Good to Great

The result of five years of research, "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don't" by Jim Collins takes a deep dive into the characteristics of highly successful businesses, from leadership styles to a willingness to adopt new technologies.

What prompted you to read this book when you did?
I attended a leadership conference where Jim Collins was a guest speaker. He was very dynamic, so I purchased this book right then and there. Although the book was written nearly 20 years ago, it still carries many great lessons.

What does Collins have to say about teamwork as an element of success?
Assembling the right team is absolutely critical. In addition to selecting people who care deeply about the company, it is important to bring independent critical thinkers on board. And when it comes to managing personnel and ensuring the best outcome, remember these three maxims: 1) When in doubt, do not hire. 2) When you know you need to make a personnel change, don't hesitate to act. 3) Assign your best people to the biggest opportunities, not the biggest problems.

Collins writes about "The Hedgehog Concept." What is that about?
Essentially, it comes down to the distinction between a fox that is sidetracked by multiple goals and a hedgehog that is focused on a single objective: to be the best at one thing. According to Collins, highly successful businesses understand that doing what they're good at will only make them good, but focusing solely on what they can potentially do better than any other organization will put them on the path to greatness.

What lessons from this book have you applied to managing your program?
The amount of research, fact finding, and hard data in this book – the result of more than 15,000 hours of work, according to Collins – made a big impression on me and affected how I quantify and calculate elements of my program. Grounding my work in data and facts removes the need for me to start sentences with, "I think…".

The Creative Habit

Written by renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp, "The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life" is a step-by-step, example-filled guide for stimulating one's imagination.

What an interesting recommendation! What prompted you to share this title with your fellow exhibit managers?
I wanted to share a book that I really engaged with. I have made a lot of notes and highlighted a lot of text in this book and make a habit of rereading it every year. There are so many insights in each chapter that it would be hard not to be able to apply at least one thing to one's professional and personal life.

The book provides a number of practical exercises to improve creativity. Which one did you find the most useful?
The exercise titled "Give Yourself a Little Challenge" is one of my favorites. You basically play a game with yourself or give yourself a handicap to overcome. Tharp gives an example of a painter painting only in shades of green or a writer writing a story without any conjugation of "to be." The idea is that challenging yourself will force you to think in different ways. I love this concept and apply it to finding new ways to approach an exhibit space or engage attendees.

What takeaway from the book surprised you the most?
Creativity is not just for artists. Tharp writes that "it's for businesspeople looking for a way to close a sale; it's for engineers trying to solve a problem; it's for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way." The idea that you can learn a process that fosters creativity and turn it into a habit is very powerful.

If someone only had time to read one chapter of this book, which would you recommend and why?
"Chapter 7: Accidents Will Happen" is a must-read for any exhibit manager. Tharp writes about knowing the difference between good planning and too much preparation. Planning is everything for exhibit mangers, but it's often unrealistic. Tharp identifies some of the things that can derail your intentions and offers some perspective on how it's "only after you let go of your plans that you can breathe life into your efforts."

Leadership is an Art

As the former CEO and chairman of furniture giant Herman Miller Inc., Max De Pree knows a thing or two about being at the top of an organization. His "Leadership is an Art" is a look into the mind and heart of a revered businessman.

How would you categorize this book?
I consider it to be both educational and philosophical. Its short chapters make it a quick and easy read that entices you to take notes, highlight excellent points, and take momentary pauses to reflect on your own situational history.

And how would you summarize De Pree's thoughts on leadership?
It's easy to forget the key differences between managing, being "the boss," and leading. Leadership is about a deep understanding of the skills, aptitudes, and personalities of all your team members and knowing how to leverage them, which is easier said than done. It requires humility, grace, and a natural ability to teach and inspire.

How is this book relevant to exhibit managers?
Being an exhibit manager involves inhabiting many roles: salesperson, construction worker, designer, idea person, HR director, circus ringleader, and, sometimes, punching bag. But above all, we should strive to be leaders, and the lessons in this book serve as a guide for developing the appropriate attributes and nurturing your staff.

Would you recommend this book to industry newbies, or can anyone benefit from reading it?
While anyone would benefit from reading this book, I'd especially prescribe it to new managers or young team leaders – with the requirement that they reread it every two years.

What lessons from this book have you applied to managing your program?
I lean on the strengths of my team and appreciate the combination of talents they bring to the table. Only in the past two years have I begun to understand the value of work/life balance and that burning the candle at both ends only results in burns. While I still appreciate drive and work ethic, I now also appreciate friendship, tribal knowledge, nostalgia, teamwork, and giving and receiving pats on the back.

Make Time

There aren't enough hours in the day for most exhibit managers, but Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, authors of "Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day," have 87 tips for everything from caffeine consumption to mastering your inbox.

What prompted you to read this book when you did?
I started working remotely in the summer of 2019, which I had been wanting to do for years because of the long daily commute. I thought the extra hours would be the game changer I needed to get all of my work done, have a clean house, cook dinner, etc., but I found myself stuck and needed some guidance to enhance my productivity.

What are the four steps involved in "making time," according to the authors?
The four steps are Highlight (starting each day by choosing a focused goal), Laser (beating distractions and making time for your Highlight), Reflect (adjusting and improving your system every day), and Energize (taking care of your body and recharging your brain daily).

