I’m not a big fan of most “business books.” In my experience they are pamphlets that have been puffed up into book form so that they look substantial on the shelf. Have you watched the classic Simon Sinek TED talk? If so, then Congratulations! You don’t need to read his book. The book is just a longer version of the talk.
With that in mind, here are some “business books” that I think are worth reading and recommend to anyone.
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- TLDR; Habits are more powerful than goals, and small consistent steps can get you a long way
- Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone
- TLDR; Give and receive feedback better so that you can be a better boss/employee
- Influence by Robert B. Cialdini PhD
- TLDR; Your decision making process isn’t as robust, linear, and rational as you think it is. You can use this to influence your customers and stakeholders. (For a longer read try Thinking and Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman)
- The Corner Office by Adam Bryant
- TLDR; You can learn from the stories and mistakes of others without having to make your own.
- The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
- TLDR; New and innovative products compete along a different vector than existing products and at an early stages don’t appear to meet the current demands of the market. In the long run they supplant existing products by offering a superior and different experience
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
- TLDR; You will need to work in your business and you will need to work on your business.
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- TLDR; Apply the scientific method to business. Start small, test a hypothesis, and grow in the direction of positive results.
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