Today’s Resource Recommendation is Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Fast-Growth Firm by Verne Harnish.

If you are a business owner, mastering the habits of a legendary business success like John D. Rockefeller is a compelling thought.  The clever title is just the first of many things to like about this book.

The book opens with a compelling piece on Rockefeller’s habits and tying them to the important idea that a book of this type should be about how to do things, not all things theoretical.

The book delivers on that promise.

While written for a business owner or senior leaders in a growing organization (and if this is you, you must have this book), it contains great ideas for all leaders as well.  To give you a glimpse as to why, here is the table of contents:

  1. Mastering Growth
  2. Mastering the Right People Doing the Right Things
  3. Mastering a One Page Strategic Plan
  4. Mastering the Use of Core Values
  5. Mastering Organizational Alignment and Focus
  6. Mastering the Quarterly Theme
  7. Mastering Employee Feedback
  8. Mastering the Daily and Weekly Executive Meeting
  9. Mastering the Brand Promise
  10. Mastering the Art of Bank Financing

From the titles, you may feel some of these chapters don’t apply to you.  With the possible exception of Chapter 10, I am confident that you will find tremendous nuggets you can apply as a leader at any level and at any experience level.

I share and recommend this book with you precisely because it isn’t a purely “leadership book,” and therefore you might never be aware of it.  As a business owner, it is one of the most important books I’ve read this year.  As a leader in general, it contains tremendous lessons and opportunities for professional growth — some obvious and some requiring a bit of reflection and translation to your situation.

I assure you, these lessons are worth finding and applying.

I recommend this book highly, and encourage you to add it to your reading and application list today.

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Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He has spent over 30 years helping organizations across North America, and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more.

Twice he has been named by Inc.com as one of the Top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World and 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference. The American Management Association named him a “Leaders to Watch” and he has been twice named as one of the World's Top 30 Leadership Professionals by Global Gurus. Top Sales World has named him a Top Sales & Marketing Influencer several times, and his blog has been named on many “best of” lists. LeadersHum has named him one of the 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2023.

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