Why These 5 Books Can Guide You Out of a Business Crisis 

You’re not imagining it: The business environment really has become more unsettled recently. I’ve personally seen entrepreneurs crumble this last year and not be able to recover from the changes with AI or other industry challenges. It’s important to prepare yourself not only for what the future holds, but how you handle a crisis after it happens. 

This sense of chaos and dislocation has many causes. No discussion of it gets very far without acknowledging artificial intelligence, the 800-pound gorilla in the boardroom. It’s not just that executives at companies big and small are rapidly shifting strategy to account for AI, in many cases through a “questions later” approach. The AI boom has second-order effects as well, from customer to employee sabotage.

For some leaders, developments are coming to a head (or already have). In a world where the “new normal” means lurching from one crisis to the next, every leader needs a plan to break the cycle and reach a more stable state.

These are the books I’ve been recommending to the entrepreneurs I know who have hit a crisis and need to recover. Reading them before the year is out could help you better prepare for what’s next.

1. From Crisis to Clarity: A Proven Framework to Transform Your Business on the Brink by Rod Neuenschwander

I happen to know Rod Neuenschwander personally, so I was excited to hear he was working on a book about bringing your business back from the brink.

Rod’s book doesn’t disappoint. From Crisis to Clarity is a poignant, personal story of overcoming the unimaginable without sacrificing your dreams. It begins with the heartbreaking loss of Rod’s longtime business partner, John Ruhlin. The unthinkable tragedy was compounded by the inconvenient reality that John was the heart and soul of the enterprise—that, without him, the company’s future and the livelihoods of its many employees faced significant challenges.

I don’t think it spoils anything to reveal that Rod pulled his company back from the brink. What’s more important—and what I’ll leave you to read—is how he did it and the lessons you can draw from his 20 years of experience helping other businesses recover after a crisis.

2. The Compass Within: A Little Story About The Values That Guide Us by Robert Glazer

Another friend of mine, Robert Glazer, shared an advance copy of his upcoming book with me, and I’m genuinely excited about it. The Compass Within: A Little Story About The Values That Guide Us is a book that weaves storytelling with practical strategies to help readers live with greater clarity and purpose.

One of the elements that stood out to me is the way the book uses a parable to show how people often struggle when their values are violated—sometimes without even realizing it. The story follows Jamie Hynes, a driven leader torn between career ambition and the kind of life and relationships he truly wants. Jamie meets a mentor, Jack Reardon, who guides him to uncover his core values and find his own “compass within.”

As Jamie’s journey unfolds, it prompted me to reflect on my own values. I think many readers will have the same experience—walking away with insights that help them navigate work, relationships, and community with more authenticity and purpose.

3. The Invisible Entrepreneur: From Mental Health to Mindset by Tabatha Barron

Like From Crisis to Clarity, Tabatha Barron’s The Invisible Entrepreneur is a deeply personal read about navigating challenges at home and in the workplace. 

As a collection of insights and narratives from dozens of women entrepreneurs and business leaders, its aperture is a bit wider than that of Rod’s book. Although Barron lets her subjects do much of the talking, it is clear that she sees herself in their stories and has experienced some of the same challenges. 

Barron invites readers to walk in her shoes to see the world through her eyes. In reading The Invisible Entrepreneur, you’ll not only feel inspired, but you’ll likely also find the journey to be as personal as Barron’s was in writing it.  

4. Bounce Back: Survive and Thrive in a Business Crisis by Richard Mowrey

Richard Mowrey’s Bounce Back may be one of the more practical volumes on this list. It’s a how-to guide to recover from major setbacks that threaten your company’s financial and competitive strength, if not its overall success.

Mowrey’s advice centers on the three types of plans businesses need in order to rebuild after such setbacks. Comparing that rebuilding process to reconstructing a house after a fire or hurricane, he recommends a “build back better” strategy that shores up the enterprise’s foundation and enhances its functionality. If that demands some tough decisions, so be it—Mowrey explains how to make them quickly and with as little drama as possible.

5. The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Organizations Transform While Others Fail by Charlene Li

The four volumes above focus on crisis recovery. They speak to business owners in the midst of big challenges or those concerned they’ll soon face one.

Charlene Li’s The Disruption Mindset begins earlier, before the journey from crisis to recovery really begins. Li argues that many founders of high-growth businesses set the wrong priorities by focusing on disruption as the endgame rather than seeing it as a byproduct of growth (and success).

Drawing on studies of organizations that innovated where others failed—such as ING, Nokia, and T-Mobile—Li shows leaders how to turn apparent weakness into underappreciated strength. Her advice opens new horizons for leaders willing to take bold action to revamp a stale business strategy, swap out tired leadership for fresh thinkers, and rebuild an enterprise from first principles.

Even if your business isn’t in an active crisis today, it’s likely to face a real test before long. By reading these five books ahead of time, you’ll be better positioned to respond successfully if and when it does.