As part of our nzherald.co.nz summer business series about the reading habits of a selection of our prominent businesspeople, twelve more business leaders tell us their 2006 favourites.
Q. What business book can you recommend this year?
A. "The one on the CEO of General Electric,Jack Welch [Jack Welch and the G.E.Way: Management Insights and Leadership Secrets of the Legendary CEO, McGraw-Hill $49.95]."
- As CEO of state-owned Landcorp - New Zealand's biggest corporate farmer - Chris Kelly has his finger on the pulse of the rural economy.
A. "There's a book that has got quite a bit of currency lately written by a fellow called Jim Collins, called Good to Great (Random House, $75.00). It talks about transforming good companies to great companies. Its written in an American corporate style but its very readable and very accessible and talks about real experiences."
- Don Huse chief executive Auckland International Airport
A. "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (Penguin, $35.00)."
- Rick Fala, chief executive of bathroomware business Methven.
A. "Colin Prentice's 'When People Matter Most - Vision Driven Leadership' (Burning Bush, $29.90)."
- TelstraClear chief executive Allan Freeth.
A. "I don't read many business books but I do like [Leading Change by John] Kotter (Harvard Business School, $45.00). I think it's often quite beneficial to pull out Leading Change."
- Trevor Hall, chief executive Tourism Holdings
A. "I generally have a view that (publishing business books) is a great business but business books complicate business. Business is a very simple process. However, when I was about to join Laminex, one of my friends said I should read Battle of the Titans (by Auckland writer Bruce Wallace telling of the rise and fall of Fletcher Challenge - now out of print). So I did."
- Fletcher Building chief executive Jonathan Ling.
A. "Richard Branson's Losing My Virginity (because he's someone who has overcome adversity)."
- Property is central to the life of Angus McNaughton, chief executive of the manager of Kiwi Income Property Trust. Although he is just finishing the country's largest new mall, he hungers to head for the hills. Farming is in his blood.
A. "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner (Penguin, $28.00)."
- Ihug chief executive, Mark Rushworth
A. "Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne (Harvard Business School, $65.00)."
- Vodafone chief executive Russell Stanners
A. "The Leadership Engine by Noel Tichy (HarperCollins $45.99) and I like to reread Who Moved My Cheese [by Spencer Johnson ] (Random House $22.99) from time to time.
There are simple but good lessons there for people in organisations such as ours that are transitioning of necessity to a new business model."
- John Hirst, managing director, Nuplex Industries
A. "Love 'em or Lose 'em: Getting Good People to Stay, by Beverly L. Kaye, Sharon Jordan-Evans (Berrett-Koehler, $44.95). It's a very good people management book."
- New Tower New Zealand chief executive Rob Flannagan.
A. "Good to Great by Jim Collins (Random House, $75.00). It should be an essential read for every publicly listed New Zealand company."
- Don Braid, managing director of Mainfreight, has a young family and will be enjoying time in the Gulf on his new boat over Christmas.
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