By: Jim Roddy, President & CEO at the RSPA

Roddy’s Recommended Reading is back and bigger than ever! For the past 18+ 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 seven years ago and have updated annually since then. The list has expanded to 223 books thanks to recommendations from many of my SMB executive friends and RSPA members.

Over the past 12 months, I’ve read 14 additional books, each new title identified on the list below with an asterisk (*). Roddy’s Recommended Reading is categorized by subject and then listed in alphabetical order. To help make this over 200-title list more digestible, my 32 most highly recommended books are marked with a number sign (#). While every title on this list is at least very good, the highly recommended books are head of the class.

Of the new books I added this year, the most impactful was Soundtracks by Jon Acuff. The premise of the book is your thoughts are the personal “soundtrack” for your life. You can fill your mind with broken soundtracks – negative stories you tell yourself about yourself and the world – or you can transform your thoughts from a super problem into a super power.

One example of a broken soundtrack is seeing your co-workers only as co-workers. Instead, you can believe that everyone you work with is a business partner that you’re trying to help grow. A broken soundtrack for a VAR or ISV could be that change is a disruptive force tampering with your current business model. Instead, you can believe (like many successful solution providers do) that change presents new and potentially more profitable opportunities that you and your team can seize.

A few other quotes from the book that helped me see things differently include:

• One of the greatest mistakes you can make in life is assuming all your thoughts are true.
• Is the soundtrack you’re listening to right now, the one that’s on repeat, helpful? Does it move you forward or keep you stuck? Does it lead to a decision or limit a decision? Does it generate action or apathy?
• The best response to obstacles is to do it anyway.
• A soundtrack without action is just a fortune cookie. The fastest way to make a new soundtrack true is to turn it into action.

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

# denotes highly recommended

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) Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty – Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick Delisi
4. (The) Loyalty Effect – Fred Reichheld
5. Loyalty Rules: How Today’s Leaders Build Lasting Relationships – Fred Reichheld
6. #Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service – Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

General Business & Strategy

7. 3HAG Way: The Strategic Execution System that Ensures Your Strategy is Not a Wild-Ass Guess! – Shannon Byrne Susko
8. (The) Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business – Patrick Lencioni
9. (The) Art of War – Sun Tzu
10. (The) Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry – John Warrillow
11. Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
12. Built To Last – Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
13. Built To Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You – John Warrillow
14. Creating Competitive Advantage – Jaynie Smith and William Flanagan
15. (The) Creation of Wealth: The Tatas from the 19^th to the 21^st Century – R.M. Lala
16. Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence – and How You Can, Too – Gary Vaynerchuk
17. (The) Culture Climb: How To Build a Work Culture That Maximizes Your Impact – Jaime Taets with Chelsey Paulson
18. (The) Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups – Daniel Coyle
19. (The) Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) – Seth Godin
20. Double Digit Growth: How Great Companies Achieve It No Matter What – Michael Treacy
21. Double Your Profits in 6 Months or Less – Bob Fifer
22. (The) Driving Force: Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People – Peter W. Schutz
23. Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future – Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert and Mark W. Johnson
24. #(The) E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber
25. #Escape Velocity: Free Your Company’s Future from the Pull of the Past – Geoffrey A. Moore
26. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are – Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
27. From Impossible to Inevitable: How Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue – Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin
28. #Getting To Plan B – John Mullins and Randy Komisar
29. (The) Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement – Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
30. #Good To Great – Jim Collins
31. Great By Choice – Jim Collins and Moren Hansen
32. #(The) Great Game of Business – Jack Stack
33. Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies – Jim Stengel
34. #How The Mighty Fall – Jim Collins
35. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best Run Companies – Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman
36. Innovation Made Simple – Jeff Havens
37. Inside the Magic Kingdom: 7 Keys to Disney’s Success – Tom Connellan
38. Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
39. *Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers – Chip Heath and Karla Starr
40. Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace – Ricardo Semler
41. Maximize Business Value: Begin with the Exit in Mind – Tom Bronson
42. Maximize Business Value Playbook: 65 Specific Actions to Dramatically Increase the Value of Your Business – Tom Bronson
43. Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World – Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
44. Nuts!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success – Kevin and Jackie Frieberg
45. On The Edge with Jim Roddy: Practical Advice for High-Initiative, Growth-Oriented VARs and ISVs – Jim Roddy
46. Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow – Chip Conley
47. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time – Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang
48. #(The) Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact – Chip and Dan Heath
49. Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade – Robert Cialdini
50. #Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable – Seth Godin
51. Restauranteur: Protect Your Profits! Discover Restaurant Scams and Technology Solutions – Don Potter
52. Roadside MBA: Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives, and Small Business Owners – Michael Mazzeo, Paul Oyer, and Scott Schaefer
53. Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make it … and Why the Rest Don’t – Verne Harnish
54. *Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons In Life – Richard Branson
55. (The) Search: How Google and its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business – John Battelle
56. (The) SEI Way: Values and Practices of a Growing Company – Ron Alvesteffer, CEO, Service Express Inc.
57. Simplify – Richard Koch and Greg Lockwood
58. Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big – Bo Burlingham
59. Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
60. Technology-as-a-Service Playbook: How to Grow a Profitable Subscription Business – Thomas Lah and J.B. Wood
61. That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea – Marc Randolph
62. (The) Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future – Steve Case
63. (The) Toilet Paper Entrepreneur – Mike Michalowicz
64. #Turning the Flywheel: Why Some Companies Build Momentum … and Others Don’t (A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great) – Jim Collins
65. #Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen – Dan Heath
66. Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool for Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future – Cameron Herold
67. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?: Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround – Lou Gerstner
68. Your Stand Is Your Brand: How Deciding Who to Be (NOT What to Do) Will Revolutionize Your Business – Patrick Gentempo
69. Zone to Win: Organizing to Compete in an Age of Disruption – Geoffrey A. Moore

