As an entrepreneur, you’re interested in numbers. However, it can be tough to measure the monetary impact of paying attention to your brand or general workflows. As a result, many leaders forgo focusing on workplace culture and other harder-to-monitor aspects of running a company.
Here’s the truth, though: Investing in any aspect of your business, like employee engagement, can directly affect your bottom line. The more concentration you put into bettering all your corporate systems—including “soft” ones—the more benefits you’ll see financially.
Where can you start? The following 10 authors have some suggestions.
Investing in any aspect of your business, like employee engagement, can directly affect your bottom … [+]
1. Louis Llanes – Financial Freedom Blueprint
Before you can put effort into your business, you may want to ensure your wealth is in a good place. As author Louis Llanes can attest, being fiscally secure removes stress from your life. And when you’re less anxious, you can concentrate more effectively on helping your organization be its best.
In Financial Freedom Blueprint, Llanes shares his method for stewarding your resources. He’s a firm believer that you can plan and invest your way to an early retirement and full-fledged financial freedom. Throughout the book, he explains everything you need to know about tailoring a terrific financial portfolio. That way, you can work on other things… like leading your team!
2. Natalie Dawson – TeamWork
What are the cornerstones to an engaged, satisfied workforce that makes great decisions—including when you’re not looking? According to Natalie Dawson, they’re alignment, development, and transition. Yet it’s tough to get everyone on the same page. That’s where TeamWork fits in.
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Dawson’s work delivers you a clear-cut framework for establishing and growing your team’s acumen and performance. She’ll teach you how to power up your managerial abilities and realize the benefits that come from a thriving culture (even a remote one) that’s irresistible to talented workers.
3. Emmet Scott – DSO Secrets
Sometimes, the key to improving your business is to investigate—and replicate—what works in other organizations. And you’ll be amazed at all the usable tips revealed in DSO Secrets, no matter your industry.
What hints can you expect from this page-turner written about building world-class dental practices? For one, you’ll better understand the intrinsic value of providing unsurpassed customer experiences for your brand and your sales pipeline. Plus, you’ll hear about some major mistakes other businesses have made and you’d be wise to avoid, too.
4. Mike Malatesta – Owner Shift
Finding your fuel as a company founder sounds much easier than it is. So many things can sap your spirit. Over time, you end up feeling like you can’t spend the energy you want in growing your brand, reputation, and reach. That’s why you need an Owner Shift.
Author Mike Malatesta openly talks about his painful journey to figuring out how to be a powerful CEO. Prepare to be highly entertained as you move from chapter to chapter. Owner Shift has a serious message but is delivered with just the right mix of wit. So get prepared to chuckle as you meet the nasty, gritty characters who ultimately did Malatesta a big favor.
5. Jason Williford – The Ultimate Real Estate Machine
The real estate sector has its own rules, as you’ll discover in The Ultimate Real Estate Machine. Written by real estate expert Jason Williford, this tell-all explains how to stand out in a hyper-competitive field. And few industries are as intense as real estate. It’s a killer environment with killer rewards for those who master the machinery.
Why include Williford’s work on your bookshelf if you’re not a realtor? You’ll gain nuggets of marketing ideas, find out about revenue pillars, and understand how to boost your influencer quotient. As a side benefit, you’ll find gems of advice that belong in the back of every CEO’s mind.
6. Evan Ryan – AI as Your Teammate
You’re probably using AI in your business in some capacity. Perhaps you have a customer support AI chatbot installed, for instance. Is it enough, though? Read Evan Ryan’s work, AI as Your Teammate, for a thoughtful answer.
Ryan dispels the misconception that small companies can’t use AI to their advantage, like keeping your payroll at a sustainable level. However, that doesn’t mean you should whittle away your staff just because you apply some AI tools. Instead, keep your team members in their roles and free them from mind-numbing work by baking AI into your business process planning.
7. Yusuf Moolla and Conor McGarrity – The Data-Confident Internal Auditor
Perhaps your company isn’t quite large enough to have a data specialist aboard. In that circumstance, you’re probably playing the role. But do you know how to leverage your data to make more strategic management decisions, without waiting for a technical expert?
In The Data-Confident Internal Auditor, Yusuf Moolla and Conor McGarrity provide you with useful guidance when it comes to gathering and maximizing the use of your data. Always been a little data-shy? Moolla and McGarrity will give you the self-assurance to demystify data and go forward with confidence.
8. Randall Powers and Dr. Donte Vaughn, DM – From CULTURE to CULTURE
From CULTURE to CULTURE shows you how to freshen up the culture among your workers without giving in to fake corporate culture beliefs. Authors Randall Powers and Dr. Donte Vaughn spend time debunking fascinating—and pervasive— workplace culture myths before diving into the meat of this book.
In From CULTURE TO CULTURE, you’ll be led through the pillars necessary to construct a healthy, supportive culture. The more you bolster each pillar, the more genuine and solid your company’s foundation will be. That’s good for your business, especially in an era when employees are willing to leave employers that don’t measure up.
9. Richard Thalheimer – The Sharper Investor
Richard Thalheimer, former founder and CEO of The Sharper Image, had an uncanny ability to source and sell the right products at the right time. Since leaving his iconic company, he’s taken his skill sets further by becoming an investment guru.
No matter what kinds of investments you want to consider for your company or yourself, The Sharper Investor will assist you in making smarter choices. Looking for a gift? This may be the perfect book not just for you but to give to your team members so they can know how to invest their wealth.
10. Barry Magliarditi – Sex, Drugs, and Radical Self-Expression
Feel you’re pushing a boulder up a mountain when it comes to running your organization? When things get tough, pick up Sex, Drugs, and Radical Self-Expression and hear how Barry Magliarditi took his life from the lowest points possible to the highest ones imaginable.
Magliarditi breaks down three areas that will help you contribute to your wellness in and out of work: your head, heart, and hand. This is one of those books that you’ll want to take a weekend to read. Be sure to jot down lots of notes to share on Monday morning with the rest of your personnel.
Your organization is a system. What you do in one place affects everything else. By investing time in a variety of areas you can get more out of your brand and team.
