Recommended Reading
With tens of thousands of business books available, it wasn't easy whittling it down to just a few books. My criteria was simple. Each book on this list must, on it's own, be capable of transforming you and your business into a much higher performer. If it can't do that, it's not worth reading. You are too focused to waste your time on fluffed up, rehashed stories.
I've chosen reviews of each book that I feel give you the best sense of what the book is about. I guarantee that you will benefit from any book on the list. If you disagree, call me and I'll give you a free hour of consultation to make up for it.
Beneath each review I've given credit to the individual reviewers; if there is no credit given, that review is my own. Enjoy!
Start Your Own Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up) (Paperback)
by Rieva Lesonsky
The best primer on running a business I've seen.
This is a very comprehensive (and big!) book. It covers all the basic steps you need to know about starting and running a business, from business forms to accounting to buying insurance to employee issues to purchasing. No one subject is covered in great depth, of course, but reading the book gives you a very good idea of what kind of work you're getting yourself into when you run a new, small business.
Of all the "basic overview" type books about starting and running a small business that I've plunked down money for, this one is the best, hands down!
RMurray847 (Amazon.com) |
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (Hardcover)
by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, Charles Burck
This is certainly one of the masterpieces in strategy execution.
A "direct to the point" book, written in a simple and clear way so that it is accessible to anyone interested in corporate strategy implementation and on how to build a truly implementation driven culture within a company.
Impossible to let go of once you start it! It is one of those books that you will read with a marker and "post-its" and that would look like it had been in a road trip when you finish it....
Andre Dias (Basel, Switzerland)
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It (Paperback)
by Michael E. Gerber
This book is a guide to success for small business owners. Gerber is the founder of a consulting company for small businesses. In the beginning of the book, Gerber cites the well-known failure-rate statistics for small business: 40% fail in 1 year. Of those who survive 1 year, 80% fail in 5 years, and of those who survive 5 years, another 80% fail. Over the years, Gerber has observed that the small business owners who fail often share a number of characteristics, while those who succeed do so not by luck, brains, or perseverance, but by taking a different approach. This book explains the approach that is necessary for a business to survive and thrive.
Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT) |
The Ten Day MBA
by Steven A. Silbiger
Even if it's hard to believe one book is capable of teaching what one learns in a two-year MBA program, you will be amazed at how much knowledge is packed into this book. Written in a clear and lively style, The Ten-Day MBA offers chapters on essential business courses, thereby creating a solid foundation of knowledge on which to apply in the real world.
My copy of this book is heavily marked from all the annotations and insights I stumbled upon as I read the book. As a person with limited patience for dry, academic material, I greatly appreciate Mr. Silbiger's ability to concisely deliver the fundamental elements of each topic, while dispensing with the fluff.
The Ten-Day MBA consists of (you guessed it) ten chapters as follows:
1) Marketing
2) Ethics
3) Accounting
4) Organizational Behavior
5) Qualitative Analysis
6) Finance
7) Operations
8) Economics
9) Strategy
10) MBA Mini-Courses on Research, Public Speaking, Negotiating, and International Business.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, The Ten-Day MBA should provide you with more than enough knowledge to compete effectively. Used as a reference tool, this book will help you combine your passion and real-world experience to transform ideas into reality.
Michael Davis — Editor, Byvation (http://www.byvation.com)
Unstuck: A Tool for Yourself, Your Team, and Your World (Hardcover)
by Keith Yamashita, Sandra Spataro
If you've ever been stuck and weren't sure what to do next, or had a team or project that was stuck, unclear on how to move forward, then you want this book.
This is actually less book and more of a tool. Take the two opening pages of the book which tell you how to use it. And then, depending what part of "stuck" you are in (needing to admit you are stuck, diagnosing why you are stuck or getting unstuck), it sends you to a different page in the book.
That in itself may not be that unusual, but once you land on any given page you will get ideas and connections to other sections or pages in the book.
Can you read this book straight through? Yes, but you might get dizzy from all the connections to various sections. Instead, buy this book and use it. Allow yourself to become engaged in the ideas, drawings, pictures and approaches. But don't just put it on your shelf — at least not at first. Find a situation to try it soon and you'll find you want it close to your fingertips for awhile.
It is fun, different and has some very effective ideas and approaches in it. If you are stuck, the first step might be to buy a copy of Unstuck!
Kevin Eikenberry (Indianapolis, IN) |
Making Great Decisions in Business and Life (Hardcover)
by David R. Henderson, Charles L. Hooper
I became aware of Making Great Decisions in Business And Life by reading a very promising review in the Wall Street Journal.
There is a lot to like in this book, and I found myself making numerous notes in the margins as I read along. Other readers have suggested that a lot of the material amounted to common sense, and I agree. However, if common sense is so common, why is it so often cryptically referred to as common sense?