Hiring

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

Leadership

74. (The) 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
75. (The) 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You – John C. Maxwell
76. Authentic Leadership – Bill George
77. (The) CEO Next Door: The Four Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders – Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell
78. *Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. – Brené Brown
79. Great Leaders Ask Questions: A Fortune 100 List – Bob Tiede
80. Influence – Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.
81. Jack: Straight From The Gut – Jack Welch with John Byrne
82. Jack Welch and the 4Es of Leadership – Jeffrey Krames
83. Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t – Simon Sinek
84. Leadership And The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigami and Drea Zigami
85. (The) Leadership Handbook: 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs – John Maxwell
86. #Leadership in Turbulent Times – Doris Kearns Goodwin
87. Leading From Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams – David Burkus
88. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead – Sheryl Sandberg
89. *(The) Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership – Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel
90. Many Parts, One Body: Healthier Leaders, Healthier Teams, A Healthier You – Rubi Ho
91. (The) Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities – Patrick Lencioni
92. #Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter – Liz Wiseman
93. (The) Power of Thanks – Eric Mosley and Derek Irvine
94. (The) Power of Your Leadership: Making a Difference with Others – John C. Maxwell
95. #Radical Trust: How Today’s Great Leaders Convert People to Partners – Joe Healey
96. (The) Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership – James C. Hunter
97. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power & Greatness – Robert K. Greenleaf
98. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek
99. #Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent – Sydney Finkelstein
100. #Then Darkness Fled: The Liberating Wisdom of Booker T. Washington – Stephen Mansfield
101. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
102. Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders – L. David Marquet
103. (The) Vision Driven Leader: 10 Questions to Focus Your Efforts, Energize Your Team, and Scale Your Business – Michael Hyatt

Management

104. 2-Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Lean Culture – Paul A. Akers
105. 30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers – Bruce Katcher
106. *Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation – Dan Schawbel
107. Building Trust: How to Get it! How to Keep it! – Hyler Bracey
108. (The) Carrot Principle – Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
109. (The) Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right – Atul Gawande
110. Culture By Design: Eight Simple Steps to Drive Better Individual and Organizational Performance – David J. Friedman
111. (The) Daily Drucker: 365 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done – Peter Drucker with Joseph Maciariello
112. Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise – Horst Schulze
113. #Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done – Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
114. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
115. First Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently – Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
116. Get A Grip: How to Get Everything You Want from Your Entrepreneurial Business – Gino Wickman and Mike Paton
117. How Did That Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way – Roger Connors and Tom Smith
118. How To Be A Great Boss – Gino Wickman and Rene Boer
119. #(The) Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues – Patrick Lencioni
120. *Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love – Marty Cagan
121. I Quit But Forgot To Tell You – Terri Kabachnick
122. It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy – Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
123. Manager Of Choice – Nancy Ahlrichs
124. #(The) One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
125. Ownership Thinking – Brad Hams
126. (The) Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability – Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman
127. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain
128. ROE Powers ROI – R. Michael Rose
129. Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else – Geoff Colvin
130. Telling Ain’t Training: How You and Your Learners Can Achieve Astonishing Results – Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps
131. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business – Gino Wickman
132. What People Want: A Manager’s Guide to Building Relationships That Work – Terry Bacon
133. What the Heck is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees and Companies Running EOS – Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer
134. Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul – Karin Hurt and David Dye

