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businessmba.org

The 50 Best Business Books

by RY A N • F EB. 2 2, 2 0 1 2

Business books can easily fall int o the hole of just about an y sort of instruct ional litera tu re

— an a by sma l noise-to-sign al ra tio. Like self-help a nd DIY books, dozens and dozens are

published every y ear, all promising m iraculous results. Some a re scams, some w ill only

work for a few selec t people, a nd some are ju st badly written tr ipe. These 50 books on

business, fina nc e, and lea dership all hav e qu alities that raise them abov e the fr ay , an d

m ark t hem as eith er th e best or m ost popular of the lot.

5 0 . T h e 1 % W i n d f a l l : H o w S u c c e s sf u l C o m p a n i e s U se P r i c e t o Pr o f i t a n d G r o w

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Many new entrepreneurs hav e a terrible time char ging wha t they are worth, and Rafi

Moha mm ed’s book is the perfect an tidote. Genera lly slanted towar ds lar ge corporat ions,

the book still has powerful implications for businesses of all sizes when it comes to pricingdecisions.

4 9 . In f l u e n c e : T h e Ps y c h o l og y o f P er s u a s i on

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Dr Cialdini’s book Influence (wh ich ha s been writt en, rew rit ten, r eissued, and rev am pedmore times than I care to count) is an incredible attem pt to apply someth ing r esembling a

scientific pr ocess to the power s of persuasion. As a resour ce, it’s inv alu able not ju st for

m aking y ourself m ore persuasiv e, but for also becom ing m ore resistan t to the w iles of

oth ers, too. It delv es into how w e influence people, and w hat met hods work th e most

effectiv ely , techniques that can be devastating if used properly.

4 8 . P os i t i on i n g : T h e B a t t l e f o r Y o u r Mi n d

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The book Positioning puts forw ard a n int rigu ing pr ospect for h ow t o get y our business

ahead: by “positioning” it within the customers mind thr ough ma rketing, bran ding and

product m ana gem ent. It’s about developing nich es, both in term s of products but al so interm s of perception, so that cu stomers remember y ou, and perceiv e y ou a s a strong, and

able company . Through w itty and easy to understand writing, Ries and Trout create a

perfect introduction to marketing strategy .

4 7 . S e l l i n g t h e In v i s i b le : A F i e ld G u i d e t o Mo de r n M a r k e t i n g

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In t he m odern w orld of business, most of us don’t h av e a concret e product to sell. We’re a

serv ice based economy , and frankly that ’s something mu ch h ard to demonstrat e and

impr ess people with . Beckwith ’s now classic book delv es into how to m ark et th e

inta ngible, an d especially focusing on creating a n excellent cu stom er experience so tha t

people will wa nt t o come back to you.

4 6 . Z a g : T h e N u m b e r O n e S t r a t e g y of H i g h -P er f or m a n c e Br a n d s

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“When ev ery body zigs, zag. ” It’s simple enoug h in concept, but in pra ctice it can be adev astatingly powerful w ay of differentiating y our company from those around it. In

industries with h eav y ma rket satura tion, differentiation can be the difference between

success and failure. Zag shows how t o separa te y our bran d from t he rest of the pack, and

thr iv e because of it.

4 5 . S e c r e t s of C l os i n g t h e S a l e

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Zig Ziglar ’s “Secrets of Closing the Sale” is v ery m uch a bout one of the fundam ental

buildin g block s of a g ood busin ess — th e art of th e sale. No m at ter what y ou do, it ’s all

about selling. Be tha t selling y our serv ices, selling a product, netw orking, or a ny thing

else, it’s about conv incing people tha t y ou’re the best th ere is for w ha t th ey need. The

silver -tongu ed gift of the gab, wh ich Zig lay s down for any and all comers.

4 4 . Pu r p l e C o w , N e w Ed i t i on : T r a n s f or m Y o u r B u s i n e ss b y Be i n g R e m a r k a b l e

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Yet ag ain we hit the touchstone of br an d differentia tion. Becau se if custom ers see y our

serv ice as identical to ever y one else’s, th ey ’re simply not going to com e to y ou. Seth

Godin’s 2002 book looked at a num ber of incredibly successful bran ds, like Sta rbucks,

Jetblue and Apple, and how they differentiated themselves from all the other companies

around them.

