Need to add some books to your summer reading list? Giant Voices founder and CEO, Pascha Apter, recommends 3 compelling, growth-focused reads that’ll transform your thoughts, empower your next steps and ignite your ambition.
I’m not one to lounge around and watch TV. That’s just not my style. I’m at my best when I’m busy and productive. Whether I’m leading Giant Voices, coaching my team, guiding clients or keeping up with my young adult kids, I’m always moving.
When I “slow down,” I’m filling my brain with knowledge I can apply to all of the above. So, what have I been reading this summer? So glad you asked.
The Art of Profitability
There is no single way to achieve profitability, and a business model that works in one industry may not be as successful in another.
In The Art of Profitability, Adrian Slywotzky explores 23 different ways to structure profitable enterprises with a master-to-student narrative that instantly grabs (and keeps) your attention.
The book contains 23 short chapters, each with a compelling story to support a business model. It’s easy to consume in bursts, and you’ll close the book feeling empowered to drive profitability in your business in a way that makes sense for you.
This book has helped me approach client work from many different angles. By learning more about what inspires and motivates my clients, I can better recommend a business model that will drive their success and profitability.
It’s also been key in helping grow the Giant Voices account executive team. We’re more focused on removing communication roadblocks and meeting our clients where they’re at than ever before, and it’s showing in all our up-trending KPIs. Give this book a read and discover strategies for transforming your business from flat to growing.
Traction
By Gino Wickman
Gino Wickman’s Traction is required reading at Giant Voices. Truly! We’ve operated under the Entrepreneurial Operating System for many years, and this year we’ve taken a Giant leap to bring more of our team in on the process.
All the Giants have read the book, and we’re rotating teams through the EOS® process. The insights gained have been invaluable, and our team feels more connected to the company and empowered in their roles than ever before.
Read Traction. Connect with an EOS® implementer. Then watch your company grow beyond what you ever dreamed possible.
This book is transformational. It will change the way you run your business, engage your team and drive growth. Wickman has developed simple, practical tools that allow leaders to focus on the big picture without losing sight of the day-to-day activities that must be completed to achieve the company’s growth goals. I’ve read this book several times, and I pick up new nuggets with each re-read. It’s that powerful.
Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
With a title like this, I’m pretty sure Kim Malone Scott wrote Radical Candor for me specifically—or at least for entrepreneurs just like me.
Those who care deeply about developing their employees and want to balance being “obnoxiously aggressive… and ruinously empathetic,” as the description on GoodReads so aptly put it. There’s a balance; it takes serious introspection and internal reflection to bring it to light.
Being a good manager isn’t a skill that happens overnight. It takes practice to hone the skills and your personal style into a coaching and management method that uplifts employees to unleash their greatest strengths, capabilities and potential.
It is always my, and my business partners’ goal to bring out the Giant in every team member—and that looks different for everyone. Managers will read Radical Candor and see a bit of themselves in between the lines. They’ll also learn strategies for becoming Kickass Bosses that become driving forces for both company and employee growth.
What are you reading this summer?
If you’re reading anything enlightening that can help fellow entrepreneurs achieve their ambitions, share it in the comments below! Be Fearless! Be Ambitious! Be Giant!
– Pascha Apter, Giant Voices CEO
