In my spare time, I enjoy reading books about various topics and disciplines. It’s a great way for me to relax, learn something new, and enjoy a great story. Biographies, non-fiction, and business books are typically my go-to reads. 

One of my favorite books that I read this year is called The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success. It shares stories about how the eight CEOs got started in business and highlights what made them successful in their respective industry. 

The book also provides great insights into the mindset and thought process each CEO follows to overcome challenges and take their business to the next level. Whether the CEO was faced with an expansion, contraction, a capital event or expense challenge, the book does an outstanding job explaining the situation, business plan, and outcome. 

One takeaway I had from the book was what makes the CEOs unconventional. Without giving away the whole book, the CEOs were unconventional because they followed their instincts and business fundamentals, even though their industry peers were doing things a different way. 

Another interesting takeaway was that all the CEOs support decentralized operations with a small business office in an affordable market. None of the CEOs spent a large amount of capital renting or building an office in Manhattan because they knew having a fancy office would not increase bottom-line net income. 

The CEOs also believed in giving decision-making power to as close to the front line as possible. They have confidence in the managers and leaders who have the most knowledge of the situation and know what their teams need to succeed. I really enjoyed the book and learned several things to help our businesses evolve and grow while we continue to experience changes to the economic and social environments. 

The eight CEOs discussed in the book are Tom Murphy—Capital Cities Broadcasting; Henry Singleton— Teledyne; Bill Anders—General Dynamics; John Malone—TCI; Katherine Graham—The Washington Post Company; Bill Stiritz—Ralston Purina; Dick Smith—General Cinema; and Warren Buffett—Berkshire Hathaway.

I think you might find the book interesting and useful for your business, line of work, and personal finances. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about the book or would like other recommendations for books we feel will make you more successful in business and life.