"Give and Take" by Adam Grant

Absolutely a must read for everyone. Adam is Professor of Management and Psychology at Wharton. He looks at the benefit of helping and connecting others. Better to give than take. My experience verifies that the most successful executives all have a common traits: They give of themselves to other causes and they use their networks to benefit others.

Adam divides people into 3 groups:

1) Givers….10%…. these are people who are driven by a desire to help others and create success for the group.

2) Takers…. 10%…..these people are self centered and focused on only what benefit they can get from others

3) Matchers…80%..classic quid pro quo types. I’ll help you if you help me…..

The research looks at how each type fares in their profession. Givers are the clear winners. Regardless of the industry (Finance/Entertainment/Medicine/Education etc.) Givers are 3-6x more successful.

Takers are next but a long way back. Matchers last.

What makes Givers so successful? They give without seeking anything in return. Generous of spirit. They offer up their networks to benefit all members of the network. But they don’t get run over or abused.

A world class CEO said to me after reading “Given and Take”, “ This might be the most important business book I’ve ever read. And I read them all.”

Please feel free to comment on any of these recommendations and suggest other sources that might be helpful.

"SPIN SELLING" by Neil Rackham

This book is a seminal piece.

Rackham set out to determine what kind of questions the best salespeople used to get a sale done. What he discovered was that the best all asked specific types of questions in in a specific order.

S - Situation Questions : What is going on?

P - Problem Questions: Identify the problem and have client expand on the pain.

I - Implication Questions: What are the implications of this problem persisting?

N - Need-Payoff Questions: What would help make that problem go away?

This system has been taught for years. If you are interested in sales, you must read this at some point.

Please feel free to comment on any of these recommendations and suggest other sources that might be helpful.

"WHEN" by Daniel Pink

This is a fascinating book on the psychology and neurology of time. Pink explores how our bodies react at different times of the day. (Note: Never get surgery in the early afternoon!), the benefits of breaks and how we remember.

As I have always discussed with clients, humans are the only creatures who focus on the concept of future. Usually looking at the problems, issues and concerns they have. They react to people who can help make the future clearer, with less problems.

This book is a great read. Highly recommend it.

Please feel free to comment on any of these recommendations and suggest other sources that might be helpful.