CEO’s get where they are through years of experience and some fierce business smarts. Part of their success is about seeking out opportunities to learn: what has worked—or not—for other business leaders?
Monitronics’ CEO Mike Haislip is no exception. In his 35 years of experience, he has read countless books on leadership and business strategy. I sat down with him to talk about some of his favorite titles and what he learned from them. Here’s a rundown of his top five:
In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman “The first popular business book I read and took seriously back in the 1980’s was In Search of Excellence by Thomas Peters and Robert H. Waterman. That book and its companion, A Passion for Excellence, really got me thinking about how to set up an organization that could consistently deliver superior results. They helped to establish in me a core belief in customer service, the front-line employee, and the need to stay focused on results. They also kindled a fire in me to learn more.
Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution by Tom Peters “In 1987 came another Peter’s classic, Thriving on Chaos. Building on the themes in A Passion for Excellence, he drives home the need to not just live with change, but to drive change, and build an organization which embraces change – and this was before personal computers put change into hyper-drive. This book came out at a time of rapid change in the cable industry where I was working. I realized that change was going to be a constant in my career and that change management needed to be a core competency. I read every article and book about change that I could get my hands on.
Managing for Results by Peter Drucker
“Another writer I respect very much is Peter Drucker. While I find his books rather dry, they are so full of wisdom I can’t stop reading.
One of his classics is Managing for Results where he explains how to identify and understand the true drivers of your business and how to translate that knowledge into results. It is a must read for managers.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
“One thing I try not to do is bounce from one management theory to another every time another book comes out. I find this particularly true for ‘how I did it’ books.
I look for books that have basic, time-tested truths. One such book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Its principles can be applied across business and personal situations and will be as relevant thirty years from now as they are today.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
“More recently, we have used The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni as a team building exercise. We were trying to meld some new members into the team, and used the exercises in this book to understand each other better and to build better working relationships.
“These five books have helped shape how I approach leadership and management. It begins with focusing on the right drivers. It requires getting everyone pulling in the same direction using every resource at your disposal – vision, culture, goals and objectives, etc. And it requires an obsessive focus on results coupled with extraordinary flexibility to continually review and adjust your focus as things change.”
After the January earthquake in Haiti, Monitronics employees were deeply concerned by the news of devastation from that country. In response, they organized multiple fundraisers in order to make a donation to the American Red Cross relief efforts.
