Our Top 10 Books for Accountants

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desire to learn and grow is critical to access the Dimension of Possible. What better time to focus on your personal growth than the holiday season? Before the craziness of busy season arrives, spend some time curling up with a good book or two that will make you a better leader and set you up for a better busy season!

For your reading pleasure, we’ve put together a list of our Top 10 Books for Accountants (listed in no particular order). These are some of our favorite books and ones we enjoy sharing with clients and friends. Each of these books has made a big impact for one or both of us personally and for those we support in the profession.

(Note: As an accountant, we understand you’re busy, and you probably like to plan ahead. 🙂 Want to know how long a book is before you commit or to decide whether you want to read or listen to it? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ve included the duration of each book in parentheses below, according to Audible, so you can factor this in when you decide which one you want to dig into first.)

1. The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks (5hr 27 mins)

This book is one of our absolute favorites. It’s probably the book we gift to others the most, and we’ve woven its core concepts into our business strategy for I2L.

Do you know what your zone of genius is? This book will challenge you to rethink your priorities and what your full potential truly is. Is it possible that you’re sabotaging your success based on your own limiting beliefs about what you really deserve? This is what Gay Hendricks calls an “upper limit problem,†and it may just rock your world, like it did ours.

2. The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John Mann (2hr 54 mins)

This is our number one go-to book when it comes to business development. It takes such a refreshing approach to growing your business and demonstrates that growth is not really about “selling†at all. A quote from the book that summarizes this well, “Everybody can be successful because anybody can give.â€

A quick and easy read, this gem shares some fun stories to illustrate the five laws of stratospheric success. If you’re interested in shifting your perspective on business development to one that allows you to enjoy it and attract people who share your values, add this to your reading list!

3. Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by the Arbinger Institute (6hr 1 min)

Do you really get along with everyone the same way? We all have some relationships, whether at work or at home, that are more challenging than others. This book will increase your self-awareness around your relationships (especially the challenging ones!), help you identify where you may be viewing people as objects, and ultimately enhance your ability to influence others.

4. Getting Naked: A Fable about Shedding the Three Fears that Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick Lencioni (4hr 17 mins)

Getting naked is one of the core principles we live by and speak about at I2L, and this book is a beautiful illustration of how this concept applies in the world of client service. Through story, this book will help you see where you unknowingly undermine your ability to build trust and loyalty with your clients and provides a practical approach for overcoming your fears around getting naked.

5. The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (4hr 11 mins)

Do you struggle with how to manage your time? This book will expand your perspective and show you that focus and full engagement are more important (and controllable!) than time. Learn how to consciously manage your energy, so you can be more productive and healthier. If you want to achieve even more (with less stress!), tap into the concepts and rituals presented in this book.

6. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) by Hal Elrod (4hr 57 mins)

We’re big believers in the power of a morning routine. Sarah read this book and applied its concepts in 2013 (back when she was a new partner at a CPA firm, struggling through busy season), and it changed her life dramatically. This book provides a simple, yet powerful approach to creating a morning routine that will unleash your potential and transform not only your morning, but your day, your year…your life!

7. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (10hr 36 mins)

This book provides significant research exploring the differences between extraverts and introverts in a way we can all learn from. As an introvert, this book empowered Brian. He realized he was sometimes conforming too much for others, instead of utilizing his own strengths as an introvert. If you’re an introvert, or you want to learn how to support and tap into the strengths of the introverts on your team, you’ll want to check out this book!

8. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown (4hr 42 mins)

Since we’re such proponents of getting naked, it’s probably no surprise that we’re huge fans of anything by Brené Brown! As the leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, Brené teaches us about the power of vulnerability and what true courage based on years of research, stories and personal experiences. If you’re struggling with the challenges of perfectionism (hey, we get it – we’re recovering perfectionists ourselves), this book will help you explore what might happen when you let go of that mask of perfection and embrace the beautiful, unique person you truly are.

9. The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (6hr 42 mins)

Another favorite, this book will inspire you and shift how you view the world. It will help you create your own Dimension of Possible! Beautifully written from two different perspectives of a husband (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic) and wife (a psychotherapist), this book shares 12 practices to bring more creativity and possibility to leadership and life.

10. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith (9hr 38 mins)

As you reach new heights in your career, the behaviors that made you successful in the first place can actually hold you back. In fact, you probably have at least one interpersonal habit that annoys some people around you, and you don’t even know it (confession: so do we!). Wow, that’s a scary thought, isn’t it? Marshall Goldsmith shares the “Twenty Habits that Hold You Back from the Top†in a very direct and eye-opening way, along with some practical strategies for changing them.

Happy reading!!

See you in the DoP,