This year I have read over 130 books so far. Maybe some of you follow my readings and reviews right here on Linkedin, some of you are checking my Goodreads (by the way not all of the book are there).
As I know some of you are looking to get recommendation on the business books I liked the most, I will share the must read (in my opinion) from those I have hold in my hands this year. The list in in no particular order and I will add the links to my reviews as well.
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind by Jonah Berger
On of the best books I have ever read on persuasion and negotiations. I liked a lot the examples provided and the structure of the book that gives a great overview on tools of changing the way people think and act for good.
How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas Into Products That Build Successful Businesses by Jules Pieri
The book is very handy for entrepreneurs: you can be just starting or already several years in businesses. I believe SMEs can find some interesting facts too. What I liked most are real case examples. For every chapter three examples connected to the contents of the chapter minimum. This proves very good understand application of the information from the chapter. I liked the book structure and that is covers all the aspects of starting a business. The book is easy to ready and is supported by lots of facts and evidences, it tells a lot of stories from which reader learns. I recommend for anyone who is in business or planning to start his own company.
Built to Suck: The Inevitable Demise of the Corporation…and How to Save It? by Joseph Jaffe
Amazing book! I wish heads of corporations and their boards get it as Christmas must read gift! The power of the content is in this quote “Learn from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future. Unfortunately, too many companies are living in the past, ignoring the present, and , in doing so, are almost certain to be denied a future. ” The future is not the past and doing the same things over and over again just because they worked ten year ago won’t help. Stop and think: what is the average age of people in leadership of your company? Diversity percentage? How do you think they operate? So scary and so true! Absolutely brilliant book for everyone with great comments, examples and ideas from the author. Confirming my point of view of corporations and what they need to do to survive.
The 30 Day MBA: Your Fast Track Guide to Business Success by Colin Barrow
If you knew me, you would know how much I read. My books selection is predominantly business books as I read them for pleasure (people are different and can enjoy different things). My first ever choice are the business books with practical advice rather than theory that you can potentially put into practice.
“The 30 Day MBA: Your Fast Track Guide to Business Success” (5th Edition) by Colin Barrow attracted by attention. The contents are just perfect for the day-to-day reference. Of course, if you are looking to get MBA done, this book can be a great start similar to a book can be a great mentor or give some starting advice. Connecting to people through MBA or getting in person advice from a mentor is a lot different and not comparable.
Coming back to the book. The books is ideal for anyone starting MBA, already graduated from MBA or DBA because it contains the information to refer to. When we learn something and then do not use for a while, things get forgotten and I found (personally for me) the book as a very useful reference with short and smart explanations to the main MBA concepts. The book covers he 12 core disciplines of business: accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, business history, business law, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics and social responsibility, operations management, research and analysis and strategy. The explanations are simple and straightforward, and each time followed by example. Absolutely great business cases added to cover the concepts in real practice.
I can definitely recommend this book as a table book to refer too and refresh the concepts you have learnt. Many thanks to the author for keep it short, smart, with plenty of examples and to the point.
The Billion Dollar Secret: 20 Principles of Billionaire Wealth and Success by Rafael Badziag, Jack Canfield (Foreword)
Absolutely loved the book! I find it very interesting in terms of personal stories and examples. The author has structured the book very well on different topics and provided examples from interviews. This is not a standard interview-based book which makes it engaging and easy to read. Looking for inspiration and having huge aspirations? This books is a perfect start for those who feel like a Ferrari, can “drive” their life on a high speed and for those who do not see sky as the limit. Well done to the author!
This is one of the best books I have read so far in customer focus and innovation. There are a lot of interesting examples from well developed companies, how they innovate or not. The structure of the book is perfect to make it easy to read either from beginning till the end or just separate chapters (highly recommend reading in full!). At the end of each chapter there is a summary and action items. My key leanings from this book are customer focus, innovation and collaboration. Those are the major areas of success of actions are timely. The quote I liked a lot: ” Companies rarely die from moving too quickly and they frequently die from moving too slowly. Reed Hastings”.
How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart about the Numbers by Mihir Desai
The book has an easy and comprehensive overview of different aspects of finance. Books on finance can have a different complexity of the content. This book is easy to read, it has a lot of graphs and explanations, gamified approach to the material. What is specifically interesting – the quizzes after each chapter. They have a great concluding element in them about the topic explained in the chapter. If you are new to finance, this book can be a good starting point to start learning.
