My Most Profound Lessons from 5 Best Business Books

Posted on by michael nitschke
Share this

On business, marketing, leadership, and culture.

When I became CEO at 30, I had to learn the business and leadership fundamentals fast. I realised not having a management degree was an advantage, because I could think beyond business-as-usual and follow my instincts.

I wasn’t pre-conditioned to think a certain way. I could be more creative.

This article is my list of the books that provided my me with a ‘mini MBA’.

If you’re a CEO, manager or ambitious employee, you’ll love these books too. In case you haven’t picked up a copy of my novel, Leading Out of Loss, check it out.

Part-memoir, part business book, it’s your playbook for leading boldly. In a world of suit-and-tie CEOs, the leaders with hearts on their sleeves will win.

Now, onto some lessons from the greats.

Marketing Wisdom: Day Trading Attention
Vaynerchuck talks about the TikTokification of social media and the proliferation of short-form content. Platforms are prioritising content based on user interests rather than follower counts. This means you can go viral with one video.

It happened to me in this TikTok video. 278,900 views.

This makes content creation much more exciting because as Gary Vee said, anyone can make a video and get better reach than him, with little to no audience.
Exciting times.

Operation Improvements: Traction (EOS)
I’ve talked extensively about Wickman’s EOS framework, so I’ll keep this short. We used to hate meetings at Nitschke. They dragged, were unfocused and outright frustrating. Now they’re what we most look forward to on a Monday, all thanks to EOS.

Some ah-ha moments?

  • Level 10 Meetings
  • The Vision/Traction Organiser (VTO)
  • The Accountability Chart
  • The Issues List
  • Rocks

Want more information? Join my free 30 day email series to learn all about EOS and how I’ve applied it in my business.

Leadership Lessons: The Coaching Habit
Another fabulous business book, Steiner shares how great coaching means asking insightful questions rather than providing solutions. Creating space to identify and attack the most important problem, with focus.

Steiner highlights the power of asking better questions to empower your team to find their own solutions, rather than providing answers. Early in my leadership journey, I was eager to help my team win and often became the go-to for every solution.

While it worked at first, it quickly led to burnout and limited growth. I’ve since learned that true empowerment—and unlocking your team’s potential—comes from coaching through thoughtful, insightful questions.

Growing Sustainably: Scaling Up
In Scaling Up, Hamish talks about the assigning a person to be clearly accountable for each line item in your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet statements.

This means giving employees radical ownership over their responsibilities, directly connecting these duties to the and financials. Hamish says organisational cultures act like immune systems, naturally rejecting individuals who don’t align with the company’s core values. This is a good thing. You want your culture to attract or repel – it does the vetting for you.

When you have the right people in the right roles, creating connection between their outcomes and your bottom line feels natural, not forced.

Better Before Bigger: Good to Great
This book is the essence of our be better, not bigger philosophy. Bigger is a byproduct of better. Leave the ego at the door. Let the emotions in.

Collins explains how companies are led by humble yet fiercely determined leaders who prioritise the company’s success over personal ego. Our value of getting better each day is underpinned by Collin’s flywheel effect, which explains how achieving greatness is a gradual, cumulative process – driven by consistent effort and small wins, not a single breakthrough moment.

There’s no secret to success in business. It’s in the daily iterations in the direction of your company’s goals, passions, and vision.

Want insights and perspectives that go beyond my best business books? Join my free email list, **Leadership Letters.**

I share breakthroughs on business, leadership and personal development, documenting my journey building an industry-defining company. The good, bad, the opportunities and epiphanies.

If you’re a business looking for a corporate speaker, motivational speaker or leadership coaching at your company, I’d love to help your team.

I unlock vulnerability in businesses, turning individuals into inspirational leaders. Turn your employees into entrepreneurs and innovate your industry.