The Best Business & CX Books as Recommended by My Amazing Guests!

One of my favorite parts of hosting Your Customer, Your Success is the Chip Shots segment—where I fire off short-form questions to my guests. It’s a chance to hear their more personal, yet still professional, insights, industry wisdom, and, of course, their best book recommendations!

Over the course of our conversations, my guests—leaders in customer experience, business strategy, and leadership—have suggested some truly insightful books that have shaped their thinking and influenced their careers. So, whether you’re looking to sharpen your CX knowledge, refine your leadership skills, or gain new perspectives on business and innovation, these book recommendations are a fantastic place to start!

Top Book Recommendations from My Guests

Customer Experience & Business Strategy

• Rick Denton (E1): The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman – Reflections on global business and how not to be US-centric in the business world.
• Natasha Evans (E2): The Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan Heath – How defining moments shape experiences in business and life.
• Sean Albertson (E9): The Effortless Experience by Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick DeLisi – A must-read on reducing customer effort and improving loyalty. Understanding Customer Experience is about effort. Their 2013 study showed customers who had difficult experiences were 4x more likely to be disloyal. Sean’s study 3-4 years ago showed they were 6-7x more disloyal. The State of CX 2024 report shows that customers who find interactions difficult are now 13x more likely to be disloyal.
• Josh Nutter (E13): $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi
• Andrew Carothers (E15): Digital Hesitation by Thomas Lah and JB Wood

Personal & Professional Development

• Kelly Schuknecht (E5): Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Simona Costantini (E6): Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
• Kristi Faltorusso (E7): Atomic Habits by James Clear – A game-changer on building small habits that lead to massive results.
• Katie Stabler (E8): Drop the Pink Elephant: 15 Ways to Say What You Mean by Bill McFarlan
• Tim McCleary (E11): Un-f** Yourself, Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life* by Gary John Bishop
• Stacy Sherman (E12):
  • The Four Agreements, a Personal Guide to Practical Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
  • The Gaps and the Gains by Dan Sullivan
  • Honorable Mention: Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (yes, Mel gets 2 nods!)
• Mark Stern (E14): Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Creative Inspiration

• Chris Hood (E10): Classic authors like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, plus Monster Books, Steampunk, and Michael Crichton. Creative writing gives him perspective and new ways of thinking about problems.
• Andrew Carothers (E15): Honorable Mention: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Which of These Have You Read?

I love hearing how books influence perspectives and careers, and these recommendations from my guests offer a powerful reading list for anyone looking to grow in CX, leadership, and business strategy. Have you read any of these? Which books have made the biggest impact on your career?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, and if you have a must-read book to add to this list, let me know!

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