Booklist: Sagefire CEO Has "Standby" Books and "Recent Reads"

J.P. O’Brien is CEO of Sagefire, Inc., a Boulder, CO based software firm that produces KeepMore.net, the popular online accounting package. O’Brien tells us about books that are timeless for him, as well as newer books that keep him engaged and entertained. “Standbys” and “recent reads” are what he calls them and they are listed below.

Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich is a “standby” for me. It outlines a complete philosophy and way of thinking. This is true especially for today, with so many people trying to find financial stability. I recommend finding two or three like-minded folks to work through the book together, invest in true self-evaluation, and build your specific 2009 game plan. By Napoleon Hill.

Good to Great

I try to surround myself with great leaders and the best managers. I use Good to Great, another “standby” as my framework for identifying great leaders and a guideline on how to develop into a “Level 5” leader myself. By Jim Collins.

Physics of the Impossible

To keep my mind fresh, I turn to my passions outside of my business. For me, reading popular physics and wrapping my mind around the possible and seemingly impossible creates new perspective and points on view on business challenges I face each day. Physics of the Impossible is a terrific “recent read” for me. By Michio Kaku.

Outliers: The Story of Success

Building your network and developing strong business relationships is vital to business growth (besides making life fun). I like to go to networking events with a few relevant topics in hand, it generates much more interesting conversations and helps to identify people that have shared believes and values. Outliers, another “recent read”, has great content to generate rich debates and has is especially intriguing today given the recent national and global events. By Malcolm Gladwell.