Here are 100 books that Peak fans have personally recommended if you like Peak. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money

Joseph A. Michelli Author Of The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

From my list on customer service and customer experience.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New York Times #1 bestselling author of more than 10 customer experience and leadership books. When I am not reading and writing, I help leaders and entrepreneurs drive employee engagement, customer loyalty, and referrals. 

Joseph's book list on customer service and customer experience

Joseph A. Michelli Why Joseph loves this book

Economists Gilmore and Pine, trace economic value through the agrarian, industrial and service age and pioneer thinking on the importance of “staging” experiences. This book created a tectonic shift from transactional “customer service” to emotionally engaging “customer experiences.” In a world where customer satisfaction is table stakes, The Experience Economy shows readers how to drive emotional engagement and repeat business.

By B Joseph Pine II , James H Gilmore ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Experience Economy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Time is limited. Attention is scarce. Are you engaging your customers?

Apple Stores, Disney, LEGO, Starbucks. Do these names conjure up images of mere goods and services, or do they evoke something more--something visceral?

Welcome to the Experience Economy, where businesses must form unique connections in order to secure their customers' affections--and ensure their own economic vitality.

This seminal book on experience innovation by Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore explores how savvy companies excel by offering compelling experiences for their customers, resulting not only in increased customer allegiance but also in a more profitable bottom line. Translated into thirteen languages,…


If you love Peak...

Book cover of Aging Solo Today: A Practical, Compassionate Guide to Planning, Independence, and Peace of Mind

Aging Solo Today by Michael Crawford,

Aging solo does not have to mean aging unprepared. Aging Solo Today is a practical, compassionate guide for adults who are approaching later life without a spouse, partner, or nearby children they can automatically rely on. Michael Crawford helps readers think intentionally about the people, plans, documents, finances, home, healthcare,…

Book cover of The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary

Joseph A. Michelli Author Of The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

From my list on customer service and customer experience.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New York Times #1 bestselling author of more than 10 customer experience and leadership books. When I am not reading and writing, I help leaders and entrepreneurs drive employee engagement, customer loyalty, and referrals. 

Joseph's book list on customer service and customer experience

Joseph A. Michelli Why Joseph loves this book

If only my mail carrier were like Fred… but that’s the point. All of us can “up our game” when it comes to caring for and about others. Mark Sanborn crafted a highly accessible and engaging book that shows how everyone can “be a Fred.” The line between ordinary and extraordinary is less about resources and more about focus and effort.

By Mark Sanborn ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Fred Factor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Mark Sanborn met his postman, Fred, just after he moved to Denver. Fred knocked on his door, introduced himself, and welcomed him to the neighborhood. He also asked Sanborn about himself and how he wanted his mail handled while he was away. Needless to say, Sanborn was shocked. He asked Fred more about his job and how he approached it. Fred's answers inspired him to develop motivational seminars promoting Fred's attitude and approach to life.

To embody the Fred philosophy is to realise and practise that:--Everyone can make a difference--Success is built on good relationships--You must continually create value for…


Book cover of Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

Eric G. Flamholtz Author Of Growing Pains: Building Sustainably Successful Organizations

From my list on the stages and challenges of organizational growth.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm Professor Emeritus at UCLA and have also been on the faculty of Columbia University and The University of Michigan, where I received my PhD degree. I founded Management Systems Consulting, which works with entrepreneurial firms in the US and globally to scale up, in 1978. I've served on the board of a firm (99 Cents Only Stores) that scaled up and was a NYSE listed firm. I've advised CEOs who have created global champion firms and been recognized as leaders in their space. I've authored or co-authored several books including Creating Family Business Champions; Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Strategic Advantage; Changing the Game; and Leading Strategic Change.

Eric's book list on the stages and challenges of organizational growth

Eric G. Flamholtz Why Eric loves this book

This book is by the founder of a company that has successfully navigated the stages of growth from a start-up to a sustainably successful organization and become a global champion or recognized leader in its space. Accordingly, the book is from the “horse’s mouth.” Schultz and his coauthor take the reader on the journey of the development of one of the classic entrepreneurial successes of our time. He details the challenges, his thinking, and the responses that were made to create the Starbucks of today. The book provided s the reader with a rare opportunity to participate in the Starbucks journey from a vision to the reality of building a great company. 

