FALL BACK TO READING SERIES – Featuring Shep Hyken

This year, as the seasons change and we enjoy fall, I’ve launched my FALL BACK TO READING SERIES. The series will feature two dozen leadership and marketing experts, who will share their inspiration in both fiction and nonfiction, and hopefully, provide the impetus to read more. To quote New York Times Bestselling author Kristin Harmel, “If you give a person a book, you give him the world.” For today’s post, I’d like to introduce Shep Hyken.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/customer experience expert, award-winning keynote speaker, researcher, and New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. As the Chief Amazement Officer at Shepard Presentations, Shep helps his clients create amazing experiences for their customers and employees.

QUESTION: Which three business books have made the biggest impact on your career?
SHEP HYKEN: Just three? Let’s start with my all-time favorite business book, The Experience Economy by Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore. This is what customer experience is all about. And early in my career I bought In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. The companies represented in the book are wonderful case studies on how a company can achieve excellence. And finally, Moments of Truth by Jan Carlzon. This book showcases the perfect way to manage the customer experience; one moment at a time.

QUESTION: Who is your favorite author, and why?
SHEP HYKEN: When it comes to fiction, my favorite author is Jeffrey Archer. He is a wonderfully masterful storyteller. I remember reading my first Archer book while still in school. I also want to mention one of my favorite business authors, Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence.

QUESTION: What book did you read in high school or college that, to this day, you still remember vividly, and why?
SHEP HYKEN: A book that had great influence on me was The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I read it in my junior year in college. I was very intrigued by the main character, Howard Roark, who had an amazing work ethic and unwavering integrity. The story connected with me at a time when I was contemplating my career.

QUESTION: Do you intersperse fiction with your business reading? If yes, what was the last work of fiction that you read, and what caught your attention about it?
SHEP HYKEN:  I’m a fan of mixing my business books with a non-business book. About every fourth book I read is a non-business book. My most recent books include The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs, All About Me by Mel Brooks, and The Judge’s List by John Grisham book. I like the entertainment value of non-business books. They also help me stay creative.

QUESTION: If you created a nonprofit organization to promote reading to children and young adults, what would you name it, and why?
SHEP HYKEN: What has reading done for me? It continues to make me smarter, creative, and a more interesting person. Reading stimulates intellectual and creative growth. So, here’s my first thought for a name: Grow With Words.

SHARE THIS: Reading continues to make me smarter, creative, and a more interesting person. Reading stimulates intellectual and creative growth. ~@Hyken #Reading #DebbieLaskeysBlog

My gratitude to Shep for participating in this year’s fall back to reading series and for sharing his inspiring recommendations!

Image Credit: Jessica Ruscello via Unsplash.

Connect with Shep at these links:
Website: www.Hyken.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shephyken/

Check out Shep’s previous appearance here on my blog:
Customer Service vs. Customer Experience: Does Your Business Know the Difference?
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2014/02/customer-service-vs-customer-experience.html