If you had enough time to read 100 business books in depth, what do you think you might learn? Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten did that for all of us and this month published “The 100 Best Business Books of All Time” to share what they found. Jack and Todd run 800-CEO-Read and usually are selling books, not writing them. But they have seen a lot of business books over the years and took the time to summarize the best of what they have seen up through books published in 2007. They actually found that there are only five problems that all of these books truly addressed at the core. Todd tells us what those are in the interview that follows…

  
Michael: Todd, you’ve made a living at 800-CEO-Read as an expert in business books, and now you’ve written one. What did you learn about business authors that you didn’t know before writing The 100 Best Business Books of All Time.
 
Todd: I learned that being a business author is not easy. 800-CEO-READ works with authors all the time, whether its getting books to their events or helping them find audiences for their ideas.  I thought we knew the struggles.  I only had a glimpse.

One of the authors in our book asked what we found different about the process now that we have become authors.  I said, “You always have to be hustling.” Now, they might be too forceful, but you have to convert on every opportunity that is presented to you. The book is not going to sell itself and I think too many authors think that.
 
Michael: You mentioned that out of all of the books you and Jack Covert read that there seemed to be really just five key problems that all of those books were looking to solve. I would see those as the five biggest and most enduring problems that business people should understand. So, can you share those with us?
 
Todd: Our basic premise with the 100 Best is that business books help people solve problems.  An alternate title for our book could be “The 100 Best Business Solutions of All Time”.

The interesting part is that those 100 solutions point back to these five big problems.  They appear across categories whether it be sales, leadership, innovation, or narrative.  They also scale in that they apply to individuals, teams and organizations.

The Big Five are purpose, decision-making, action, change, and feedback.  I could spend a day on each of these. But just think about the first one and how lack of purpose confounds while clarity of purpose makes everything apparent. And that leads to better decision-making, which leads to quicker action, which leads to meaningful change.  Feedback ensure the first four are directional correct.
 
Michael: How should people use your book as a resource?
 
Todd: We think this book is for the third-book buyer. The first business book most people read is one that is recommended by someone they trust.  A book like Good To Great or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are common.  These are both great books and people get excited about the possibilities for business books in their lives (I may be overstating it, but bear with me).

That first book leads them back to the bookstore with the belief that there are other books that can be helpful.  They purchase their second book and almost always disappointed.  The lure of a shiny cover or clever title led them astray. The book may or may not be good, but the bigger problem is that it didn’t help them solve a problem they were dealing with.  And with that disappointment, they swear off the category.

The 100 Best is meant to help people find the third book and the fourth book and the tenth book. Most people complain that they don’t have time to read books. I think what they are really saying is that I don’t have time to find books, because once someone finds a great book that really helps them, they can’t put it down.
 
Michael: If you made the book the best “105” and added one new book for each of the five categories you mentioned, can you suggest one for each that you might add?
 
Todd: I would include the following (my co-author may disagree):

For purpose, I would have included Purpose by Nikos Mourkogiannis.  There is a deep philosophical foundation in this book and shows there are only four kinds of purpose worthy of a business’ pursuit: the new, the excellent, the helpful, and the effective.

For decision-making, I would have to think a long time.  I think that reading almost any great book can help you improve your decision-making. Biographies and narratives are especially good for that as you can see others’ success and failures. One of my recent favorites is One Great Insight Is Worth a Thousand Good Ideas by Phil Dusenberry.

For action, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  The book is essentially about procrastination, but like all good books, it is about more than that.

For change, 800-CEO-READ’s 2008 Business Book of The Year Tribes by Seth Godin would be included.  The book is about leadership, but what it is really about is fear, risk, and change.

For feedback, I would include Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. It was the first book that showed me the power of talking and listening in a honest, straightforward manner. This concept is difficult and challenging for the vast majority.
  
Michael: Congratulations on the new book. A lot of us business authors are excited to see you and Jack contributing such a unique perspective to our industry and joining in the fun with us.
 
Todd: Thank you , Michael.

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