Not sure what business books to read? We interviewed 150 of the Fortune 500 CEOs and turned their book recommendations into short, actionable, thought-provoking book summaries.

Created with the unique perspective of the veteran and small business owner in mind, "Tackling the Titans" goes right to the heart of what works and what doesn't. Its topics include how to present a business case, develop and deliver a quick value proposition and capability statement, and how to stand out among similar competitors.

The author of The House That Roone Built expands on his popular article for Fortune on "God and Business" to describe what it means to perform at the highest moral and ethical standards while fulfilling the goals and needs of the business world, and examines how this new emphasis on values can promote corporate success. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

What do legendary leaders from Disney, GE, GM, Johnson & Johnson, Boeing, eBay, Microsoft, Time Warner, LensCrafters, Chiquita, Walmart, Pepsi, and Saatchi+Saatchi have in common? They all learned the critical importance of values as managers at Procter & Gamble. And, since departing for leadership roles elsewhere, many have remained members of the P & G Alumni Network. Now you can share the powerful lessons learned at P & G. The P & G Alumni Network's When Core Values Are Strategic offers no-nonsense insights into why values really are so important, and practical ways to propagate, strengthen, and act on them. Bringing together contributions from influential P & G alumni worldwide, it offers a legacy to future leaders across organizations of every type and size. Discover why core values are timely, universal, and the secret to long term success on both financial and other metrics ... how top executives were shaped at P & G to make historic change in energy, aviation, technology, government, transportation, entertainment, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, and other industries ... how to build a learning culture that increases shareholder value ... why values and marketing initiatives are inseparable, and much more. This book will be an inspiration and practical resource to emerging leaders in organizations of every size and type, in every field or industry. Procter & Gamble and P & G are trade names of The Procter & Gamble Company and are used pursuant to an agreement with The Procter & Gamble Company. P & G Alumni Network is an independent organization apart from The Procter & Gamble Company.

The New CEOs looks at the women and people of color leading Fortune 500 companies, exploring the factors that have helped them achieve success and their impact on the business world and society more broadly. As recently as fifteen years ago, there had only been three women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and no African Americans. By now there have been more than 100 women, African American, Latino, and Asian-American CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Richard L. Zweigenhaft and G. William Domhoff look at these "new CEOs" closely. Weaving compelling interview excerpts with new research, the book traces how these new CEOs came to power, questions whether they differ from white male Fortune 500 CEOs in meaningful ways, asks whether the companies that hired them differ from other companies, and discusses what we can learn about power in America from the emergence of these new CEOs. As Americans continue to debate corporate compensation, glass ceilings, and colorblind relationships, The New CEOs shares information critical to understanding our current situation and looks toward the future in our increasingly globalized world. The paperback edition of The New CEOs features a new Introduction and an updated comprehensive list of new CEOs to date.

The seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina is more than a pampered princess-she's also the family spy. Which makes her the perfect emissary to check out interesting happenings in the neighboring kingdom…and nothing interests her more than Sasha, the seventh son of the king of Belrus. Ekaterina suspects he's far from the fool people think him. But before she can find out what lies beneath his facade, she is kidnapped! Trapped in a castle at the mercy of a possessive Jinn, Ekaterina knows her chances of being found are slim. Now fortune, a fool and a paper bird are the only things she can count on-along with her own clever mind and intrepid heart.…

Learn how and why putting principles first at work, changed the business culture and rocketed a little North Dakota company from the basement into a $100+ million e-commerce superstore all while having fun & delivering more to customers, business partners & employees.Find out how to massively grow your organization by getting principles ingrained into your work culture, which will help any business experience amazing success. It covers creating culture, e-commerce concepts, marketing in the digital world and finding a strategic way of life.It's about ideas, attitudes, and actions that benefit the customer, the staff, and the brand's business partners. A strategic "way of life" that, when properly executed, creates life-long customers, evangelical employees, helpful partners, and yes, some profit to boot. The title of this book is a redirect. The fortune being referred to is not money. The fortune is a combination of experiences, events, learnings, insights, and, of course, luck. The real forces behind a creating one's fortune are the principles an individual or business lives by. Principles are the external, arbitrary forces that affect human affairs and bring us good or bad fortune. And by good fortune, that doesn't imply there will not be challenges along the way; rather, good fortune is a series of experiences, not a destination. Some call it chance or luck. Good fortune is propelled positively or stifled negatively by the principles we strive to live by. We shape our fortune by our principles. Living by principles and knowing who you really are (the best or worst parts), along with the hard and soft skills you have (or are willing to put in the time to master), are the basic ingredients for personal or business fortune. Principles can be practiced personally and at work. Often folks have great personal principles but often fall short on them at work. Why? Is it fear? Is it work culture? Actually, it's a mixture of both. This book shares the principles that transformed RealTruck as a business.

