I enjoy reading. I especially love books that unleash my imagination and inspire ideas. The puritan Richard Baxter once wrote: "It is not the reading of many books which is necessary to make one wise, but the well-reading of a few, could they be sure to have the best." Books like Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith make my list of the few best business books that should be read often and well. But I reviewed that book in a previous newsletter. This month, I'm reaching way back. While the books reviewed in this newsletter are certainly available at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders, you won't find them in the business section. You'll have to head over to the religion aisle for these--they are the book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.

The first chapter of Ecclesiastes states that "there is nothing new under the sun." I read business and marketing books for new ideas and perspectives, but while new ways of looking at business realities can be helpful, the realities themselves are always the same. Discovering the great business wisdom contained in these ancient books reinforces this fundamental truth. The insights in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes top anything I've ever read off the business best seller lists.


I hesitate to proceed directly to the insights I've gleaned from these two books of Solomon without first recognizing that their wisdom is written in the business language of their time--the business of agriculture. For example, certain principles related to how one should treat employees or serve clients might use oxen or cattle in place of the helper or helped. Such equations can easily be misconstrued and sound offensive to our non-agrarian ears. I certainly don't want my employees to imagine that I think of them as oxen!

But if we can get beyond the imagery, we'll find an awesome depth of insight in these old books. Below I've listed passages that have been particularly helpful. I've provided a bit of categorization, some modern business interpolation, and my personal commentary about how they have helped me in business.   next >