By: Jim Roddy, VP of Marketing at the RSPA

For the past 10+ years, I’ve dedicated time each week to leadership-based reading. I’ve kept track of the highest-quality books to compile “Roddy’s Recommended Reading,” a list I first shared publicly three years ago and have updated annually since then. The list has expanded to 158 books thanks to recommendations from many of my friends in the retail IT channel.

Over the past 12 months, I’ve read 18 additional books, each new title identified on the list below with an asterisk (*). Seven of the 18 additions to my recommended reading list fit under the category of General Business & Strategy, which seems about right for what the POS channel is facing these days. Four books were added under the Sports-Themed category, which seems about right for what an ex-athlete like me is facing these days (i.e. living vicariously through others because I can’t jump anymore).

I understand that channel executives – especially in smaller orgs – don’t have time to read as much as they would like, so I’ve created shortcuts for you. For most every title on this list, I’ve compiled notes featuring best quotes from the book, so if you want to sneak a peek at that information just let me know.

Roddy’s Recommended Reading is categorized by subject and then listed in alphabetical order. In another year, I’ll update this list again so you can see what else I’ve discovered. Best of luck on your journey to become a dedicated leader and reader!

* denotes new addition to this year’s list

Customer Service

1. Answering the Ultimate Question – Laura Brooks and Richard Owen
2. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose – Tony Hsieh
3. (The) Loyalty Effect – Fred Reichheld
4. Loyalty Rules: How Today’s Leaders Build Lasting Relationships – Fred Reichheld
5. Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service – Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

General Business & Strategy

6. *(The) Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business – Patrick Lencioni
7. (The) Art of War – Sun Tzu
8. (The) Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry – John Warrillow
9. Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
10. Built To Last – Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
11. Built To Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You – John Warrillow
12. Creating Competitive Advantage – Jaynie Smith and William Flanagan
13. (The) Creation of Wealth: The Tatas from the 19^th to the 21^st Century – R.M. Lala
14. Double Digit Growth: How Great Companies Achieve It No Matter What – Michael Treacy
15. Double Your Profits in 6 Months or Less – Bob Fifer
16. (The) Driving Force: Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People – Peter W. Schutz
17. Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future – Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert and Mark W. Johnson
18. (The) E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber
19. Escape Velocity: Free Your Company’s Future from the Pull of the Past – Geoffrey A. Moore
20. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are – Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
21. From Impossible to Inevitable: How Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue – Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin
22. Getting To Plan B – John Mullins and Randy Komisar
23. *(The) Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement – Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
24. Good To Great – Jim Collins
25. Great By Choice – Jim Collins and Moren Hansen
26. (The) Great Game of Business – Jack Stack
27. Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies – Jim Stengel
28. How The Mighty Fall – Jim Collins
29. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best Run Companies – Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman
30. *Innovation Made Simple – Jeff Havens
31. Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
32. *Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace – Ricardo Semler
33. *Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World – Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
34. Nuts!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success – Kevin and Jackie Frieberg
35. On The Edge with Jim Roddy: Practical Advice for High-Initiative, Growth-Oriented VARs and ISVs – Jim Roddy
36. Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow – Chip Conley
37. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time – Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang
38. (The) Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact – Chip and Dan Heath
39. *Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade – Robert Cialdini
40. Restauranteur: Protect Your Profits! Discover Restaurant Scams and Technology Solutions – Don Potter
41. Roadside MBA: Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives, and Small Business Owners – Michael Mazzeo, Paul Oyer, and Scott Schaefer
42. Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make it … and Why the Rest Don’t – Verne Harnish
43. (The) Search: How Google and its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business – John Battelle
44. (The) SEI Way: Values and Practices of a Growing Company – Ron Alvesteffer, CEO, Service Express Inc.
45. Simplify – Richard Koch and Greg Lockwood
46. Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big – Bo Burlingham
47. Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
48. Technology-as-a-Service Playbook: How to Grow a Profitable Subscription Business – Thomas Lah and J.B. Wood
49. *(The) Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future – Steve Case
50. (The) Toilet Paper Entrepreneur – Mike Michalowicz
51. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?: Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround – Lou Gerstner

Hiring

52. Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer – Jim Roddy :)
53. Hire With Your Head – Lou Adler
54. Hiring The Best: A Manager’s Guide to Effective Interviewing and Recruiting – Martin Yate
55. Who: The “A” Method for Hiring – Geoff Smart and Randy Street

Leadership

56. *(The) 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
57. Authentic Leadership – Bill George
58. Influence – Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.
59. Jack: Straight From The Gut – Jack Welch with John Byrne
60. Jack Welch and the 4Es of Leadership – Jeffrey Krames
61. Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t – Simon Sinek
62. Leadership And The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigami and Drea Zigami
63. (The) Leadership Handbook: 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs – John Maxwell
64. *Leadership in Turbulent Times – Doris Kearns Goodwin
65. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead – Sheryl Sandberg
66. Many Parts, One Body: Healthier Leaders, Healthier Teams, A Healthier You – Rubi Ho
67. Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter – Liz Wiseman
68. (The) Power of Thanks – Eric Mosley and Derek Irvine
69. (The) Power of Your Leadership: Making a Difference with Others – John C. Maxwell
70. (The) Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership – James C. Hunter
71. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power & Greatness – Robert K. Greenleaf
72. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek
73. Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent – Sydney Finkelstein
74. Then Darkness Fled: The Liberating Wisdom of Booker T. Washington – Stephen Mansfield
75. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