4 3 . T h e T i p p i n g P oi n t : H o w L i t t l e T h i n g s C a n M a k e a B i g Di f f er e n c e

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Gladwell’s book from 2000 is pretty mu ch t he textbook of the v iral m arketing r evolution,

a look at how getting inform ation into the right place can cause a “ tipping point”, a

crit ical m ass of littl e fact ors tha t come together to create an enormous chang e. It’s a

tipping point th at pu shes a book int o popula rit y , or start s a fashion tr end. Gladwell looks

at powerful individuals who can spread inform ation, and how a tsunami of sma ll chan ges

can a dd together t o a ma jor par adigm shift.

4 2 . T h e H P W a y : H ow Bi l l H ew l e t t a n d I Bu i l t O u r C om p a n y

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HP is floundering r ight now. Year s of incom petent leadership has left the compan y poor,

with m an y horr ific purch ases u nder th eir belt, an d a toxic boar d. But if y ou look back a

few y ears, to when HP wa s at t he top of its gam e and were a bleeding edge tech compan y ,

m uch of their success goes back t o the actions of the t itul ar Hewlett and Packar d. HP’s

ma nagem ent sty le cam e to define successful engineering companies, a nd rem ains a

crucial r esource for a ny one in th e tech w orld.

4 1 . S t e v e J ob s

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Steve Jobs’ death in 20 1 1 pushed forwa rd th e release of his wart s and all biography by Walt er Isaac son. While Jobs may not hav e been a nice or plea san t indiv idu al, he w as a n

excellent bu sinessman wh o dema nded perfection from h is staff. He rev olut ionised user

interface, and created a w orld of design a nd industrial art that has influenced the entire

world of tech nology . Sure, he w as a prick, but he w as t ruly good at what he did.

4 0 . T h e A r t o f t h e S t a r t : T h e T i m e -T e s t e d, Ba t t l e -H a r d e n e d G u i d e fo r

A n y on e S t a r t i n g A n y t h i n g

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Ev ery one has an idea for a bu siness. Ideas ar e cheap. Wha t’s expensiv e and har d andsomet im es ut terly soul destroyin g is tur ning th at idea int o a successful business. This is

where Gu y Kaw asa ki’s book com es in , a m an ual for th e en trepr eneurs at tem pting to go

from pitch t o an established bra nd and product , an d all th e steps in-betw een. A m ust read

for start ups, it clearly lay s out how to get y our idea off the gr ound.

3 9 . G u e r r i l l a Ma r k e t i n g

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Lev inson’s Guerr illa Marketin g keeps gett ing reprin ted, because it’s simply a fanta stic

read that prov ides a hug e am ount of inform ation. First published in 1 983 , it pushed

forwa rd th e radical idea th at t raditional a dvert ising cam paigns were sub-optimal, and

lead to the birth of guerr illa, and the more modern v iral, m arketing. Rather tha n rely on

the tr aditional m ethods of ma rketing, Levinson u rges alternativ e platform s and paths

that can a llow better penetrat ion for less outlay .

3 8 . T h e Ri s e o f t h e C r e a t i v e C l a s s: A n d H o w I t ’s T r a n s fo r m i n g W o r k , L e i su r e ,

C om m u n i t y , a n d Ev e r y d a y L i fe

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Wit h th e decline of man ufact uring in the USA and m uch of th e in dustr ia l w orld, workershav e adapted to other t y pes of work. Many tra nsitioned to the serv ice industry , but t his

book ch ronic les t he r ise of the “cr eativ e cla ss” — w riters, a rtists, bloggers, m usician s,

scientists, and more. In 20 03 , th e creativ e class wa s a full 3 0% of the workforce, an d

they ’v e only gr own since then. In the tim e of freelance progra m mer s and coffee shop

ourna lists, th is book looks at a ma ssiv e growth in a new dem ographic an d how it ch ang es

the face of the w orld.