LESSONS FOR EVERYONE IN BUSINESS FROM AN ALL-STAR TEAM Every six months Dennis C. Carey and Marie-Caroline von Weichs run the CEO Academy, an immersion course for newly appointed CEOs of the world’s leading companies—what Business Week called a “boot camp” for the next class of top executives. Those attending get a priceless range of unvarnished advice and invaluable lessons from an all-star team of veteran CEOs about how to get the results they were hired to achieve. What participants pay $10,000 to hear is now contained in this book, the insights and secrets of some of the most influential business leaders of our time. Here is advice from high-caliber businesspeople such as Larry Bossidy, the recently retired CEO of Honeywell International; Ray Gilmartin, the CEO of Merck; John Smale, the former chairman of General Motors and retired chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble; and John Dasburg, who has run Northwest Airlines, Burger King, and now DHL Airways. Successful CEOs aren’t the only attraction. How to Run a Company also presents America’s leading business observers and watchdogs: Nell Minow, the shareholder rights activist; Ira Millstein, the legendary attorney and power broker; Matthew Bishop, business editor of The Economist; and Joseph Badaracco, Harvard Business School’s top professor of ethics. The combined team offers original and revealing observations on how business leaders at the top of the corporate world tackle pressing challenges, such as: • How an industrial goliath like DuPont dramatically shifted its business focus • How The Home Depot changed from fast-growing, free-wheeling adolescence to the management discipline that will help it mature and continue to expand • What Michael Armstrong, who oversaw the transformation of Hughes Electronics and AT&T, advises to companies whose core business begins to disappear • How the CEO of Tyco moved quickly during his first 100 days to build a new senior management team and began to restore trust in a company battered by scandal and bad publicity • The role of the board of directors and how corporate governance should be reformed • What strategies Jack Welch’s investor relations team at GE used to constantly probe who was buying the stock, who wasn’t, and why How to Run a Company is not just for CEOs, but anyone interested in the critical make-or-break factors in today’s ever-challenging business environment. As the demands and expectations in business become ever greater and the competition tougher, here in one volume is the accumulated wisdom and experience of people who have been in the trenches during a remarkable time. How to Run a Company is the success manual for the twenty-first century. From the Hardcover edition.

Companies with strong reputations are better able to attract customers, investors, and quality employees-and to survive crises that would destroy weaker firms. Fame and Fortune shows how to quantitatively measure your company's reputation, estimate its business value, and systematically enhance it over both the short- and long-term. First, you'll learn how to benchmark your firm's reputation against key rivals in six key areas, ranging from product quality to emotional appeal. Next, you'll discover that the winners of global reputation surveys get to the top by following a set of core principles through which they build visibility, distinctiveness, consistency, authenticity, and transparency. Then, starting from where you are now, you'll learn how to implement genuine corporate initiatives that strengthen two-way dialogue with all your stakeholders, and build the "reputational capital" you will need to succeed-and thrive. Why reputations matter: the proof, in cold, hard cash. Quantifying the "unquantifiable": the value of your corporate image. The reputation audit: discovering where you stand. Six key measures of your corporate reputation. Using the "Reputation Value Cycle" to your advantage. Creating a "virtuous circle" in which reputation enhances business corporate value. Making it real: the elements of trustworthiness. Building and communicating authenticity, consistency, and transparency. Standing apart from the crowd. Improving your visibility and your distinctiveness. How FedEx did it: lessons for your organization. Reputational best practices from a company built on trust. Create quantifiable business value by building your company's reputation. The definitive business reputation guide for every corporate officer, strategist, corporate communicator, and marketing professional How to audit your reputation-and benchmark your competitor An integrated approach that cuts across communications, strategy, marketing, and organization Techniques for strengthening your reputation with investors, customers, partners, regulators, citizens, and employees Includes detailed tools from the Reputation Institute's own StellarRep(r) model, the world's #1 reputation management toolkit Companies with great reputations do better on virtually every business metric. Now, you have unprecedented access to a roadmap for building the kind of reputation you need and deserve. Drawing on unsurpassed experience and the field's best research, two leading experts illuminate reputation management for executives, business communicators, marketers, and strategists alike. You'll first review the powerful business case for actively managing your reputation. Next, you'll realistically assess where you stand in areas ranging from product quality to financial strength, vision to social responsibility... discovering how to make the most of your strengths as you overcome your weaknesses. The authors show that to improve reputation, you have to improve visibility, distinctiveness, authenticity, transparency, and consistency throughout the enterprise-not just in traditional silos like PR, advertising, or IR! Want the powerful business value that arises from a world-class reputation? One book will show you how to get it: Fame and Fortune. "A strong reputation is an enduring source of competitive advantage. In Fame and Fortune, Fombrun and van Riel show how successful companies mobilize the support of employees, consumers, and investors to strengthen their reputational capital. An excellent read!" --Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President & CEO, FedEx Corp.