Teton Strategy Group

Waterloo, The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles – Bernard Cornwall
The Battle of Waterloo is a fascinating case study on coordination, grit, strategic planning, and the benefit of a little luck. This widely celebrated account follows the English, French, and Prussian armies as they descend on Belgium to determine the continent’s supremacy, eventually ending the reign and military career of Napoleon Bonaparte. In sports, negotiations, and life, fortune favors the prepared and the Duke of Wellington created a master strategy that narrowly defeated the infamous Frenchman and brought decades of peace to Europe. See also Napoleon: A Life; Wellington: The Iron Duke; The English and Their History.

Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions – Thich Nhat Hanh

This book, given to me by a Buddhist friend, provids brief meditations on anger and how a centered and rational person would manage difficult emotions instead of being driven by them. This book is readable in one sitting and helpful to have when reminders are needed. See also, Strength in Stillness; and Stillness is the Key.

What It Takes – Stephen Schwarzman

Now managing over $975 billion around the world, Blackstone has become one of the largest funds in the world. The company’s co-founder, Stephen Schwarzman, details the early days of trying to build a private equity firm and scouring the country for investment commitments. After spending over a decade on Wall Street, Stephen and his co-founder, Pete Peterson, broke off and started an M&A advisory business to keep the lights on as fundraising continued. There are so many incredible insights from the rise of Blackstone, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning from his wisdom, principles, and honest take on his life and career.

The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King

I came across this in a bookstore in New Orleans a few years ago, and the title alone makes this worth buying. While I had heard of the United Fruit Company (and walked by its buildings in New Orleans), I did not know its origins or the story of Samuel Zemurray. Born in Russia to a Jewish family, the Zemurrays immigrated to the United States and settled in Alabama in 1892. Desperate and destitute, Sam the Banana Man sold 20,000 bananas in 1899, 574,000 in 1903, and over a million bananas a decade later. Eventually building one of the largest banana operations in the world, Sam sold the company to United Fruit and later raided the c-suite and took over as president. An interesting and enjoyable biography about a little-known corner of our economy.

48 Laws of Power – Robert Greene

I’ve posted about this book before, but after re-reading it for the millionth time this month, it truly is one of the best books ever written. Some people feel uncomfortable reading it, but I don’t recommend it to help you manipulate others (nor do I think that was Robert’s intent), but rather to help you understand when you are being manipulated. Each chapter summarizes a law and then provides historical examples to prove its relevance. 66k 4.5 stars on Amazon; 126k 4 stars on Goodreads – it’s time to dive in! More Robert Greene recommendations: The Laws of Human Nature; Mastery; 33 Strategies of War; and The Daily Laws.