3 7 . T h e W i s dom O f Cr o w d s

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The genera l though t is that enorm ous crowds of people are stupid, unr uly m obs, ru led by their worst instincts. Surowiecki posits the opposite, that th e crowd is in fact sm ar ter t ha n

specifically tr ained elites. Through the power of th e ma sses, th e book looks at how th ey ’re

better at m aking decisions, solv ing problem s, a nd cr eating innov at ion. To a cer ta in

degree y ou see th is wit h cr owdsour cing, bu t hu ge groups can still bring out th e worst in

people.

3 6 . T h e Le x u s a n d t h e O l i v e T r e e

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New York Tim es Foreign Affairs colum nist Thomas L. Friedma n wr ote th e Lexus and th eOliv e Tree as a wa y of ana ly zing the incr edible power of globalization in the world righ t

now. In a system w here ev ery one is interconnected at a previously unforeseen level,

where y ou can em ail a manu fact urer in China to sen d a product to a pa ckag ing pla nt in

Afr ica, understa nding th e g lobally holist ic nat ure of business is cr ucial .

3 5 . T h e 4 8 L a w s of Pow e r

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For the geeks in th e au dience, consider th is a r eal-life v ersion of the Rules of Acquisition.Thousands of y ears of graft , m ana gem ent, r uler ship and rut hlessness compressed down

into a slim 4 8 ru les on how to take power, a nd crush y our enemies beneath y our

corporat e booth eel. This is not a pleasant tit le, it’s a w arr iors guide to business. Am ora l,

cunning and v indictive, if y ou follow it ’s adv ice y ou’ll be a h orrible person. A rich,

horrible person.

3 4 . T h e Pr a c t i c e O f Ma n a g e m e n t

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In m odern business, t he Pract ice of Managem ent is som ethin g of a classic. First pu blished

in 1 954 , it’s been a bible of how to han dle business and y our subordinat es for g enerat ions

of ma nagers and leaders. While now mu ch of the adv ice may seem t rite an d obv ious, it was a trendsetter, a nd la id down th e groundwork for m uch of what we consider

completely standard now.

3 3 . W h e n G e n i u s Fa i l e d : T h e R i se a n d F a l l o f L on g -T e r m C a p i t a l

M a n a g e m e n t

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In a w orld where hedge funds are currently rev iled as being ma jor play ers in th e currenteconomic c risis, t his book t rac ks the r ise and fall of one of the big gest hedge fun ds of all

time: Long-Term Capital Management. From 1 99 4 until its collapse in 2 000, Lowenstein

chr onicles the story of th is com pany , it’s met eoric rise and catastrophic fall. Ev entu ally

bailed out by the gov ernm ent, LTCM w as a tast e of the ch aos that happened ten y ears

later.

3 2 . In S e a r c h o f Ex c e l l e n c e : L e ss on s f r o m A m e r i c a ’ s Be s t -R u n C o m p a n i e s

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In Sear ch of Excellence is a r eport compiled by a g roup of McKinsey consult ant s wholooked at 43 of the biggest and m ost successful companies in the USA, an d wha t th ey did

to get ther e. An inc redible resour ce of man agem ent t ips and an aly sis, it’s not a book

without fla ws. You h av e to buy into t he McKin sey 7 -S fram ew ork of business descr ipt ions,

or else mu ch of the an aly sis doesn’t w ork.

3 1 . Pe r m i s si o n Ma r k e t i n g : T u r n i n g S t r a n g e r s In t o F r i e n d s A n d Fr i e n d s In t o

C u s t o m e r s

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Seth Godin’s Perm ission Marketin g looks at a fundam ental ly different w ay of m ar keting.

He talks about adv ertising th at’s inclusive rat her tha n intru siv e. Rather t han ads that

butt into y our show s an d readin g, ones t hat cr eate a rela tionship w ith th e v iew er , a ndentice th em int o becomin g a cu stom er. It’s as mu ch a book about creat ing an excellent

customer connection as about adv ertising, it’s a goldmine for h ow to av oid som e of the

worse a dv ertising prac tices t hat aboun d.

