Creating Magic

Lee Cockerell spent more than ten years in charge of operations at Walt Disney World Resort, and he sets out the leadership principles that carried him from a poor Oklahoma farm childhood to head of operations at a multibillion-dollar enterprise. He frames them as ten common-sense strategies, among them that everyone is important, that a company's people are its brand, that appreciation, recognition and encouragement are free fuel, and that people need a purpose rather than just a job. Stories from his four decades at some of the world's best-run companies sit alongside the advice. He addresses small business owners and managers at every level.

Ramit Sethi listed it among 50 books he recommends.