Reading List: Steven Cook, President of Voltage

Steven Cook

In “Reading List,” we ask ecommerce professionals to name some of their favorite books and blogs and tell us why they read them. For this installment, we corresponded Steven Cook, president and chief operating officer of Voltage, a Colorado-based marketing agency for fashion and restaurant brands.

Cook has been part of the Voltage team since 2008. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a master’s in computer science, both from Brigham Young University.

5 Favorite Books

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

Delivering Happiness

This is one of my all-time favorites. Tony Hsieh, founder Zappos, explains how creating a positive culture makes all the difference. The stories are motivational — a good read.

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Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service by Disney Institute and Ted Kinni

Be Our Guest

Disney’s reputation for outstanding customer service is legendary. Good customer experiences don’t happen by accident; they require detailed planning. This book helped me appreciate the need for a customer-centric culture.

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The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do about It by Michael E. Gerber

The E Myth Revisited

This book highlights the difference between building the business and performing the service the business offers. It changed the way I organize and run business systems.

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The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim et al.

The Phoenix Project

An excellent read for anyone who works for a technology company. If you want to get ahead of the competition, join the DevOps revolution and enable your team to produce higher-quality work faster and smarter than before.

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How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen

How Will You Measure Your Life?

In this book, Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen offers perspective on what matters most in life and with tips for finding happiness in your career and in your relationships. I believe our lives should be meaningful and fulfilling.

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5 Favorite Blogs

Laravel News Blog

Laravel News

As an early adapter to Laravel, the open-source PHP framework, I monitor its latest features to ensure we are delivering efficient products to our customers.

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CSS-Tricks

CSS-Tricks

This helps me stay current with the coolest design and front-end CSS features.

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Retail Dive

Retail Dive

With retail and ecommerce clients, I appreciate Retail Dive’s insights on the retail landscape and, particularly, the quick findings listed at the top of its site.

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