Personal Development

135. (The) 4-Hour Workweek – Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Tim Ferriss
136. (The) 5AM Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast – Jeff Sanders
137. 5 Laws That Determine Life’s Outcomes – Brett Harward
138. (The) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change – Stephen Covey
139. (The) Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict – The Arbinger Institute
140. (The) Beauty of Discomfort: How What We Avoid is What We Need – Amanda Lang
141. Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong – Eric Barker
142. Chief Maker: The 5-Step Blueprint to Rising Above the Pack and Getting a Seat on the Executive Team – Greg Layton
143. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a (Really) Big Problem – Kevin DeYoung
144. #Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
145. #Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
146. Difficult Conversations – Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Shelia Heen
147. Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation – Jay Samit
148. #Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker by David Nihill
149. Ego is the Enemy – Ryan Holiday
150. (The) Energy Bus – Jon Gordon
151. (The) Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea – Bob Burg and John David Mann
152. How To Get Control Of Your Time And Your Life – Alan Lakein
153. How To Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
154. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life … and Maybe Change the World – Admiral William H. McRaven
155. Mastering Executive Presence: Career-Advancing Communication and Presentation Skills – Jennifer Vautier and John J. Vautier
156. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
157. Nice Bike: Meaningful Connections on the Road of Life – Mark Scharenbroich
158. #(The) Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph – Ryan Holiday
159. *(The) Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves – The Arbinger Institute
160. Read To Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career – Jeff Brown and Jesse Wisnewski
161. (The) Real-Life MBA: Your No-BS Guide to Winning the Game, Building a Team, and Growing Your Career – Jack and Suzy Welch
162. *#Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking – Jon Acuff
163. #Speak As Well As You Think: An Executive’s Guide to Excellence in Public Speaking – John M. Vautier and John J. Vautier
164. StrengthsFinder 2.0 – Tom Rath
165. *Talk Like TED – Carmine Gallo
166. Twelve Pillars – Jim Rohn and Chris Widener
167. #(The) Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success: 31 Underdogs Who Became Extraordinary (And So Can You!) – Jim Roddy :)
168. *Winning Body Language: Control the Conversation, Command Attention, and Convey the Right Message without Saying a Word – Mark Bowden
169. (The) Wisdom and Teachings of Stephen R. Covey
170. You²: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps – Price Pritchett, Ph.D.
171. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life – Jen Sincero

Sales & Marketing

172. (The) 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries and Jack Trout
173. *All Marketers are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All – Seth Godin
174. *Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen – Donald Miller
175. (The) Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results – Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, Pat Spenner, and Nick Toman
176. #(The) Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation – Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
177. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers – Geoffrey A. Moore
178. Let’s Get Real Or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship – Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig
179. Marketing Your Dreams: Lessons in Business and Life from Bill Veeck, Baseball’s Marketing Genius – Pat Williams and Michael Weinreb
180. New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development – Mike Weinberg
181. *(The) Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts – Ryan Holiday
182. #Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers – Seth Godin
183. (The) Serving Mindset: Stop Selling and Grow Your Business – Farnoosh Brock
184. Smart Prospecting That Works Every Time! – Michael Krause
185. #(The) Trusted Advisor – David Maister

Sports-Themed

186. Anchor Up: Competitive Greatness the Grand Valley Way – Tim Selgo
187. (The) Carolina Way – Dean Smith, Gerald Bell, and John Kligo
188. Coach K’s Little Blue Book: Lessons from College Basketball’s Best Coach – Barry Jacobs
189. Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success – John Wooden and Jay Carty
190. (The) Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership – John Wooden and Steve Jamison
191. Everyone’s A Coach – Ken Blanchard and Don Shula
192. Fear is a Choice – James Conner with Tiffany Yecke Brooks
193. Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently – Don Yeager
194. Hard Work – Roy Williams and Tim Crothers
195. How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don Meyer – Buster Olney
196. How To Be Like Coach Wooden: Life Lessons from Basketball’s Greatest Leader – Pat Williams
197. (The) Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball – John Feinstein
198. *(The) Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End – Gary M. Pomerantz
199. (The) Road to 138: The Inside Story of the Insanely Fast, Record-Breaking Grinnell Pioneers – Ross Preston
200. Run To The Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear – Paul Assaiante and James Zug
201. Russell Rules: 11 Leadership Lessons from the 20^th Century’s Greatest Winner – Bill Russell with David Falkner
202. Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary – Ernie Johnson Jr.
203. Walk-On: Life From the End of the Bench – Alan Williams
204. (The) Wisdom of Walk-Ons: 7 Winning Strategies for College, Business, and Life – Dr. Paul Corona
205. Wooden: A Coach’s Life – Seth Davis

Miscellaneous

206. (The) Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama
207. Before You Join a Board – John Balkom
208. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcom Gladwell
209. Dead On Arrival: How to Avoid the Legal Mistakes that Could Kill Your Startup – Roger Royse
210. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance – Barack Obama
211. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel Pink
212. Inspire Action: The Definitive Guide to Audience Management – David Wible
213. (The) Last Lecture – Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
214. Little Book of Big “Leading with Questions” Quotes – Bob Tiede
215. (The) Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley and William Danko
216. #Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom – Carol Kelly-Gangi
217. Now That’s a Great Question – Bob Tiede
218. Powerful Panels: A step-by-step guide to moderating lively and informative panel discussions at meetings, conferences, and conventions – Kristin Arnold
219. Professor Wellstone Goes To Washington: The Inside Story of a Grassroots U.S. Senate Campaign – Dennis McGrath and Dane Smith
220. Race For Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations – Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers
221. #Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way and How it Manifests Itself in the World – new English version by Stephen Mitchell
222. (The) Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcom Gladwell
223. Wherever Men Trade: The Romance of the Cash Register – Isaac Marcosson