Brian Solis on Business and Books

"Relevance. You either compete for it or you don’t. But I promise you that if you do not disrupt yourself, the gift of disruption will be given to you by someone else."
—Brian Solis

The quote above comes from our Q&A with Brian Solis, posted here yesterday. Brian's new book, X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, will teach you much more on how to do that work, and so much beside it, but today we focus on the books that have inspired him, that have shaped his thinking, and perhaps even helped him disrupt his own thinking and led him in new directions. You can tell from the answers below that he is extremely well read in business literature, but what he's reading now let's you know that that's not all he reads, which I always take as a good sign when talking to authors.

800-CEO-READ: What is the one unanswered question about business you are most interested in answering?

How do we create a sense of urgency or passion around change at the executive level and how do we make it an exciting rather than arduous process to innovate?

8cr: What book has influenced your work the most?

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

8cr: What is the book you wish you had written (or admire the most) and why?

In addition to How to Win Friends, there are so many books that I admire and wish I had written such as Crossing the Chasm, Competing for the Future, The Pursuit of Wow, the list goes on and on. Each in their own way, were landmark books that inspired people in new directions. Seth Godin, Dan Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, et al., seem to master this consistently.

8cr: What book are you reading right now?

The Joke’s Over by Ralph Steadman.

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For more on his new book, X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, check out our Q&A with Brian Solis, posted here yesterday. If you'd like to get a better idea of Solis and his previous work, head over to ChangeThis for his previous manifestos, Leading Transformation and Captivating Communities and Innovation Begins Here: How to Become the Hero in the Hero’s Journey.

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Keep up with Brian’s blog, ranked in the top 10 marketing blogs in the AdAge Power 150 and a Top 100 business blog as ranked by Technorati. Brian also hosts Revolution, a popular online video series that examines technology, trends and best practices and introduces viewers to the thought leaders who are blazing the trail. Guests have included Katie Couric, Mark Burnett, Shaq, Billy Corgan, and Guy Kawasaki. And if you're interested in more from Brian in book form, pick up What’s the Future of Business (WTF), The End of Business as Usual, and Engage. What’s the Future of Business. And