Lean Out: The Truth About Women, Power, and the Workplace by Marissa Orr
Diversity happens when companies and organizations create conditions of trust and this is one of the key messages for me in the book. The book on gender gap? Women and their professional lives? Missed opportunities because of unfair work situations? So many things that push you to think and reflect on. Sometimes we do not even notice these things happen or we are just used to them so much that we consider them as a norm. If fact, it is not. Get the inner power to stand out and this book is a great motivator! Talking about diversity won’t help to make a change. Actions need to be taken.
Fantastic experience is awaiting you in this book. It makes you think and region your knowledge and skills. The book is very engaging because of the unusual format and the way it represents the concepts of business areas. Some of the chapters helped me to generate new ideas. Definitely recommend for reading!
The Disruption Mindset by Charlene Li
If you are interested in digit transformation of need skills advice, go for this book. Digital transformation is a part of disruptive strategy. In modern world, leaders need to drive the change for better of their businesses and employees. I loved the research examples. I recommend this book to leaders, marketing managers and business owners alike.
Consider this is your workbook for leadership and personal brand development. It provides practical tools and exercises to get yourself in the right pass and re-think your skills. Do get a paper copy to have the full benefit of reading.
Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World by Robert L. Dilenschneider
Incredible learning together with the author throughout the book. If you love history and learning from significant decision makers of the past, go for this book. I think the strength is in observing and learning from others, adopting to what you do and become a decision maker.
The Knowledge Manager’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Embedding Effective Knowledge Management in Your Organization by Nick Milton, Patrick Lambe
Fantastic and very comprehensive handbook on knowledge management. I think it suits all types of organizations and is a very good helping hand for companies who make many M&As. Knowledge management is an invisible but very important part of any business because it helps business to run smoothly with a well established interconnection between the department’s and offices in multiple locations.
Experimentation Works: The Surprising Power of Business Experiments by Stefan H. Thomke
Innovation is the key strategy for survival today. The world of technology and entrepreneurial minds is booming and companies who do not transform into digital, do not innovate in the right time have less chance for survival. This book is a very comprehensive practical guide to innovation from idea to testing and understanding the results.
More Than: How to Be Bold and Balanced in Life and Business by Gina Radke
Motivating and engaging book. Full of stories with life situations I found myself in. You can find a lot of motivation for personal growth. One of my re-confirmed learning points to highlight: The same way we don’t want to be stereotyped, we shouldn’t be so quick to stereotype others.
We are living in the age of social impact, relationships based economy and deep customer engagement that influence buses and brands. These relationships are powered by digital. It has never been easier and extremely difficult to build a business. This is a good book on why and how build social relationships between customers and brands.
Raise Your Innovation IQ by Leena Patel
“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”– Alexander The Great appeared to be one of my top quotes from the book. Innovation is essential at any level of organization but the most powerful and impactful when it is a part of strategy and executive initiative. Great book to experience innovative spirit and learn how to close gaps in creative thinking.
Very engaging story that teaches to create multiple revenue streams. Sometimes a business book shouldn’t be just a theory that includes real business cases. Sometimes it is even more captivating to “walk through” a life story that coaches you in business. This book is one of those that will capture your attention while observing the circumstances described and drive through real business cases you can apply in your own life.
Grind. A No-Bullshit Approach to Take Your Business from Concept to Cash Flow by Michael J. McFall
Are you dreaming about having your own business? Entrepreneurship is a tough game. If you don’t have an entrepreneur experience, I recommend you to go through the one described in the book. Very cool comparison of who you need to be to engage with your own business – Cowboy Squirrel! Why? Check out the book.
Solid and comprehensive. Very well structured content to cover different aseptic budgeting, controlling your finances, planning and even brainstorming your potential side income. I think books of this kind should be a part of college or secondary school program. This is a very good guidance for new generation.
The book is very interesting in the format of narration and also in the content. Easy to read because of the style of the book: it is a story, business story and how people build strategy, survive in the circumstances in business and life, think, feel, collaborate. This makes the book different from a traditional business book format. What I liked a lot is the summary of the business theory at the end. very well done!
Being a fan of agile strategy, I strongly recommend the book as it has a realistic description of how it is supposed to be implemented in the real-life circumstances: 5Qs, 5Ps, and the term scramble is a very nice comparison on how to implement the golf term in a business environment (really working!)
I would recommend the book for senior professionals for refreshing recovery strategy management and also for entrepreneurs as the reference guide on building the one-f-a-kind type of strategy to stand out among the competition.
