Book Summaries

If you like biographies and the entertainment industry, I recommend reading, or listening to, Will by Will Smith. Will did the narration for the audiobook and he did an outstanding job. This is one of my favorite books that I've read in the last year. He shares his humanity and weaknesses as equally as his successes and strengths.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2022/10/20/will-smith-summary/

The Ideal Team Player has insights into building company culture, what makes good team players, and specific tactics for interviewing and hiring. The book has value for any leaders, managers, employees, and especially for anyone involved in hiring and human resources.

The book is written in a narrative format, similar to The New One Minute Manager, and is really easy for anyone to listen to and understand the main concepts.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2019/07/11/ideal-team-player-summary/

Built from Scratch is the story of the founding and growth of The Home Depot. I really enjoyed this book and it is written in a similar style to Sam Walton Made in America. It covers topics of customer service, developing people, leadership, management, growth, and more.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2020/07/06/built-from-scratch-summary/

This is a good book if you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or work in a management position where you have input in how the company operates. It includes a lot of advice for developing systems and processes in your business.

One of my favorite lessons is understanding the difference between working in your business and on your business.

This episode is also available as a blog post at: https://jsilva.blog/2020/08/31/e-myth-summary/

Covert Cows is a well-rounded book about marketing, sales, hospitality, brand building, and creating company culture. While it focuses on the food and beverage industry, most of the lessons can be applied to businesses in other categories.

This episode is also available as a blog post at https://jsilva.blog/2021/10/21/covert-cows-summary/