3 0 . B a r b a r i a n s a t t h e G a t e : T h e F a l l o f R JR Na b i s c o

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Barbarians at the Gate was a breakthrough book, and introduced the world to thecorporat e tell-all, th e well w ritt en dissection of the destr uct ion of a com pany . The book

tr acks the fight for RJR Nabisco during October and Nov ember of 1 98 8. Th e larg est

takeov er ev er at tem pted, it wa s seen as an endemic r epresentat ion of th e excesses of that

decade. A bru tal a nd behind the scenes look at m erger s and acquisitions, it’s a stu nnin g

and breathtaking r ead.

2 9 . Bu i l t t o La s t : S u c c e s sf u l H a b i t s o f V i s i on a r y C o m p a n i e s

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Based on an incredible body of resear ch from Stan ford, r ath er th an focus on leaders andproduct s which redefined industries, Built to Last instead focused on a nu mber of long-

liv ed com panies. These 1 8 corporat ions like Genera l Motors, HP and Disney all surv iv ed

decades of tur m oil and strife. While som e of them are in sligh tly worse sha pe in the

curr ent economic climate, t he basis for t heir longevity is well worth inv estigating.

2 8 . T h e O n e Mi n u t e M a n a g e r

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First published in 19 82, The One Minute Manager wa s a rev olutionary and highly

influent ial book wh en it lan ded. It fundam ental ly broke down m uch of the business of

ma nagem ent into creating small and achiev able goals and actions, improv ing

motiv ation and perform ance. Small enough that y ou can bur n thr ough it in a quiet

aftern oon, an d get at a book tha t is incr edibly effectiv e.

2 7 . F i r s t , Br e a k A l l t h e R u l e s: W h a t t h e W o r l d ’ s G r e a t e s t Ma n a g e r s Do

D i f f e r e n t l y

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So m uch of th is list is creating gu idelines for h ow t o successfully perform , wh ere so m any

tr uly gr eat leaders succeed by doing t he opposite. Break All th e Rules shows how th e best

of the best do it, despite breakin g r ules we’d consider ir on cla d, and w hy it w orks for t hem .

2 6 . T h e C r e a t i v e H a b i t : L ea r n I t a n d U se It f or L i f e

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Creativ ity exists in m ore th an people who hav e outw ardly creativ e professions. In fact,

bein g cr eativ e can be t he key differ ence in differentia ting y our business from th at of

ev ery one else’s. The Creat iv e Habit is about the w ork of inspiration. Getting y our self to

take creativ e actions on a day to day basis until th ey ’re a habit, and th en tapping thatability.

2 5 . T h e O n e T h i n g Y o u N e e d t o K n ow : … A b o u t G r e a t M a n a g i n g , G r e a t

L ea d i n g , a n d S u s t a i n e d In d i v i d u a l S u c c e ss

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Following on from his success with First Break A ll The Rules, Marcu s Buckin gha m w ent

on t o write t wo m ore books, including The One Th ing You N eed To Know, wh ich focused on

the th ree most im porta nt a nd fundamental areas of professional a ctiv ity . Tha t w ould bethe titu lar m anagem ent, leadership, and indiv idual success. Draw ing on a nu mber of

sample cases, he demonstrat ed simple tr ut hs at th e hear t of success in all th ese regions.

2 4 . T h e F i v e Dy s fu n c t i o n s o f a T e a m : A Le a d e r s h i p Fa b l e

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The J -B Lencioni Series by Patrick Lencioni ar e a series of “fables” w ritt en as g uides form ana gers and leaders to better u nderstand th eir roles and how to deal wit h others.

Labelled as “fables”, t hese books are stories told wit h v ery specific lessons in m ind. Har dly

subtle, but nonetheless inform ativ e, they at least breakaway from the usual somewh at

dry form ula y ou see in m any of these entries.

2 3 . T h e 8 0 /2 0 P r i n c i pl e : T h e S ec r e t t o A c h i e v i n g Mor e w i t h L e ss

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The 80/2 0 Principle is at its hear t a v ery simple idea: 80% of result s come from 2 0% of

the effort. This can m ean th at 8 0% of rev enue comes from 2 0% of customer s, or th at 8 0%

of my wr iting comes from 20% of my time (th e rest is spent play ing ar ound on theinter net). Koch’s book shows y ou h ow to efficiently tap int o th is ratio to get t he m axim um

output for the minim um w ork.

