3 Books Every CEO Should Read

95% of small businesses fail within the first five years, many because of a lack of business knowledge. 

It takes determination and skill to start a business, and even more to run one. That’s why, at RED, we promote being a lifelong learner. One of the most accessible ways to do that is to read.

There are plenty of books out there but, as business coaches and entrepreneurs, we think every CEO should read these three.

1. How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
2. Visioneering by Andy Stanley
3. The 5 a.m. Club by Robin Sharma

 
1. How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie What does success mean to you? As leaders, we often focus on building relationships externally. Whether that is with clients, other entrepreneurs or potential connections. We all-too-often forget about the internal relationships you need to manage at the same time. 

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie takes a deep look at the influence relationships have on your success and life as a whole. This award-winning book explores multiple pragmatic topics from how to make people like you to the “secret” of success.

We recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People because it

• Is practical and has immediate applications
• Discusses how business and personal life influence each other
• Looks at leadership from a unique perspective

2. Visoneering by Andy Stanley
In this book, Andy Stanley discusses, as you might have guessed, vision. But he goes far beyond the basics.
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Visioneering helps you to understand the vastness, capacity, potential and greatness of vision. Because of the impact of having a vision and living with intention, vision is not just about you. In his book, Stanley discusses how other people affect your vision and how you impact theirs.

In Visioneering he says: “Think about this for a moment. What would happen if you were to begin speaking to people’s potential rather than their performance? What if you made it a habit to dispense the same type of grace to others as has been poured out on you? What would happen if you intentionally laced your conversations with notions of what could be true of the people around you?”

We recommend Visioneering because it

• Makes you take a deeper look at your “why”
• Challenges you to think deeply
• Encourages you to exceed expectations

 
3. The 5 a.m. Club by Robin Sharma
​“Elite producers and everyday heroes understand that what you do each day matters far more than what you do once in a while.”
― Robin Sharma, The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.

The 5 a.m. club is a fun book filled with wisdom and understanding of how to maximize your time and day without compromising your health.

One of the most famous concepts from Sharma’s book is to wake up at 5 a.m. and follow the 20/20/20 rule to optimize your morning. That’s 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of planning and 20 minutes of study. RED’s CEO, Colette Portis, uses this formula to start her day off great. 

We recommend The 5 a.m. Club because it

• Is fun and well written
• Teaches you how to optimize your day
• Gives you exclusive tips and tricks to help you seize the day

What books have impacted your life the most? Why?