By Howard Schultz ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Pour Your Heart Into It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Pour Your Heart Into It, former CEO and now chairman emeritus Howard Schultz illustrates the principles that have shaped the Starbucks phenomenon, sharing the wisdom he has gained from his quest to make great coffee part of the American experience.

The success of Starbucks Coffee Company is one of the most amazing business stories in decades. What started as a single store on Seattle's waterfront has grown into the largest coffee chain on the planet. Just as remarkable as this incredible growth is the fact that Starbucks has managed to maintain its renowned commitment to product excellence and employee…


If you love Chip Conley...

Book cover of Aging Solo Today: A Practical, Compassionate Guide to Planning, Independence, and Peace of Mind

Aging Solo Today by Michael Crawford,

Aging solo does not have to mean aging unprepared. Aging Solo Today is a practical, compassionate guide for adults who are approaching later life without a spouse, partner, or nearby children they can automatically rely on. Michael Crawford helps readers think intentionally about the people, plans, documents, finances, home, healthcare,…

Book cover of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Kristen Hadeed Author Of Permission to Screw Up

From my list on leading with your heart and humanity.

Why am I passionate about this?

My career as a leader is built on an endless string of screwups—and I am so grateful for every single one of them. Every time I messed up, I learned another valuable lesson about what it means to be human, to own my humanity, and to make space for the humanity of others. That’s why I am relentlessly passionate about encouraging people—and especially leaders—to heal their relationship with failure and see it for the gift it really is. I believe that being open to growth and failure is what makes us human leaders. If we could all learn to lead with our hearts and our humanity, our world at work would be a much better place.

Kristen's book list on leading with your heart and humanity

Kristen Hadeed Why Kristen loves this book

Before I read this book, I thought that having a great company culture meant hiring a DJ to spin in your office on Fridays or stocking the breakroom with delicious snacks. Delivering Happiness showed me I had it all wrong.

This book taught me that culture is a feeling: It’s something we create through our behaviors, actions, and values. I learned to ask myself, “How do I want people to feel?” and align my actions as a leader accordingly. That’s the mindset that allowed me to build the culture my company became known for.

By Tony Hsieh ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Delivering Happiness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

- Pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quit
- Make customer service the responsibility of the entire company-not just a department
- Focus on company culture as the #1 priority
- Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business
- Help employees grow-both personally and professionally
- Seek to change the world
- Oh, and make money too . . .

Sound crazy? It's all standard operating procedure at Zappos, the online retailer that's doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. After debuting as the highest-ranking newcomer in Fortune magazine's annual "Best Companies to Work For"…


Book cover of Maslow on Management

Jody Michael Author Of Leading Lightly: Lower Your Stress, Think with Clarity, and Lead with Ease

From my list on leading lightly in organizations and in life.

Why am I passionate about this?

At 29 I was one of the first female traders on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, building my own all-female trading company. I lost everything in 1987, which gave me a stellar opportunity to understand my power to choose how I responded to the turmoil. Now, I’m an internationally credentialed Master Certified Coach, Board Certified Coach, University of Chicago-trained psychotherapist, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Over 25 years ago I founded my coaching company, Jody Michael Associates. We focus on building emotional intelligence, executive presence, and mental fitness. When we help our clients learn to lead lightly, they take themselves, their teams, and their organizations to new levels of awareness, discernment, and performance.

Jody's book list on leading lightly in organizations and in life

Jody Michael Why Jody loves this book

This classic has stood the test of time because it artfully intertwines psychology and business in a way few books do.

Dr. Abraham Maslow is known for his work on the hierarchy of human needs and self-actualization. I also like the fact that he had the experience – the street cred, if you will – as a factory worker, where he gained a very practical basis for his psychological theory and research.

This book offers great insight into what drives people at their core. It will make you a better observer of people and will give you greater capacity to understand yourself and others better. 

By Abraham H. Maslow ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Maslow on Management as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A seminal work onhuman behavior in the workplace-now completely updated "At last! We have all been quoting Maslow for years and to now have such an excellent compilation of his seminal thoughts on management and organization comes like a timely gift from heaven. The values and principles he taught decades ago are even more relevant today." -Stephen Covey, author, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. "Maslow's book is a readable, impressionistic masterpiece that extolled the virtues of collaborative, synergistic management decades ahead of its time. This edition reveals just how much the management thinkers of our day, including Peter…


Book cover of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization

Brittany Polat Author Of Tranquility Parenting: A Guide to Staying Calm, Mindful, and Engaged

From my list on finding your bliss as a parent.

