finalist on this list, the book needed to be nominated (and read) by at least one GST employee with a recommendation on why this was one of their favorite books that they have read in the new year.
For you last minute holiday shoppers, we have included links to buy these books on Amazon. This is a great gift for the go-getter entrepreneurs in your life!
7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer ...This is an academic and tremendously insightful book that provides a framework for how businesses can position their products to have market advantages and defensibility.
Your Strategy Needs A Strategy by Martin Reeves ...There is not one strategy that covers all businesses in all environments in all industries-clearly. This book outlines the fundamentally different strategies that are needed for different business environments.
Smart Pricing by Jagmohan Raju...Pricing Strategy is more than undercutting your competition to gain market share. This is a great book that outlines many detailed strategies in Pricing approach, noting that most companies are not spending enough time focusing on this.
Stretch by Scott Sonenshein...A treatise on how to do more with a small team.
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen ...A must read for all startup founders, this book outlines in part the friction that can exist in large corporations that limits their innovative potential and by contrast, the freedom and drive to grow an innovative startup.
High Output Management by ... Andrew S Grove. Widely considered one of the best management books ever written, Andy Grove (former CEO of Intel) prescribes clearly and thoroughly the keys to effective management practices.
The Ride of a Lifetime by ...Robert Iger An inspiring memoir of a driven man with integrity who treated people well and played out a vision for what he wanted Disney to become while honoring its heritage.
The Checklist Manifesto by ... Atul Gawande A compelling explanation of how a simple checklist can avert disaster and focus professionals in various industries, including what makes a good checklist and the difficulty of normalizing checklists for particular tasks among teams who are using various tools and methods.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by … Ben Horowitz Now one of Silicon Valley’s premiere VC’s, Ben Horowitz profiles the founder’s rollercoaster by way of his own memoir recounting the trials he faced as a founder and how he pushed through barriers towards success.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown...This is not minimalism, where you get rid of everything, but an approach to life and work whereby you focus your efforts on what is essential and gain in the process respect of colleagues and space to do what you do best, better.
The Wright Brothers by …. David Mcculough This is a great biography of innovators who faced many of the same temptations and critical decision-making that tech startup founders encounter today.
Setting the Table by Danny Meyer Whether you are a manager, an executive, or a waiter, Danny’s story and philosophy will help you become more effective and productive, while deepening your understanding and appreciation of a job well done.
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller...an analysis of what makes story so powerful and why casting your customer as the hero will win the day.
Longitude by Dava Sobel, this book is at our office’s sofa table, it talked about the innovation about finding the right longitude, (by creating an accurate clock), turn a location problem into a time keeping problem.
Hacking Growth, Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown. It involves cross-functional teams and rapid-tempo testing and iteration that focuses customers: attaining them, retaining them, engaging them, and motivating them to come back and buy more.
Range, David Epstein. Makes the argument for broad experience and perspective opposed to hyper specialization. Well-researched and backs up the idea that true, groundbreaking innovation is, more often than not, achieved by those with experience across multiple disciplines
A Curious Mind by Brian Grazer...tremendously curious himself, over decades Brian Grazer reached out to the world’s most influential people for conversations about their success and impact.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson...hand-picked by Steve Jobs in the twilight of his life, Walter Isaacson takes you into the complex persona of a radically holistic quality-oriented innovator.
Moneyball, Michael Lewis. The story of Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s, pioneers in the use of data, analytics, and “Sabermetrics” to build and manage their pro baseball team. Lots of parallels between this story and a lot of innovation you see today in other fields. Namely, going against the grain of “we’ve always done it that way”
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard...a must have blueprint for running a company-this Patagonia founder outlines how he pioneered flex working schedules and childcare at work.
Shoe Dog, Phil Knight. The history of Nike and its founder, Phil Knight. A great story of doing things in a lean way and “building the plane while you’re flying it”