This week we asked W.E. Bowman Construction Inc. leadership what books they have read, and which have influenced them the most, to get to where they are today in the small business world.
Our entire team loves books by Jim Collins. Some favorites are Good to Great written in 2001 and Built to Last, co-authored by Jerry Porras, written in 1995. The timeless messages of these books touch on business theory and provide valuable insight on how to efficiently run a company. Good to Great discusses myths of change in the business world such as “The Myth of the Change Program...The Myth of the Stock Options...The Myth of Fear-Driven Change...The Myth of Technology-Driven Change...The Myth of Revolution” and many more.
Another favorite is Lean Construction by Charlie Garbutt, written in 2017. Dealing directly with the construction sect of small business, the CEO of Garbutt Construction dives into some of the obstacles faced by small general contractors. In his book, Garbutt provides valuable solutions and suggestions through explaining the “Lean Construction Method” of managing a small business to provide superior construction service.
One of the favorites and most recent reads of our General Manager at W.E. Bowman Construction Inc.--Logan Deady--is Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Deady enjoyed this book specifically because “it focuses on leadership and building high performance teams” which is a major part of his job at Bowman. Even though the book does not deal directly with construction, leadership is a universal concept and where better to develop a philosophy of leadership than in the U.S. Navy SEALs where “absolutely everything [is] at stake” (Willink)?
Here is a full list of what our team has been reading:
Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone
Zander and Benjamin Zander
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Leader in You by Dale Carnegie
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyoskai
Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Good to Great Jim Collins
Built to Last by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras
Lean Construction Charlie Garbutt
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Works Cited:
Collins, Jim. “Good to Great.” Jim Collins - Articles - Good to Great, Oct. 2001,
Garbutt, Charlie. “Lean Construction: A Small Contractor's Journey.” Google Books,
Advantage Media Group, 11 Oct. 2017,
id=udyEswEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description.
Willink, Jocko, and Leif Babin. “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and
Win (New Edition).” Google Books, St. Martin's Publishing Group, 21 Nov. 2017,
id=RNA3DwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description.
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