Summer vacations are coming to a close.  Parents around the US from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to Maine, to California, are counting down the days until school begins.  And just like anxious students, business leaders about this time are starting to think about closing the fiscal year and planning for a successful 2016.  As a result, I thought it would be good time to stop, reflect and actually take some time to get back to basics.  The next few weeks I will focus on a “Back to School” series for business leaders like myself at Florida based, Creative Choice Homes / Creative Choice Group. There are so many vital leadership topics from fiscal policy, to employee coaching, to lawsuit prevention.  Where do we start?  I have decided we should just cover them all!

The best way to educate and immerse ourselves in leadership principles is to study.  To help create a leadership study guide, I have provided a list of some of the top leadership books ever written.  These books are highly touted and are also identified as key books to read before you die according to CEO.com.

The top 5 “must read” list includes the following:

1. Never Give In! The Beset of Winston Churchill’s Speeches by Winston S. Churchill
   This is a collection of speeches spanning his career from World War I to his honorary induction as a U.S. citizen in 1963.  He had tremendous energy, charisma and the ability to inspire those around him.
2. Good to Great by Jim Collins
   Author Jim Collins addresses distinguishing business characteristics and leadership skills that help businesses succeed long term. Engaging employees, and leading by example to prevent lawsuits are aspects of this quick read. It is by far one of my personal favorites.  As the founder of Creative Choice Homes we started with humble beginnings in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  Evolving from good to great is a journey and one that has been most rewarding to me as an entrepreneur.
3. Delivering Happiness:  A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
   Fun loving, Zappos entrepreneur Tony Hsieh brings an out of the box approach to management.  His personal manifesto is that the workplace can and should provide fulfillment for employees. For the managers at Etech Global Solutions there is nothing more motivating than helping our team evolve from average, to great and then awesome!
4. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
   Written in China more than two thousand years ago, this book tells of cunning military strategies and operations that went into some of the most brilliantly executed maneuvers in Asian warfare.  These timeless principles focus on strategy, and business execution.
5. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
   In one of the most recognized motivational books in history, Dale Carnegie’s proven advice for effective communication and interaction leaves people feeling valued.  This is a great book to read and reread.

There are so many other great books that it is hard to limit the list to the top 5.  Honorable mentions include Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Covey, The Emperor’s Handbook by Aurelius, Built to Last by Collins/Porras and The Truth about Leadership by Kouzes/Posner.

So as August comes to a close, enjoy your last summer vacation days to wind down and revitalize.  But don’t forget that reading a great book can help inspire you too. Time to hit the Florida beach, curl up and read your way to greatness!