2 2 . Dr i v e : T h e S u r p r i s i n g T r u t h A b o u t W h a t M ot i v a t e s Us

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Every one struggles with motiv ation. Be it professional, personal, or romantic, gettingtogether the energy to attempt someth ing — and even m ore to stick with it — can feel

impossible inside th e world of apathy . Pink’s book arg ues that w hat actu ally m ana ges to

m otiv ate people repeatedly a nd perpetually isn’t some sort of pay off at t he end, but ra th er

a sense of self-direction, a desire to learn, creat e, an d better t he w orld a round us,

2 1 . L e a d e r s h i p a n d S e l f De c e p t i on : G e t t i n g O u t o f t h e B ox

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First published in 20 00, t his book didn’t sell hu gely well t o begin wit h, in stead slowly picking up steam over a n um ber of yea rs. This book posits som ethin g v ery inter esting

about leadership — namely that the best a ctions in the w orld won’t m atter if y ou do them

for th e wrong rea sons. Any one wh o has been stuck un der a cru el but competent boss

knows this well enough , as people work best un der leaders th ey feel actu ally car e about

them . If you’re in it for purely mercenar y reasons, you may hav e trouble.

2 0 . Y o u r M on e y o r Y o u r L i fe : T r a n s f or m i n g Y o u r R e l a t i o n sh i p w i t h M on e y

a n d A c h i e v i n g F in a n c i a l In d e pe n d en c e

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Despite hav ing a tit le picked from British highw ay men, in t he 20+ y ears since YourMoney or Your Life wa s published, it’s rem ained a firm fav orit e, and ma inta ined a

significant followin g. In fact th e aut hor ru ns a WordPress blog contin uing on th e adv ice

tha t car ries from t he book. Focusing on how to teach people to sanely han dle the m oney

they do hav e, it’s as much a lifesty le guide as a financial one.

1 9 . C r u c i a l C on v e r s a t i on s : T ool s fo r T a l k i n g W h e n S t a k e s A r e H i g h

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Written by the qu ar tet of Kerr y Pat terson, Joseph Gr enny , Ron McMilla n, an d AlSwitzler, t his New York Tim es bestselling book r eally boiled down one of the key skills of a

high -str ess business env ironm ent: how to talk t o people. While tha t m ay soun d like an

easy enough t ask, and for m any day to day tasks it is, but it can easily tur n extrem ely

difficult. With lessons on how to talk t o the an gr y and frustr ated, it’s an incredibly useful

book.

1 8 . S u c c e s s Bu i l t t o L a st : C r e a t i n g a L i f e t h a t Ma t t e r s

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It’s very easy for a book to attem pt to quantify wha t m ade certa in individuals successfulmore than others, but Success Built to Last went one step further. Th ey actua lly talked to

and int erv iewed som e 200 people for th is book, about h ow t hey gr ew an d dev eloped in

their industries and liv e. Bill Clinton, Jeff Bozos, Warren Buffett, May a An gelou and more

all offer their insight.

1 7 . A x i om : Po w e r f u l L ea d e r s h i p Pr o v e r b s

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Bill Hy bels is the leader of the lar ge and powerful Willow Cr eek Comm unity Church , an d

his book Axiom a pproaches the skills needed for leadership from t he perspectiv e of a

chur ch leader, and a ma n rev italizing the Christian comm unity . Intensely andunapologetically ev angelical, his work isn’t for ev ery one, but his fans are ma ny and

v ocal.

1 6 . C o m p e t i t i v e S t r a t e g y : T ec h n i q u e s f or A n a l y zi n g I n d u st r i e s a n d

C o m p e t i t o r s

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Now h itting a ludicrous 60th print ing, Competitiv e Strategy has been incredibly popular

ever since it w as first published in 1 99 8. A v ailable in 1 9 la ngua ges, it’s considered a

business classic , t han ks to focusing on sim ple an d univ ersally applica ble basics. He focu seson w ha t m akes a business com petitiv e: lowest cost, differentiat ion, a nd focus, an d how

competitiv e adva ntage is crafted.

