100 Books Like Tribes

By now, you might have noticed a theme: if I don’t enjoy reading a book, I don’t trudge through it for the deep insights or how-to information. The storytelling needs to be as strong as the concepts are useful.

Just like The Copy Workshop Workbook, I read an earlier edition of this book when I was just starting out – and it formed the basis for some of my thinking around how to influence – i.e., persuade – consumers and the role psychology and behavioral economics play in crafting effective marketing and brand development programs.

I also recommend this book if you are a consumer, too (who isn’t), because it will help keep you from falling into many of the traps that Cialdini identified.

I think of Dorie Clark’s book as a companion book to mine. If you like my book, it’s likely that you’ll also get a lot of value out of reading hers. In this book, Clark focuses on helping people discover their breakthrough idea, a step that I think of as a prequel to the steps I outline for becoming a thought leader. She goes deep on the concept of the “Big Idea,” sharing some of the pathways that others have taken to distill a unique perspective or innovative differentiator that allows them to stand out. 

As I do in my book, Clark then shares her perspective on building an audience for your ideas, effectively communicating your message, and inspiring others to embrace your vision. Both books also focus on dealing with naysayers and what it takes to truly scale big ideas and create a movement that makes substantial change… show more.

I had the privilege of teaching a class together with JD Schramm at Stanford Business School, where he was a longtime instructor and pioneered some groundbreaking classes and programs. Schramm is without a doubt one of the most effective communicators that I have ever met. He is also a great teacher. 

In this book, Schramm brings together a wide variety of frameworks and tools for leadership communication that he taught at Stanford, and he addresses some of the biggest challenges that business leaders face when speaking and writing to influence their most important audiences. He distills what it takes to journey from uncertainty to competence, to expertise, and ultimately to mastery, and along the way, he invites us to think deeply about our audience and the intention behind our communications.

If you follow his step-by-step guide, I can assure you that you’ll be more confident and more effective in any… show more.

So many of us, when we’re starting out, don’t think of ourselves as movement starters. We just want to get others on board to help us make a change at our school, in our neighborhood, or on our team. We often don’t see ourselves as leaders; instead, we are hoping to find a community with a shared perspective or explore the possibility of making things just a little bit better. But how do we get started, and how do we scale what’s working? 

My friend, Jennifer Dulski, was the head of Groups at Facebook and the former president of Change.org, and her book is all about how we can each play a role in sparking change, whether we’re trying to bring about change in our company, community group, college, or in a startup.

Dulski offers practical techniques based on real-life experience. She gives wonderful and varied examples that remind us… show more.

As the United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey was named one of the most influential leaders in the world by Time magazine in 2015. Ori Brafman has multiple New York Times bestsellers, and his work specializes in building organizational cultures and leadership. As the author of the great book Starfish and Spider, Brafman is also the founder and president of Starfish Leadership and co-founder of the Fully Charged Institute. 

This is a book about leadership, and no one does it better than Marty Dempsey, and no one can capture it better than Ori Brafman. Dempsey has led American troops in harms-way over many of our Iraq and Afghanistan war years, and has advised our executive branch of government during these tough and challenging times.

If you want to see what outstanding leadership looks like, both at the tactical level in the crucible… show more.

A newer favorite, Amp It Up is a book I wish I could have read as I first took the helm at Conquest Cyber. Even still, it's full of knowledge for anyone looking to lead or grow a company. While it is easy to fall into the mindset that you do not have the resources for rapid growth, it does not necessarily take consultants, added employees, or financial investment to grow a company to its full potential. This book shows you how to maximize the resources you have—eliminating mediocrity from your ranks and relentlessly elevating your mission.  

This book helped me shift from focusing solely on doing whatever it takes to succeed to recognizing the importance of integrity in achieving success.

It reminded me to approach my work with passion, dedication, and a strong sense of integrity. It taught me that when I do what I love, I’ll love what I do. Furthermore, it reinforced the idea that instead of just selling the sizzle, I must deliver exceptional results and consistently exceed client expectations.

This book gives exactly the lift you need to believe you can do more. There are inspiring, short stories of things leaders have done and the impact it left on the author. I like the personal take on each chapter. It’s very readable and very relatable. Read a chapter, share a chapter with your team, talk about what you liked with others. It’s a great way to get a quick uplift without fretting over not finishing the book.  

This book has been a go-to for years, as I really appreciate Simon’s guidance to ALWAYS clarify the mission and purpose of any organization before digging deeper into the strategies and action plans to advance the mission.

All too often, my bias for action had driven me to jump into the work of creation and delivery. If every single player on the field with me wasn’t 100% bought into the game we were playing, why we were there, and where we wanted to be in the future, we wasted precious time and resources.

Simon Sinek taught me to pause and bring great intention to the enrollment in the mission of any venture. I also appreciate his insights into the stretch zone where people are most effective driving change. We don’t want to be cozy or panicked at work, but stretched in pursuit of meaningful change, and always better together.

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.