Late in his life, the writer and social critic Edmund Wilson admitted in an interview that he no longer read history books. Asked why not, he explained, “I already know more or less the kind of things that happen.”

I feel similarly about business books. Having read too many in the early days of my startup career, I now very rarely find one that actually says something new, or that warrants reading past the first chapter.

There is, however, one big exception: The Rockeller Habits, by Verne Harnish. I recommend the book to all of our portfolio company CEOs, and would recommend it equally to anyone building a company. While none of the content is revolutionary, it’s both comprehensive and specific; unlike most business books, which are too hand-wavy to put into real-world action, The Rockefeller Habits is an approach you can immediately put to work as the core of running your business. For CEOs and entrepreneurs, definitely worth the read.