Hot Picks for Your Summer Reading List

Summer is the time when many of us feel we can indulge in the luxury of relaxing with a good book. Vacations (or even staycations) are supposed to be a recharge for the brain, too! Lists of the season’s hottest book choices abound (such as this one from Bill Gates), but we wondered: what are people in the machine tool business reading? To satisfy our inquiring minds, we asked some resident bookworms what’s on their hot list right now. Below are suggestions from Gary Hartwig and Seth Machlus (from Okuma distributor Hartwig), plus Julie Murphy and Mindy Mikami (from Okuma’s Marketing department). These are some great reads – put them on your list!

Which Business Book Have You Read Recently?

1. Good to Great, by Jim Collins
   Gary: Hartwig has a rich tradition of having our entire management team read one book per quarter. With regard to Jim Collins’ book, we had our entire staff read this and provide what they believed would be the best ideas to take Hartwig. from “good to great.” The management team narrowed it down to these three: Passion, Knowledge, and Achievement. When all of our 180 people share these common goals, we can get where we need to go much faster.

    

2. Turn this Ship Around!, by L. David Marquet
   Seth: This book provides an interesting perspective on management, horizontal management in particular, and training the work force for the next generation.

    

3. Spin Sucks, by Gini Dietrich
   Julie: Spin Sucks is about what’s currently happening in the world of marketing and public relations and how to use owned, earned, shared and paid content to leverage and promote your brand. She provides some great insights into SEO and content marketing. It’s a fairly easy read and she uses humor and real-life anecdotes to help make her points.

    

How About Books “Just for Fun”?

1. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, by James Weldon Johnson
   Mindy: I found this book on a list called “32 Books That Will Actually Change Your Life.” I’m only a third of the way through the book, which takes place in the late 19^th/early 20^th century, but it’s very interesting to see how this boy/man’s life changes as he transitions through life and his changing racial identity.

    

2. David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell
   Seth: I’ve always liked Gladwell’s work. A very neat approach to using stats and numbers to quantify leadership, growth and success. Always good reads and very relevant.

    

3. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
   Julie: This is the story about the US Olympic 8-man rowing team that took gold at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. These young men overcame poverty, the Depression, and the dust bowl and came together through hard work and teamwork to defeat the favored German team at the height of Nazism. As a member of a sports team, I found the references to teamwork and the transcendence of the team to be enlightening. As a marketing professional I found the discussions of how the Nazi party used propaganda to fool the rest of the world and divert attention away from their true agenda to be truly astounding and frightening. Despite the Nazi references, the book really is a terrific read.

    

What Book Should Everyone in Manufacturing Read?

1. The Goal, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
   Seth: Even 40 years after the original writing, this book is still 100% relevant in both content and leadership. Great book about how one issue impacts another and how work and home life need to be balanced and seen as one. Julie: A business book disguised as a novel, The Goal stands the test of time. I originally read it in the late 80’s in college and reread it again a few years ago. I found it to be highly relevant as it wove a story of how interrelated business processes are, and how one’s personal life cannot really be completely separated from one’s business life.

    

2. Here’s Looking at Euclid, by Alex Bellos
   Mindy: EVERYONE should read this book, not just those in manufacturing. A lot of people find math intimidating or don’t like it period. As someone who has always loved math, my hope is that by reading this book, people will see how math is at work in our daily lives and how truly beautiful it is. Without math, we certainly can’t have manufacturing, and the “punny” title makes me chuckle a bit, too!

    

Tell Us How You Really Feel…About Reading

Julie: Books have had the power to transport me to new worlds, take on new personas, and expose me to new adventures. In many ways, characters in books become family. Through these characters, I’ve learned a great deal about myself, my dreams, and my fears. I’ve always loved having a book nearby and I have a collection of autographed books that I cherish. As long as I have something to read, I will always have a friend nearby.

Mindy: I’ve loved reading ever since I was a child. Once I could read for myself, I devoured every written word I could find...even sneaking a peek at the copy of “Arabian Nights” that was on my mom’s bookshelf, even though she had told me it was too “grown up” for an eight-year-old. While I still love the feel of a real book, the invention of the e-reader has really changed how I enjoy books. Now I can have my entire library in my pocket wherever I am. I love that books allow me to visit other places, learn new skills, and occasionally escape reality.

Seth: Reading is like exercise and diet. If you can’t enjoy it, you’re not going to do it. There are so many genres and topics, everyone can find something to like. It’s also amazing to me how many people say, “I’d like to read, but I don’t have the time.” These are the same people who play Candy Crush for 30 minutes while waiting for an appointment, or zoning off on an airplane. Find the time and enhance your life.

Gary: I personally try to read at least one book per month. Our culture tells us those who read, lead. It is our goal to be better leaders, every year.

Yes, it’s true. Most good leaders are definitely readers. What are you reading this summer?