1 5 . T h e Mi l l i on a i r e N e x t D oo r

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Now alm ost 15 y ears old, Millionaire arg ues that the v ast majority of the wealthy aren’tshowy star s on TV, but r ather t hose who quietly and wisely ma ke money . By analy zing

the r ich, t his book picks sev en factors wh ich seem to be the m ost comm on t rait s of

millionaires, laying bare man y which m ay sound like comm on sense, but are

rema rkably adroit wh en y ou dig deeper.

1 4 . T h e S m a r t e st G u y s i n t h e Roo m : T h e A m a z i n g R is e a n d S c a n d a l o u s Fa l l

o f En r o n

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The fall of Enron was a financial disaster t ha t wa s hear d around the world. Their

financial maleficence was hidden so well for so ma ny y ears that w hen it finally fell apart,

and the executiv es walked away still rich w hile employ ees were devastated, the world was left ag og. McLean an d Elk ind’s in cr edible look at what happened behind the scenes

opened the ey es of mill ions of people to just how u nderha nded and corrupt th e wh ole

business was.

1 3 . Mon e y b a l l

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Recently adapted into an incr edibly successful m ov ie, Money ball by Micha el Lewis wasabout how th e Oakland A’s general m anager completely changed th e face of baseball.

Rather tha n spending all t he team ’s money to hire the best play ers (and still not being

able to com pete with t he rich er competitors). Instead, he used car eful stat istical ana ly sis

to gather play ers with skills that were not usually considered nearly as va luable, and in

doing so took th e tools of business into baseball .

1 2 . T h e T oy ot a W a y

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There ha v e been dozens of different itera tions and v ersions of Jeffrey Liker’s incr edibly influent ial The Toy ota Way , and th ere’s a reason for that . His account of the corporate

cult ur e at Toy ota t ha t propelled the company into worldwide success for decades is an

incredible one, an d one th at ca n be applied to just about a ny industry . Based on principles

of lean product ion an d constant impr ov ement , it’s an enlight ening look into how th e

company succeeded so long for so wel l.

1 1 . T h e Pr i n c e

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Machiav elli’s th e Princ e is a Renaissance era tr eatise on sociopath ic ru ling. Com pletely am oral, it’s solely concerned with consolidating power in th e m ost efficient w ay hum anly

possible. While som e curr ent historical w ork seems to suggest tha t it m ay ha v e been

written as satir e, it has n onet heless been used as a g uidebook for people in an y an d all

fields wh o want to improv e their lot, and ar e willing to dam n any that come ag ainst him.

1 0 . T h e 4 -H ou r W o r k w e e k : Es c a pe 9 - 5 , L i v e A n y w h e r e , a n d J oi n t h e N ew

R i c h

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Timothy Ferriss is a controv ersial figure. Unarg uably endowed with the gift of the gab, h e

got h is start selling nut rition supplements of dubious v alue, an d man aged to parlay his

success into a book em pire. Whil e his book is a quick and easy read, it does hav e som e

v al uable inform ation — bu t it pay s to r em em ber th at these m ethods worked for h im , an d

migh t not for y ou.

9 . L i a r ’ s P ok e r

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For m any , th e 1 980s defines an era of rampant consumerism and abuse, where tr adersthough t of them selv es as indestruct ible, and were willin g to take all comers. Lewis’ story

about gr aduat ing from t he London School of Economics, and joining th e bruta l and

cutth roat world of Wall Street is an incredible one. These young m en gam bled with

millions, attem pting to bluff and out ma noeuv re one another in financial tr ansactions

tha t shook th e world.

8 . T h e A r t o f W a r

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An y one w ho doesn’t think t here are sim ilarit ies between business an d war kn ows n eit her.

Sun Tzu’s Art of War w as the preeminent book of military thought and strategy for

millennia. Written m ore than 2,000 y ears ago as guide for m ilitary stra tegists in ancient

China , wit h only a bit of latera l though t its lessons equal ly apply to the world of modern

business. Wh ile they m ay seem oblique at tim es, t he lessons t herein are in cr edibl y

important. Strategy is strategy .

