Clients, young professionals, alumni and students repeatedly ask me for book recommendations. Therefore, I have assembled a list of books that have inspired me, enlightened me or challenged my way of thinking. I hope that during this 2016 holiday season some of these books find their way into your respective homes. Thank you to my valued readers for reading Sutton Impact, but more importantly thank you to these authors for writing, and helping to shape the best practices of the sports industry.
■ If I was in sales, I would be sure to read:
“On Selling,” by Mark McCormack
“Rainmaking Conversations,” by Mark Schultz
“The Perfect Salesforce,” by Derek Gatehouse
My Top 10
1. “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins. My go-to recommendation for team presidents and leaders. The enemy to the pursuit of excellence is being satisfied with being good.
2. “Veeck as in Wreck,” by Bill Veeck and Ed Linn. Written in 1962, it is still the best demonstration that taking the time to know your fan base and what is important to them can have a significant impact upon attendance. The classic treatise on why not.
3. “All Marketers Tell Stories,” by Seth Godin. No book does a better job of explaining the significance of storytelling and how to tell your story.
4. “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind,” by Al Ries and Jack Trout. A classic about understanding how people process information and think about it and the best way to communicate to them.
5. “Hug Your Customers,” by Jack Mitchell. The best book I have ever read about customer relationships and how to maintain and maximize lifetime value with your customers. I was so inspired after reading this book I spent an afternoon visiting with Jack at his shop.
6. “The Tipping Point,” by Malcolm Gladwell. When a concept becomes part of the business lexicon, you know the idea has resonated with the masses.
7. “Staying Street Smart in the Internet Age,” by Mark McCormack. Written at the onset of the internet age, the late Mark McCormack cautioned us that the internet is a tool that can enhance relationships but not replace them, and at some point there will be a conversation in the sales process and that will always be an integral part of the sales process.
8. “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Patrick Lencioni. Should be required reading of every executive promoted to run a sports organization. Leadership involves identifying issues and dealing with them to make the team most effective — and hopefully preventing problems before they arise.
9. “Creativity, Inc.,” by Ed Catmull. How to build and maintain an innovative and creative culture in the quest of organizational excellence.
10. Tie — “Purple Cow,” by Seth Godin, and “Differentiate or Die,” by Jack Trout. Two great reads about the importance of finding how you can be perceived as different and how that difference can define your place (and success) in your market.
“Ice to the Eskimos,” by Jon Spoelstra
“Salesman from the Sidelines,” by McCready Huston — a great find talking about Knute Rockne’s experiences as national sales manager for Studebaker.
“Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions,” by Keith Rosen
■ If I were in marketing /branding, my must reads would be:
“Making Meaning,” by Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff and Darrel Rhea
“The Entertainment Economy,” by Michael Wolfe
“Tell to Win,” by Peter Guber
“A New Brand World,” by Scott Bedbury
“Fascinate,” by Sally Hogshead
“The Experience Economy,” by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore
“The Storytelling Animal,” by Jonathan Gottschall
“Lovemarks,” by Kevin Roberts
“Made to Stick,” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
■ If I were working in customer relations and retention, I wouldn’t miss reading:
“Pour Your Heart Into It,” by Howard Schultz
“The Nordstrom Way,” by Spector and McCarthy
“The Customer Comes Second,” by Hal Rosenbluth
“The Starbucks Experience,” by Joseph Michelli
“The Thank You Economy,” by Gary Vaynerchuk
“Aftermarketing,” by Terry Vavra
“Outliers,” by Malcolm Gladwell
“Discovering the Soul of Service,” by Leonard Berry
“Wired to Care,” by Dev Patnaik
■ As a current C-level executive or someone aspiring to become one, I would have the following books on my night stand:
“David and Goliath,” by Malcolm Gladwell
“Blink,” by Malcolm Gladwell
“The Connected Company,” by Dave Gray
“Fun is Good,” by Mike Veeck
“Hug Your People,” by Jack Mitchell
“Death by Meeting,” by Patrick Lencioni
“Start with Why,” by Simon Sinek
“Switch,” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
“Wooden on Leadership,” by John Wooden and Steve Jamison
“Drive,” by Daniel Pink
■ As a student or someone aspiring to enter the job market or change career direction, I would read:
“The Power of Who,” by Bob Beaudine
■ Finally, a few selection from my bookshelf to challenge my thinking about the future.
“Total Engagement,” by Byron Reeves and J. Leighton Read
“The Extreme Future,” by James Canton
“The Business of Belief,” by Tom Asacker
“The Art of War for Women,” by Chin-ning Chu
“The Steve Jobs Way,” by Jay Elliott with William L. Simon
There are lots of lists out there and anyone can create one. This is my list — books that have helped me in my teaching and in my consulting practice. This shouldn’t take the place of your list or anyone else’s for that matter, what it should do is expand those lists and possibly introduce you to new authors.
Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell are my go-to authors — I don’t need to see a book review to make the purchase. I hope this list will convince you to try a new author or dive deeper into a particular aspect of business.
Happy Holidays.
Bill Sutton (wsutton1@usf.edu) is the founding director of the sport and entertainment business management MBA at the University of South Florida and principal of Bill Sutton & Associates. Follow him on Twitter @Sutton_ImpactU.
