Books for the Poolside

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It’s the ultimate summertime drama—how much time to devote to work during your few days off. Ninety-six percent of professionals tell Korn Ferry that they connect with work while on vacation, and nearly half of them say that work during time off creates conflict within their families.

So, instead of checking back with the office multiple times a day, spend time with your loved ones, then curl up with a book about how to be more effective when you get back to the office. These books can help executives become more self-aware, motivate teams, and even help accomplish seemingly impossible projects.

Growth IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices That Will Make or Break Your Business
By Tiffani Bova
Portfolio
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According to Salesforce growth expert Tiffani Bova, repeatable, reliable growth depends on your capacity to make the right series of choices at the right time. She explains that a great growth game comes from context, combination, and sequence. Context requires choosing the best growth plan based on your existing product mix, competitive landscape, and customer base. When you combine and sequence your strategies, you’ll create a multiplier effect.

Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work
By Jay Acunzo
Unthinkable Media
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The world is flooded with advice, ideas, and experts, but it’s also important to think for yourself in the face of conventional thinking and best practices, says keynote speaker and podcaster Jay Acunzo. The one-time digital media strategist at Google helps readers escape stale approaches and trendy tactics that hold employees back. Acunzo provides six fundamental questions that readers can ask themselves in any situation to help make the best possible decision.

Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries
By Safi Bahcall
St. Martin’s Pres
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Radical breakthroughs can launch enduring companies, sustain empires, and empower individuals—but only if we understand the human forces that can get in the way. In Loonshots, physicist and biotech entrepreneur Safi Bahcall shows how we can manipulate forces—such as how teams are structured and how people are rewarded—to make groups receptive to major changes rather than leery of them.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
By Ben Horowitz
HarperCollins
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Ben Horowitz knows all about the trials and tribulations that come with being an entrepreneur; he’s the cofounder and partner of the iconic Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. In his book, he offers up lessons about how to identify things you’re not doing but should be focused on, the best ways to integrate new employees, and more. The lifelong rap fan also ties in lyrics from his favorite songs to really make his business lessons hit home.