7 . A n In q u i r y In t o t h e N a t u r e a n d C a u s es of t h e W e a l t h of N a t i on s

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Ada m Sm ith’s Th e Wea lt h of Na tions is essentia lly the orig ins an d bible of modern -day

laissez-fair e capita lism. Too m any people don’t un derstan d th e philosophical

underpinn ings of our fina ncial sy stem, especially on a macr o-econom ics scale, which is

precisely wh at Smith lay s out. Sm ith not only cham pioned the free mar ket, but also

worr ied t hat too mu ch power to t he corpor at ions w ould lead to abu se of th e in div idu al.

While the lan gu ag e and len gt h m ight per haps be a bit har d for m odern audien ces, it ’s

well wort h the w ork.

6 . G e t t i n g T h i n g s Do n e : T h e A r t o f S t r e s s-F r e e Pr o d u c t i v i t y

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Face it, one of the m ajor problems wit h get ting th ings done is…well…get ting thin gs done.Ev ery one procrastinat es, and discover ing how to beat th at problem is th e key to being

efficient an d productiv e. Allen’s approach in Gettin g Thin gs Done ha s taken on a life of its

own on t he internet, with millions of users swearing by his sy stem. Hey , if it’ll help y ou

get through all y our w ork, then it’s worth a tr y .

5 . H o w t o W i n F r i e n d s a n d In f l u e n c e P e op l e

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1 93 6. Tha t’s how long ag o How t o Win Friends wa s published. 7 5 y ears of being one of the

m ost popular and influ ential self-help books of all t im e. It’s sold millions of copies over the

y ears, a nd sti ll rem ains importa nt to t his day . Mu ch of th e adv ice has been absorbed into

oth er books and m ethods, bu t Ca rn egie designed his sty le to help h is student s become good

salesmen, a nd it remains inv aluable to this day .

4 . T h e E -My t h R ev i s i t e d: W h y Mo st S m a l l B u s i n e ss e s Do n ’ t W o r k a n d W h a t t o

D o A b o u t I t

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Despite its title, th is book ha s nothin g to do wit h a ny th ing electr onic — though th e lessons

are still v alu able. Instead, it’s a 1 99 5 rew ork of an older edition, wh ich looks at w ha t

cau ses sm all businesses to fail. It’s a well known fact th at a hu ge percenta ge of small

businesses nev er really get off th e groun d, an d Ger ber ’s work looks at where m ost of them

fail.

3 . T h e 7 H a b i t s of H i g h l y Ef f ec t i v e Pe op l e

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An oth er classic in the fields of both self h elp an d bu siness, 7 Habit s was published in 1 990

and ha s sold 1 0 m illion copies in th e interv ening decades. A ma nua l of both personal a nd

professional skills, it ’s a gu ide on h ow to be a better person, and fr om th is succeed m ore,

both in y our pr iv at e li fe and in business. These aren’t all easy th ings t o do, Cov ey

dema nds a para digm shift in h ow y ou see yourself and the world, but for m any the pay off

is worth it.

2 . G o od t o G r e a t : W h y S om e C om p a n i e s Ma k e t h e L ea p … a n d O t h e r s Do n ’ t

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What differentiat es a com pany th at gets by from one t hat does well? And them from onetha t tr uly , tru ly succeeds? Jim Collins wrote Good to Great t o ana ly ze th e difference

between th e good and the great in the bu siness world, a nd how c ertain com panies m ana ge

to make the tr ansition. He argu es that even companies without great ness inherent can

last and thriv e, if they behave in the right way .

1 . T h e In n o v a t o r ’ s Di l e m m a : T h e R ev o lu t i o n a r y Boo k T h a t W i l l C h a n g e t h e

W a y Y ou Do Bu si n e ss

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Even if y ou follow ev ery rule on this list, if y ou do ev ery thing right , there’s a chance y our business might not succeed. It m ight not get off th e groun d, or ev en worse, it m ight go

well for a while befor e fa ll ing apar t. That ’s where the Innov at or’s Dilem m a com es in ,

which works to show h ow g ood companies fall , a nd what it ta kes t o push int o th e m ar ket ,

and gr ow. Chr istensen focuses on the idea of “disruptiv e techn ologies”, new w av es of

innov ation wh ich fundam ental ly cha nge th e landscape of business, and need to be

successfully identified and u sed in order t o succeed. Easy to read and prov ocativ e, it is a

m odern classic, and ar gua bly the best business book ar oun d.

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