The point is that some of the chapters created immediate value for me. Chapters entitled"Ask What Changed" to understand the real story behind the story involving change, and "Knowing What You Want Before You Choose" and "Realize What's Important," were very well written and presented an opportunity for personal reflection — an important reason for reading this type of book.
After I read the chapter "Create Better Alternatives," I used the concept in my business the following day. You have to like that.
In other words, there is a lot from which most people can quickly benefit.
James A. Hatherley (Boston, MA) |
The Great Game of Business (Paperback)
by Jack Stack, Bo Burlingham
All games have rules. When the score is kept, there are winners and losers. Business is no different. The concept of open-book management has been around since some company owner in the distant past gathered employees and attempted to explain to them why it is so important to produce quality work, on time and without waste.
Pretend that you have entered "Stack's Open-Book Management Store." He greets you at the door. For the next several hours, he guides you through an abundance of strategies, tactics, measurement instruments, communication devices, policies, procedures, etc. He answers all of your questions. He offers a number of caveats. He shares his own successes and failures. He directs you to the latest "newer and better" but also to "what still works really well."
At the end of your visit, you are fully prepared to pick and choose from among all the options. Then he assists you with formulation of a plan to design and then implement your own open-book management program, one which is specifically appropriate to the needs of your own organization. In effect, this what happens as you read the book. I recommend it highly. Even if an open-book management program is not what your organization currently needs, the issues Stack addresses and the questions he raises are still worthy of your thoughtful consideration.
Robert Morris |
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently (Hardcover)
by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
This book is revolutionary in its simple wisdom. You basically can't change people. It's far more productive to spend time with your stars and build on strengths rather than spin your wheels on "performance management." Having been in management for many years, I recognize the truths in this book. It may be counter to the politically correct policies in many corporations, but to be a strong effective leader, one needs the confidence and the vision to do what is right rather than merely what looks right. I highly recommend this book to those who have the courage and conviction needed to establish a culture of excellence in their work environment.
Aviva Shiff, Principal, Spark Training & Coaching Associates Inc. (Toronto, ON) |
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't (Hardcover) by Jim Collins
This great book, based on extensive research, focuses on what makes companies great. Contrary to popular belief that charismatic leadership is advantageous, we learn about humble Level 5 leaders, who place the interests of their company first. We learn that the right people create the right vision, and that people come first. We also learn about the Hedgehog effect, and especially significant is the question "What in the world can we be the best at?" Although there are numerous gems in this book, this is the question that struck me. Having read First Break All The Rules and asked "Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?" I realized that most employees and many leaders do not know how to identify the best. I then discovered Optimal Thinking: How to Be My Best Self, which I thoroughly recommend for leaders and employees to optimize decisions, corporate culture and performance. I recommend all three books.
J.W.C. "Senior exec" (Los Angeles, CA) |
Built to Last : Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Harper Business Essentials) (Paperback)
by Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras
Built to Last is one of those rare non-fiction books you just can't put down. Unequivocally the best "business" book I have ever read, Built to Last is a compelling, thorough, well-written, unprecedented look at what it takes to "create and achieve long-lasting greatness as a visionary corporation." Unlike many current trendy management and business success books out on the market, Collins and Porras differentiate Built to Last by using their own six-year comprehensive, well-documented research study as the basis for further analysis.
This is one book I can highly recommend to any student, professional, or business educator looking for those not-so-subtle traits that characterize a truly visionary company.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Paperback)
by Malcolm Gladwell
Why did crime in New York drop so suddenly in the mid-'90s? How does an unknown novelist end up a bestselling author? Why is teenage smoking out of control, when everyone knows smoking kills? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? Why did Paul Revere succeed with his famous warning?
Malcolm Gladwell, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has been studying trends like these for years and has written several articles for the magazine that have developed into his new book, The Tipping Point. According to Gladwell, The Tipping Point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a sick individual in a crowded store can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push start a fashion trend or cause the popularity of a new restaurant to take off overnight or cause crime or drug use to taper off. In The Tipping Point, Gladwell shows how very minor adjustments in products and ideas can make them more likely to become immensely popular. He reveals how easy it is to cause group behavior to tip in a desirable direction by making small changes in our immediate environment.
Gladwell introduces us to the particular personality types that are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends, the people who create the phenomenon of word of mouth. He analyzes fashion trends, smoking, children's television, direct mail, and the early days of the American Revolution for clues about making ideas infectious. He also visits a religious commune, a successful high-tech company, and one of the world's greatest salesmen to show how to start and sustain social epidemics.
This is a book that should be read by everyone in business, politics, marketing and advertising, as well as by anyone interested in trends, fashion, fads, policy making, and human behavior. In other words, all of us.
Jeff Madison |