Why am I passionate about this?

I strongly believe that anyone who is willing to reflect thoughtfully on life can make progress toward inner peace and contentment. I have pursued my lifelong interest in human development first through a Ph.D. in applied linguistics (with a focus on individual differences in second language development) and then through the study of Stoic moral psychology and philosophy. These days I have ample opportunity to study human nature in the best laboratory of all: parenthood!

Brittany's book list on finding your bliss as a parent

Brittany Polat Why Brittany loves this book

You’re probably familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, an undergraduate psychology staple that explains how a person’s basic needs (such as security) are foundational to higher needs (such as self-actualization). But did you know Abraham Maslow never actually drew that pyramid? Popular psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman follows in Maslow’s footsteps, tracking down his later research and personal writings to uncover what the famous humanist really thought about personal development. It turns out that the image of the pyramid is both misleading and incomplete: it is missing its top level, self-transcendence.

Kaufman walks us through an updated vision of Maslow’s work, culminating in our ability to rise above everyday affairs and connect with our higher aspirations and ideals. In the process, we learn how to cultivate the proper mindset for growth and turn our aspirations into reality. Transcend is not about parenting per se, but it is chock full of insights…

By Scott Barry Kaufman ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Transcend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A MASTERPIECE' Susan Cain

How to realise your full potential and live your most creative life.
When psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman first discovered Maslow's unfinished theory of transcendence, sprinkled throughout a cache of unpublished journals, lectures, and essays, he felt a deep resonance with his own work and life. In this groundbreaking book, Kaufman picks up where Maslow left off, unraveling the mysteries of his unfinished theory, and integrating these ideas with the latest research on attachment, connection, creativity, love, purpose and other building blocks of a life well lived.

Kaufman's new hierarchy of needs provides a roadmap for finding…


Book cover of Living The 80/20 Way: Work Less, Worry Less, Succeed More, Enjoy More

Carl Phillips Author Of Simplify - from Inside Out

From my list on help you live a simpler life.

Why am I passionate about this?

The origin story on my blog reflects some of my story best. After a period of reflection several years ago, I realised I was accumulating more in my life. More things that didn’t matter. More commitments I wasn’t truly passionate about keeping. More friction! So, I started to take some action. That action has meant: I have made good on long-term threats to write and for the last 10 years I have been writing at my blog and authored an expanding list of short books full of big ideas (all under the umbrella of simplifying life). I have accumulated less material possessions but enjoyed more (travel and holidays, events, life experiences).

Carl's book list on help you live a simpler life

Carl Phillips Why Carl loves this book

We come more up-to-date with my third book recommendation. However, this book was no less transformative for me. Richard Koch’s books around the 80/20 principle were a paradigm-shifting fork in the road for me personally. They came at a time in my life when I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed and really needed them. I credit them with being one of the main reasons I became invested in my own simplicity journey.  

This book (and others by the same author on 80/20) had such a profound effect on me that they influenced the name of my own company when I set it up 10 years ago. 80/20 is a concept I return to often in my own writing and I believe it is a close relative to simplicity. A powerful tool we can all learn to leverage. 

By Richard Koch ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Living The 80/20 Way as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you knew that you could always get more of the great things that life has to offer, with less effort and cost, would you be interested? If you could find a simple solution to your problems by following a way that always works, would you be interested? If you could work a two-day week, and yet get much better results and pay than you do for a full week now, would you be interested? If that way applied not just to making a living, to money, or success, but also to the even more important areas of life -…


Book cover of The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success

Lisa Apolinski Author Of Weathering the Digital Storm

From my list on accelerate your business in a non-traditional way.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was introduced to small business when I was six years old—my parents purchased a drug store to run (that drug store, after being sold forty years ago, is still in business). When I started my agency, there were few books on how to start, grow, and stay in business that didn’t tout traditional thinking. I think outside the triangle. I never thought I would be an author, and I am writing book #6! I write books today that I wish were available when I started my business journey: unique strategies coupled with actionable steps to grow. I hope these books provide inspiration and ideas!