Management

76. 2-Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Lean Culture – Paul A. Akers
77. 30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers – Bruce Katcher
78. (The) Carrot Principle – Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
79. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done – Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
80. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
81. First Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently – Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
82. *How Did That Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way – Roger Connors and Tom Smith
83. How To Be A Great Boss – Gino Wickman and Rene Boer
84. (The) Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues – Patrick Lencioni
85. I Quit But Forgot To Tell You – Terri Kabachnick
86. It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy – Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
87. Manager Of Choice – Nancy Ahlrichs
88. (The) One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
89. Ownership Thinking – Brad Hams
90. (The) Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability – Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman
91. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain
92. Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else – Geoff Colvin
93. Telling Ain’t Training: How You and Your Learners Can Achieve Astonishing Results – Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps
94. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business – Gino Wickman
95. What People Want: A Manager’s Guide to Building Relationships That Work – Terry Bacon
96. Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul – Karin Hurt and David Dye

Personal Development

97. 5 Laws That Determine Life’s Outcomes – Brett Harward
98. (The) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change – Stephen Covey
99. (The) Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict – The Arbinger Institute
100. Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong – Eric Barker
101. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a (Really) Big Problem – Kevin DeYoung
102. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
103. Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
104. Difficult Conversations – Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Shelia Heen
105. Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation – Jay Samit
106. Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker by David Nihill
107. (The) Energy Bus – Jon Gordon
108. How To Get Control Of Your Time And Your Life – Alan Lakein
109. How To Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
110. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life … and Maybe Change the World – Admiral William H. McRaven
111. *Mastering Executive Presence: Career-Advancing Communication and Presentation Skills – Jennifer Vautier and John J. Vautier
112. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
113. Nice Bike: Meaningful Connections on the Road of Life – Mark Scharenbroich
114. (The) Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph – Ryan Holiday
115. Speak As Well As You Think: An Executive’s Guide to Excellence in Public Speaking – John M. Vautier and John J. Vautier
116. StrengthsFinder 2.0 – Tom Rath
117. Twelve Pillars – Jim Rohn and Chris Widener
118. (The) Wisdom and Teachings of Stephen R. Covey
119. You²: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps – Price Pritchett, Ph.D.

Sales & Marketing

120. (The) 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries and Jack Trout
121. (The) Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results – Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, Pat Spenner, and Nick Toman
122. (The) Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation – Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
123. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers – Geoffrey A. Moore
124. Let’s Get Real Or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship – Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig
125. *Marketing Your Dreams: Lessons in Business and Life from Bill Veeck, Baseball’s Marketing Genius – Pat Williams and Michael Weinreb
126. *Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers Hardcover – Seth Godin
127. Smart Prospecting That Works Every Time! – Michael Krause
128. (The) Trusted Advisor – David Maister

Sports-Themed

129. (The) Carolina Way – Dean Smith, Gerald Bell, and John Kligo
130. Coach K’s Little Blue Book: Lessons from College Basketball’s Best Coach – Barry Jacobs
131. Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success – John Wooden and Jay Carty
132. (The) Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership – John Wooden and Steve Jamison
133. Everyone’s A Coach – Ken Blanchard and Don Shula
134. *Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently – Don Yeager
135. Hard Work – Roy Williams and Tim Crothers
136. How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don Meyer – Buster Olney
137. How To Be Like Coach Wooden: Life Lessons from Basketball’s Greatest Leader – Pat Williams
138. *(The) Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball – John Feinstein
139. *(The) Road to 138: The Inside Story of the Insanely Fast, Record-Breaking Grinnell Pioneers – Ross Preston
140. Rudy’s Insights For Winning In Life – Rudy Ruettiger
141. *Run To The Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear – Paul Assaiante and James Zug
142. Russell Rules: 11 Leadership Lessons from the 20^th Century’s Greatest Winner – Bill Russell with David Falkner
143. Walk-On: Life From the End of the Bench – Alan Williams
144. (The) Wisdom of Walk-Ons: 7 Winning Strategies for College, Business, and Life – Dr. Paul Corona

Miscellaneous

145. (The) Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama
146. Before You Join a Board – John Balkom
147. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcom Gladwell
148. Dead On Arrival: How to Avoid the Legal Mistakes that Could Kill Your Startup – Roger Royse
149. *Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance – Barack Obama
150. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel Pink
151. (The) Last Lecture – Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
152. (The) Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley and William Danko
153. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom – Carol Kelly-Gangi
154. Professor Wellstone Goes To Washington: The Inside Story of a Grassroots U.S. Senate Campaign – Dennis McGrath and Dane Smith
155. Race For Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations – Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers
156. Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way and How it Manifests Itself in the World – new English version by Stephen Mitchell
157. (The) Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcom Gladwell
158. Wherever Men Trade: The Romance of the Cash Register – Isaac Marcosson

Jim Roddy is the Vice President of Marketing for the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA). He has been active in the POS channel since 1998, including 11 years as the President of Business Solutions Magazine, six years as an RSPA board member, one term as RSPA Chairman of the Board, and several years as a business coach for VARs, ISVs, and MSPs. Jim is regularly requested to speak at industry conferences and he is author of Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer. For more information, contact JRoddy@GoRSPA.org.