By: Jim Roddy, VP of Sales & Marketing at the RSPA

For the past 10+ years, I’ve dedicated time most every 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 four years ago and have updated annually since then. The list has expanded to 168 books thanks to recommendations from many of my SMB executive friends.

Over the past 12 months, I’ve read 10 additional books, each new title identified on the list below with an asterisk (*). I have a valid reason why a typically voracious reader like myself fell behind a one-book-per-month pace in 2020. In September I published my own book, The Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success, profiles of 31 underdog non-scholarship athletes who parlayed their college experience into habits that led to success in a variety of professions. The book’s core message is that ordinary people will accomplish extraordinary feats when their energy is properly channeled. To learn more about The Walk-On Method, check out its Amazon page or reach out to me anytime.

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. *Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence – and How You Can, Too – Gary Vaynerchuk
15. Double Digit Growth: How Great Companies Achieve It No Matter What – Michael Treacy
16. Double Your Profits in 6 Months or Less – Bob Fifer
17. (The) Driving Force: Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People – Peter W. Schutz
18. Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future – Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert and Mark W. Johnson
19. (The) E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber
20. Escape Velocity: Free Your Company’s Future from the Pull of the Past – Geoffrey A. Moore
21. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are – Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
22. From Impossible to Inevitable: How Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue – Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin
23. Getting To Plan B – John Mullins and Randy Komisar
24. (The) Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement – Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
25. Good To Great – Jim Collins
26. Great By Choice – Jim Collins and Moren Hansen
27. (The) Great Game of Business – Jack Stack
28. Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies – Jim Stengel
29. How The Mighty Fall – Jim Collins
30. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best Run Companies – Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman
31. Innovation Made Simple – Jeff Havens
32. Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
33. Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace – Ricardo Semler
34. *Maximize Business Value: Begin with the Exit in Mind – Tom Bronson
35. Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World – Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
36. Nuts!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success – Kevin and Jackie Frieberg
37. On The Edge with Jim Roddy: Practical Advice for High-Initiative, Growth-Oriented VARs and ISVs – Jim Roddy
38. Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow – Chip Conley
39. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time – Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang
40. (The) Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact – Chip and Dan Heath
41. Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade – Robert Cialdini
42. Restauranteur: Protect Your Profits! Discover Restaurant Scams and Technology Solutions – Don Potter
43. Roadside MBA: Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives, and Small Business Owners – Michael Mazzeo, Paul Oyer, and Scott Schaefer
44. Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make it … and Why the Rest Don’t – Verne Harnish
45. (The) Search: How Google and its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business – John Battelle
46. (The) SEI Way: Values and Practices of a Growing Company – Ron Alvesteffer, CEO, Service Express Inc.
47. Simplify – Richard Koch and Greg Lockwood
48. Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big – Bo Burlingham
49. Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
50. Technology-as-a-Service Playbook: How to Grow a Profitable Subscription Business – Thomas Lah and J.B. Wood
51. (The) Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future – Steve Case
52. (The) Toilet Paper Entrepreneur – Mike Michalowicz
53. *Turning the Flywheel: Why Some Companies Build Momentum … and Others Don’t (A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great) – Jim Collins
54. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?: Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround – Lou Gerstner

Hiring

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

Leadership

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

Management

80. 2-Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Lean Culture – Paul A. Akers
81. 30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers – Bruce Katcher
82. *Building Trust: How to Get it! How to Keep it! – Hyler Bracey
83. (The) Carrot Principle – Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
84. *(The) Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right – Atul Gawande
85. *Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise – Horst Schulze
86. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done – Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
87. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
88. First Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently – Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
89. How Did That Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way – Roger Connors and Tom Smith
90. How To Be A Great Boss – Gino Wickman and Rene Boer
91. (The) Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues – Patrick Lencioni
92. I Quit But Forgot To Tell You – Terri Kabachnick
93. It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy – Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
94. Manager Of Choice – Nancy Ahlrichs
95. (The) One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
96. Ownership Thinking – Brad Hams
97. (The) Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability – Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman
98. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain
99. Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else – Geoff Colvin
100. Telling Ain’t Training: How You and Your Learners Can Achieve Astonishing Results – Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps
101. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business – Gino Wickman
102. What People Want: A Manager’s Guide to Building Relationships That Work – Terry Bacon
103. Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul – Karin Hurt and David Dye

Personal Development

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

Sales & Marketing

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

Sports-Themed

137. (The) Carolina Way – Dean Smith, Gerald Bell, and John Kligo
138. Coach K’s Little Blue Book: Lessons from College Basketball’s Best Coach – Barry Jacobs
139. Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success – John Wooden and Jay Carty
140. (The) Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership – John Wooden and Steve Jamison
141. Everyone’s A Coach – Ken Blanchard and Don Shula
142. Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently – Don Yeager
143. Hard Work – Roy Williams and Tim Crothers
144. How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don Meyer – Buster Olney
145. How To Be Like Coach Wooden: Life Lessons from Basketball’s Greatest Leader – Pat Williams
146. (The) Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball – John Feinstein
147. (The) Road to 138: The Inside Story of the Insanely Fast, Record-Breaking Grinnell Pioneers – Ross Preston
148. Rudy’s Insights For Winning In Life – Rudy Ruettiger
149. Run To The Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear – Paul Assaiante and James Zug
150. Russell Rules: 11 Leadership Lessons from the 20^th Century’s Greatest Winner – Bill Russell with David Falkner
151. Walk-On: Life From the End of the Bench – Alan Williams
152. *(The) Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success: 31 Underdogs Who Became Extraordinary (And So Can You!) – Jim Roddy :)
153. (The) Wisdom of Walk-Ons: 7 Winning Strategies for College, Business, and Life – Dr. Paul Corona

Miscellaneous

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

Jim Roddy is the Vice President of Sales & 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 The Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer. For more information, contact JRoddy@GoRSPA.org.