Lisa's book list on accelerate your business in a non-traditional way

Lisa Apolinski Why Lisa loves this book

I had to add a second book that I refer to often to keep my mind focused on what I have accomplished instead of what I still want to do with my business.

I love this book as it helps me to reframe business growth (and setbacks) in a way to keep my energy and focus going. I also like the summaries in the back that I can refer to when I just want a reminder of technique to get back into the gain.

By Dan Sullivan , Benjamin Hardy ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Gap and The Gain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dan Sullivan shares his simple yet profound teaching that, until now, has only been known to his Strategic Coach clients: unsuccessful people focus on 'The Gap', but successful people focus on 'The Gain'.

Most people, especially highly ambitious people, are unhappy because of how they measure their progress. We all have an 'ideal', a moving target that is always out of reach. When we measure ourselves against that ideal, we're in 'the GAP'. However, when we measure ourselves against our previous selves, we're in 'the GAIN'.

That is where The GAP and The GAIN concept comes in. It was developed…


Book cover of Awaken the Giant Within

Andreas Creutzmann Author Of Soft Skills for the Professional Services Industry : Principles, Tasks, and Tools for Success

From my list on soft skills for professionals and entrepreneurs.

Why am I passionate about this?

At the very beginning of my studies, I asked myself a question that still accompanies me today: “Why are some people successful and others not?” I've always been interested in people who are successful through their own efforts instead of building on the success of previous generations through their heritage. In my search for what distinguishes successful from less successful people, I began to read a variety of relevant books and attend seminars. These books and seminars dealt with the topics of success, personality development, marketing and sales, rhetoric, psychology, and management as well as self-management and personal productivity. To date, I've read several hundred books on these topics and attended a number of seminars.

Andreas' book list on soft skills for professionals and entrepreneurs

Andreas Creutzmann Why Andreas loves this book

Anthony Robbins is the world's most famous success coach.

With Unlimited Power, he has made Neurolinguistic Programming known outside of therapy in management.

Anyone who wants to break through beliefs that prevent success and wants to get many valuable suggestions at all levels of success, can not get past Anthony Robbins. His books have inspired and motivated me.

Anyone who really wants to be successful should read his books. In Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical & Financial Destiny! you get a very good summary of his thoughts.

By Tony Robbins ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Awaken the Giant Within as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The author offers advice on such matters as mastering emotions, overcoming debilitating habits such as over-eating, drinking and drug abuse, unleashing the hidden power of body and mind, improving personal and professional relationships, and taking control of personal finances.


Book cover of The Secret

Abiola Abrams Author Of From Imagination to Reality: Secret Manifestation Lessons and the Law of Assumption from Abdullah, Master Alchemist

From my list on manifesting (from a spiritual teacher).

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mom to a toddler, I’m passionate about teaching the power of manifesting and self-agency so she grows up knowing she can shape her own world. Growing up in New York City with roots in Guyana, South America, I’ve always been drawn to the magic of manifesting and ancestral rituals. I’ve seen firsthand how these practices can change lives, both through my own journey and by working with incredible people worldwide as a retreat leader. I’m deeply connected to the teachings of manifesting masters like Abdullah, and I love sharing this wisdom with others to help them step into their power and create their own realities.

Abiola's book list on manifesting (from a spiritual teacher)

Abiola Abrams Why Abiola loves this book

This book shifted my entire paradigm. Watching the movie felt like unlocking a hidden key to life, and I knew I needed more. When I discovered there was a book, I dove in right away. It quickly became my daily manual for shifting beliefs and reinforcing the teachings from the film. My favorite part is how Rhonda Byrne makes the Law of Attraction feel clear and actionable.

The idea that our thoughts shape our reality really resonated with me and became a core part of my being. This book is a powerful tool I return to whenever I need a reminder of my own manifesting power.

By Rhonda Byrne ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Secret as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The tenth anniversary edition of the book that changed lives in profound ways.

In 2005, a groundbreaking feature-length movie revealed the great mystery of the universe -- The Secret. In 2006, Rhonda Byrne followed with a book that became a worldwide bestseller.

Everything you have ever wanted - unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth - is now at your very fingertips.

The Secret is an enigma that has existed throughout the history of mankind. It has been discovered, coveted, suppressed, hidden, lost, and recovered. It has been hunted down, stolen, and bought for vast sums of…


Book cover of The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money
Book cover of The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary
Book cover of Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

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