CX Expert’s Top Ten Business Books For 2025

Just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, here is a list of my favorite business books I’ve read this year. A special book makes the perfect gift for the boss or a colleague. And if you want to make it personal (and you should), then “personalize it” with a handwritten note inside the book. So, here is the list for 2025 (in alphabetical order by author):

1. Delivering the WOW: Culture as a Catalyst for Lasting Success by Richard Fain (Fast Company Press)—I always enjoy learning from high-level executives of successful companies known for great customer experience. Fain is the chairman and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. Do I need to say more? Learn from the leader of an organization in the uber-competitive travel industry who led a small company with three ships that held just over 700 passengers to become one of the most profitable cruise lines in the world. It now has more than 60 ships, including the world’s largest ship, Icon of the Seas, which cost $2 billion to build and carries more than 7,600 passengers!
2. Ten Things They Hate About You: A CX Playbook for Leaders by Lance Gruner (American Real Publishing)—Lance Gruner is the former executive vice president of CX for Mastercard. In addition, he’s worked for brands like Disney and The Ritz-Carlton. His experience is the credibility behind the book. In total transparency, I loved the book enough to accept the invitation to write the foreword. What this book is about can be summarized in six words: “Fix the experience, keep the customer.”
3. Exceptional Experiences: Five Luxury Levers to Elevate Every Aspect of Your Business by Neen James (Page Two)—When you think of luxury business, brands like Ritz-Carlton, Gucci and Prada may come to mind, but James says (and proves) that luxury isn’t about how much you charge, but how you treat your customers. Any company can use her “five luxury levers” to elevate the customer experience to an exceptional level.
4. The Engagement Effect: Cultivating Experiences that Ignite Connections, Build Trust, and Inspire Action by Steve Spangler (Forefront Books)—The author is a former schoolteacher who now teaches teachers and businesspeople how to engage their students, employees and customers and create what he calls a “Best Day Ever” experience. Using case studies that include notable brands like Chewy.com, he shows how we can all create memorable experiences that build trust and create connections.
5. The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses by Mita Mallick (Wiley)—Writing about her real-life experiences, Mallick shares leadership advice based on 13 bad bosses, including herself. The stories are entertaining and packed with leadership lessons on how to avoid being the bad boss everyone hates to work for.
6. Predictable Profits: Transform Your Business from One-Off Sales to Recurring Revenue with Memberships and Subscriptions by Stu McLaren (Hay House LLC)—A membership or subscription business model turns one-off sales into ongoing, repeat business. McLaren shows you how to transform virtually any business into a model that generates consistent, predictable revenue.
7. Uplifted: The Remarkable Power of Positive Leadership on Frontline Teams by Ryan Minton (Streamline Books)—The author has a background in managing hotels and running front-line teams. He provides simple yet powerful leadership insights that will uplift both employee and customer experiences.
8. Audacious: How Humans Win In an AI Marketing World by Mark Schaefer (Schaefer Marketing Systems)—The author is a “writing machine,” constantly putting out books that are almost always at the top of my recommended reading lists. Audacious is another winner that will give you tips and insights to bolster your marketing efforts in a world “drowning in AI-generated noise.”
9. Give Hospitality: A Hopeful Story of What Happens When We Live, Work, and Love from a Place of Generosity by Taylor Scott (Matt Holt)—This is a parable that tells the story of an employee who quit her job and went to work at a hotel that focused on both guests and employees. The story teaches leaders in any industry how to create a culture where employees are happier, more engaged and feel appreciated.
10. The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things by Annie Wilson and Ryan Hamilton (Harvard Business Review)—The subtitle of this book intrigued me. As a company expands and finds new markets and audiences to sell to, there is a danger of alienating existing customers. The book is filled with interesting, entertaining and practical case studies to help you navigate growth and keep the customers you have.

And that’s my 2025 Top Ten List. With holiday shopping and sales just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to pick up a gift for someone at work, be it a boss, colleague or customer. A book is the gift that keeps on giving, fostering personal and career growth. Happy Holidays!