On the night stand

T+D, Jan, 2003 by Darryl S. Doane, Rose D. Sloat

Decisions, decisions! Between us, we have two nightstands, making the process of highlighting our favorite books all the more difficult. However, after much debate, we eventually picked our three all-time preferred tomes.

Our first choice is a shoo-in--The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber. Having survived the five-year milestone as a company ourselves, we are delighted to discover that the small- business guru may think we've done many things right! Using easy-to-understand terms, Gerber inspires readers to focus on the long-term business development process. Next choice: Our interest in history places Donald T. Phillips's Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times as our favorite among the 35-odd leadership reads resting on our nightstands. CEOs, supervisors, and all who aspire to leadership positions would be hard-pressed to find a more ethical, moral, and caring role model than Abraham Lincoln.

Completing the list: In a forward-looking investigation, Richard Florida's The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life examines the creative process and its role in economic survival. We're in complete agreement with Florida on the driving force of creativity in distinguishing a company from its competitors and in shaping society.

Darryl S. Doane and Rose D. Sloat are co-owners of Canton, Ohio-based The Learning Service and co-authors of Excuses, Excuses, Excuses: For Not Delivering Excellent Customer Service: learningservice@aol.com.