Which of these steps was the most difficult for you?
I often have many goals on any given day, so it was hard for me to wrap my head around focusing on just one. Slowly I learned how to structure my day to make sure that one goal gets accomplished. Truthfully, I still have a Top 3 list for what I want to get done each day, but I also take it easy on myself if I have to reprioritize and move something to tomorrow.

Did any of the book's time-saving tips resonate with you?
The beauty of this book is the authors set it up with a "spaghetti against the wall" approach to help you get to your Highlight goal. The purpose of the book is to get you to sample as many tips as possible to come up with the perfect system for you. Even common advice, like blocking off time on my calendar to focus on a particular task, really helped me look at how I was structuring my very inconsistent life. Making a simple pen and paper diagram of the day ensures I have time to get my work done while also allocating time for interruptions.

What to Say When You Talk to Your Self

Whether you hope to further your career, lose 10 pounds, or adopt a more positive attitude, Dr. Shad Helmstetter, author of "What to Say When You Talk to Your Self," believes you can achieve it by rewiring your brain through self-talk.

What motivated you to recommend this book?
Because it is critical to stay mentally fit, especially during and after the COVID-19 crisis, I found this book to be an essential tool in understanding how our thoughts directly impact our outcomes. Telling ourselves this is a stressful time only adds to the stress. Intentional thinking and being aware of our thoughts at all times is quite an interesting exercise.

Many people likely think of self-talk as repeating affirmations in a bathroom mirror. Is that what this book is about?
Don't be deceived by the title. Although this book is an excellent self-help resource, it's actually about the neuroscience of our brain function. I suspect a title with words like "neuroplasticity" and "chemical pathways" may not pique the interest of a broad audience.

What was the most important takeaway you gleaned from reading this book?
I am where my head is, not where my body is. I don't have to waste time on the random thoughts that drop into my brain. I have the power and responsibility to choose my own thoughts.

What lessons from this book have you applied to managing your program?
I have applied the techniques to "rewire" my brain so I can manage challenges more effectively. When I dwell on a problem, it takes me longer to get to a solution. However, when I immediately respond to a challenge with the thought "I bet I can find a solution," it's amazing how much more quickly I arrive at a workable one.

Which chapter was the most impactful for you?
Chapter 2, "The 'Answers,'" explains how the brain functions like a computer and discusses solutions when rewiring is needed. For example, "The brain simply believes what you tell it most. And what you tell it about you, it will create."

The Energy Bus

"The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team With Positive Energy" draws upon author Jon Gordon's years of experience helping sales managers, professional athletic teams, and business leaders bring out the best in their organizations.

How would you describe this book in a nutshell?
This book shares a story of a man who's steeped in negativity, but by altering how he reacts to adversity and making the choice to emote positive energy, everything changes for the best. Gordon reminds readers that we're each the driver of our own "energy bus," and the energy we put out is what we get back.

What prompted you to recommend this title to your fellow face-to-face marketers?
For face-to-face marketers, displaying positive energy is critical for external communications. Every day we make choices about how we present ourselves in our professional and personal lives, and it's so easy to get bogged down with negativity and all that we think is going wrong. That bad energy can seep into our work and affect the outcome of a project or event.

Who would benefit most from reading this title?
Anyone who feels like he or she is stuck in a rut of sour feelings or is constantly thinking, "Why is this happening to me?" When things fall apart, we can choose how we react to the situation. Having a negative reaction may be the first instinct, but this book puts that reaction into perspective and shows readers that it doesn't have to be that way. The energy with which one reacts to an event makes all the difference in the ultimate result.

Which of Gordon's 10 rules did you find the most useful?
The tenet that "Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride." resonated with me the most. This reminder that you attract the energy you put out never gets old. Many of us unwittingly convey negative energy without even knowing it, and it resonates with the people around us. Negative people can create negative cultures, and positive people can create positive cultures – and success. This is something I consider when I'm leading a team.

Bigger Than This

In fewer than 200 pages, Fabian Geyrhalter's "Bigger Than This: How to Turn Any Venture Into an Admired Brand" examines brands that have captured consumers' hearts by emphasizing any of eight unique traits: story, belief, cause, heritage, transparency, delight, solidarity, and individuality.

In what ways is this book uniquely relevant to face-to-face marketers?
Fabian writes that "Advertising is being replaced with branding and storytelling." Now, this is not to say that advertising is gone or going away, but it can only do so much to grow a brand. Face-to-face marketing offers a platform to share a story like no other marketing channel does. It can be immersive, memorable, and even multidimensional, whereas other forms of marketing communication can sometimes fall flat.

Many people associate branding with larger businesses. Can exhibit managers in small companies benefit from this book?
Absolutely. The book shares several case studies of brands no one had heard of until they began marketing differently. For example, Toms shoes didn't necessarily have any features or benefits that outweighed its competitors, so marketers chose to emphasize its philanthropic story, and the brand soon skyrocketed.

What is this book's most important takeaway?
The brand itself is more powerful than the product or service you're selling. It is possible to share a story, connect on beliefs, be transparent, etc. as a strategy to grow a brand and ultimately the company itself. In other words, firms can be defined by something deeper than their product or service and gain success by sharing different traits to engage consumers.

What lessons from this book have you applied to your own program?
We now go into a trade show with the aim of communicating one main idea. Yes, there are other concepts we share regarding specific products, but nothing outweighs the No. 1 directive. As such, booth visitors walk away having connected with our company's brand and with our primary message firmly in their minds.