In *Ego Is the Enemy*, Ryan Holiday delves into the concept of ego and its detrimental effects on personal and professional success. The book is divided into three sections: Aspiration, Success, and Failure, each offering valuable lessons and perspectives. Holiday draws on a vast array of stories and examples from literature, philosophy, and history, featuring figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt. These individuals achieved great success by conquering their own egos, and their strategies and tactics are presented as models for readers. The book emphasizes the importance of staying grounded, continually learning, and embracing a mindset of growth rather than letting ego hinder development.
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber dispels the myths about starting your own business, highlighting that most small business owners are not true entrepreneurs but rather technicians skilled in their trade. Gerber introduces the concept of the 'E-Myth' and explains that business owners must embody three key roles: the Entrepreneur (the visionary), the Manager (the organizer), and the Technician (the doer). The book emphasizes the distinction between working 'on' your business and working 'in' your business, and provides practical advice on building systems and processes to ensure a business can run independently of its owner.
In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not. The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect. These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not. The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline. The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.
In 'The Infinite Game', Simon Sinek distinguishes between finite and infinite games. Finite games have known players, fixed rules, and a clear endpoint, whereas infinite games, like business and life, have no defined endpoint and are played to continue the game rather than to win. Sinek argues that leaders who adopt an infinite mindset, focusing on a 'Just Cause', building 'Trusting Teams', having 'Worthy Rivals', practicing 'Existential Flexibility', and showing the 'Courage to Lead', will build stronger, more innovative, and resilient organizations. The book uses real-world examples to illustrate the benefits of an infinite mindset and the pitfalls of a finite mindset in business and leadership[1][2][5].
In Traction, Gino Wickman provides a systematic approach to achieving business success through the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). The book focuses on six key components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. It helps business leaders clarify their vision, align their leadership team, solve common business problems, and foster healthy communication and discipline within the organization. The EOS system is designed to help businesses overcome frustrations such as lack of control, people issues, insufficient profit, hitting the ceiling, and feeling stuck. The book offers practical tools, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to drive sustainable growth and improve business operations.
Michael Erath reveals the five obsessions that drive elite business performance and sustainable growth. From recovering after a $45M business collapse to building a customizable operating system, Michael shares powerful lessons every Entrepreneur should hear.
Here’s a glance at what you’ll discover in this episode:
- How Michael Erath lost a $45 million company—but walked away with a better business model, a better marriage, and a blueprint for building elite organizations. (Here's the system that turned a betrayal and bank fraud into one of the most valuable leadership toolkits you’ve never heard of.)
- Why most “people problems” in your business come down to this one overlooked cause—and how Michael’s Mission/MCO/Obsessions framework eliminates it before it infects your team.
- Why your people don’t need more perks or ping pong tables—they need THIS principled, plug-and-play system that unlocks performance, purpose, and profits.
- The $100 Bill Exercise: How a pair of scissors, a blown-up banknote, and one bold demonstration taught an entire factory team financial literacy—and why your team’s ignorance of margin may be killing your business.
- The Hidden Cost Of Onboarding By Firehose: If you haven’t documented a 90-day onboarding journey with check-ins and calibrations, you’re not onboarding—you’re waterboarding.
- How to stop saying “we’re too busy to systemize” and finally build the playbooks that make fires go away for good. (Plus: How Michael uses Loom, AI, and ChatGPT to turn chaos into clarity—without adding headcount.)
- Stop Hoping For “Ownership” And Define It Instead: Why saying “I’ll own that” is meaningless without a clear outcome, guardrails, and accountability. (And how Michael trains leaders to own outcomes, not just tasks.)
- The 7 People Solutions framework for retaining (or releasing) underperformers—without drama, excuses, or endless “coaching” loops. (Use this to fix your culture without wrecking your calendar.)
- Why Most Entrepreneurs Sabotage Their Own Teams: Michael’s blunt answer to the “arsonist-leader” dilemma—and how to build a business operating system that puts the user before the tool.
If you’d like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network® Event – then apply today for your invitation to attend at https://geniusnetwork.com.
The Joe Polish Show 
