It's industry conference season! The American Bookseller Association annual trade conference occurs every year in February. This year I joined 950 other independent booksellers from across the nation in Cincinnati, along with 600 other industry professionals that included authors, publishers and vendors. I know what you're wondering, and the answer is, YES! We do get lots of free books at book conferences. Piles of free books. Ballrooms full of free books.
Free books is one great perk of bookselling. But the best part of my profession is the sheer number of exceptional and interesting authors I get to listen to and meet. I sell books, but every book I read, every author I listen to and every colleague I converse with gives me a glimpse into a life different from my own. There are endless opportunities to understand our world from a new perspective, and endless chances to learn something new.
We talk about business a little differently at book conferences. You can buy books at Amazon or Barnes & Noble instead of independent bookshops, just as you can buy audiobooks at Audible instead of Libro.fm. Booksellers sell books, but our true product is harder to quantify; we support our community, elevate diverse voices, create a safe and comforting space, offer book expertise, foster connections through stories and build literacy. This type of "product" is hard to measure on a profit-and-loss report, but it's the crux of why small businesses are an essential component of a thriving community.
One keynote speaker and author at the conference, James Rhee, believes that booksellers, or any entrepreneur, must build connections through goodwill and kindness, which creates the space to problem-solve the challenges of small business creatively and effectively into the future. In an economy that is increasingly dominated by the goliaths of trade and commerce, we must ask ourselves, what business do we have competing in the same market? And the answer is... we don't. Small businesses compete in building community.
In his book, "Red Helicopter: Lead Change with Kindness (Plus a Little Math)," Rhee argues that small businesses must grow sales by growing our connections through goodwill.
"Kindness distributes the joy of problem-solving to everyone. It creates a safe environment that unleashes innovation, especially the unselfish kind, and it turns perceived liabilities into assets." -Rhee writes.
I love that Rhee focuses on problem-solving. Honestly, after buying and reading books, it's what preoccupies most of my time as a business owner. It's easy to get bogged down in the minutia of, well, business survival. But stepping back and forming a broader perspective of what we're really doing here can transform your business.
Business books have pulled me through many a challenge over the years. The co-author of "Getting to Yes," William Ury has written a new book called "Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in the Age of Conflict." It's all about shifting our own perspective, not the perspective of those we oppose when we find ourselves in a difficult conflict or negotiation. What bridge do we have to build to get the answer we want? It's a subtle shift, but one that can create a space to solve a problem.
One year I found myself in a position where the entire team was failing to see the strengths in each other, resulting in distrust and frustration throughout the workday. I read "Dare to Lead" by Brené Brown and then our team did an exercise on values. Incredibly, it helped all of us understand how each person's values affected their professional approach to work. It was also a great lesson on why it's important not to project one's own values onto others.
Feeling like you can't ever get caught up at work? Read "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown.
Need help training a new manager, or a way to reflect on your own management style? Read Harvard Business Review's "10 Best Reads for New Managers."
Want to try a new approach for tough conversations with your team? One of the best books I ever read on how to speak effectively and frankly with employees is "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott.
Bend is an incredibly vibrant, diverse and thriving small business community; however, Bend is also expensive to live and grow a business in. Sometimes we need a little help; other times we need a little inspiration. We have books for both needs, and I hope they help you, too. If you're ever in need of a reminder of why you're doing the hard work of entrepreneurship, look around at the community we've all built. The community YOU helped build. It's why we all live here.
