Recommended Booklist For Business People

Need A Highly Recommended Booklist For Business Books That Will Change Your Life?

There is nothing as bad as sitting down, after getting all ready for a good read – and the book you have, usually the only one available, is a drag and a bore. All you want to do is fire it in the bin.

This has happened to me so many times, I decided to go out there and get myself a list of great books. I went to my expert groups in LinkedIn and gathered the following booklist for myself – all highly recommended reads.  

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

by Stephen Covey

First Set From Recommended Booklist for Business

1.The Elusive Lean Enterprise

by Brian Furlong

What The Experts Said: “The Elusive Lean Enterprise” by Bryan Furlong. Brian Furlong is a seasoned, senior executive with 30 years experience in manufacturing and finance. He is a passionate advocate of Lean Enterprise, having successfully completed implementation in numerous facilities in the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia. He is highly motivated, energetic and focused on ensuring that organizations achieve maximum profitability through effective management of the value-stream. Brian is co-author of the book “The Elusive Lean Enterprise” He is a frequent TEC speaker and a keynote speaker at various business seminars and conferences.

2. The Power of Focus

By Jack Canfield

Do note that he has also written "The Power of Focus for women". That might be an interesting read for any women out there? 

What the experts said: 

Best business book I can recommend is The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt--wish it had been available 20 years ago!

3. Priceless: The Hidden Psychology of Value

By William Poundstone

What the Expert said: Priceless: The Hidden Psychology of Value by William Poundstone is a great read on pricing and value.

4. Mindset: The Psychology of Success

By Carol Dweck

What the Experts said: Mindset by Carol Dweck. You'll never be able to meet your full potential in business until you learn the difference between a fixed and learning mindset, and how to develop the latter.

5. Who Moved My Cheese?

By Spencer Johnson

An Amazing way to deal with change in your life and work.

6. Getting To Yes

By Roger Fisher

Negotiating Agreement without Giving In.

What The Experts Said: A lot of people are talking about "Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher and William Ury. It's about the art of negotiating so that you get that "Yes". Also a bestseller. So far I would say "Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher a cofounder of Harvards Negotiation Department.

It is excellent to help manage all levels of interactions with others. Getting stakeholder approval, coordinating projects, buying a car... It is amazing how it changes ones view of simple conversations and avoiding unnecessary conflict.

I recommend it for everyone, perfect for people not very good at managing relationships or communicating.

7. Key Strategy Tools

By Vaughan Evans

What the Experts said: This book can be read as a book or used as a "tool kit" - it's called "Key Strategy Tools" by Vaughan Evans (Financial Times Publishing). It's the type of book which one can dip into, especially if one needs to do a presentation.

I have found it to be invaluable - it takes the reader through a list of strategy tools without resorting to the usual "blind 'em with science" approach.

8. Death By Meeting

By Patrick Lencioni

What the Experts said: Martha, it's not a recent publication but for me it is a must read. "Death by Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni. Great lessons for anyone in business.

Second Set From Recommended Booklist for Business

9. Small Steps

By Paul McNieve

The Remarkable Story of How Paul McNeive Turned a Tragic Accident Where He Lost His Legs as a 20-Year-Old into a Life of Positive ... Deal to Flying Helicopters to Becoming 'Bono'

Note: This book is only available in Kindle Format. 

"Small steps" by the motivator himself Paul McNeive - full of tips and ideas , an easy read from an experienced senior manager.

10. The Tipping Point

By Malcolm Gladwell

Currently #209 in Amazon Books Sales Ranking!! 

What the Expert said: I can recommend the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. a great business book as it not only informs but is adds real life case studies to enhance your conversation skills and helps to raise your awareness. 

11. Wake Up And Change Your Life

By Duncan Bannatyne

Wake up and change your life, by Duncan Bannatyne. Not recent but absolutely a must-read in my opinion

12. Outwitting The Devil

The Secret To Freedom $ Success

By Napolean Hill

13. The World is Flat!

By Thomas L. Friedman

A Brief History of the 21st Century.

14. Positioning

By Al Ries

15. The $100 Startup

By Chris Guillebeau

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

#656 in the Amazon Book Sales Ranking

What the Experts said: I am a compulsive business book reader and I think I read at least one per week. The $100 Start-up by Chris Guillebeau is a well written book for someone who is in start-up mode. It has lots of great tips and encouragement and examples for businesses which both start-ups and established businesses alike could benefit from. 

16. The Seasons Of Life

By James Rohn

“The Seasons of Life” by Jim Rohn. Simple book on the basics for types of business.

Third Set from recommended booklist for business

17. Implementing Strategic Change

By

Danny Samson

What Our Experts Said: "Implementing Strategic Change: Managing Processes and Interfaces to Develop a Highly Productive Organization" by Martina O'Sullivan, Danny Samson, Tom Bevington. It is an eye-opener as it concentrates on the many small interfacing activities in processes that can take up loads of efforts and time. A new approach to processes design bringing in the reality outside the flow charts and swim lanes.

Great reading!

18. The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team

A Leadership Fable

By Paul Lencioni

Note: There are also Workbooks on this book, Kindle Versions also. It is #188 on the Amazon Sales Book Rankings! 

What the Experts Said: I enjoyed reading "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" (Lencioni). Easy read and thought provoking at the business process level in any organization.

19. Turning Numbers Into Knowledge

"Mastering the Art of Problem-Solving"

By 

Jon Koomey

What the Experts Said: I also recently read "Turning Numbers into Knowledge: Mastering the Art of Problem Solving". Please note that these two books (Turning Numbers into Knowledge and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team) would be supplementary to previous training and knowledge (i.e. they do not educate people on the Lean Six Sigma methodologies).

20. The Machine That Changed The World

How Japan's secret weapon in global auto wars will revolutionize western industry.

What Our Experts Said: This Book is really an Eye-Opener! 

21. The Toyota Way

By Jeffrey K. Liker

The Toyota way - field book - excellent book to strategically understand lean.

22. The Advantage

Why Organisational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business

By Patrick Lencioni

  # 549 in Amazons Ranking for Book Sales

What Our Experts Said: The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni. It really defines the major need in business today, "Why organizational health trumps everything else in business". Would also recommend my own book: Pull Thinking®: Harness the Power of Pull to Fuel Growth and Ignite Performance by Aligning People, Culture and Purpose.

23. Winning

By Jack Welch

"Winning" by Jack Welch. It covers entire gamut of things (Operations, Finance, Quality, Human Resource, etc.) to make a business success. Also, he has put lot stress on Human Capital and ways to manage them & move them towards a common goal in an easy and lucid manner, which in my opinion can be easily followed and implemented - as he said - "no point in re-inventing the wheel".

24. Good To Great 

by 

James Collins

# 163 in Amazon lists of books

What the Experts Said: "Winning" by Jack Welch and "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. There are some differences between the approach of two authors in how to win. But both are amazing books.

Fourth Set From Recommended Booklist For Business

25. The Switch

By Chip Heath

# 344 in the Amazon Booklist 

I would add "Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard" by the Heath brothers. It frames change in ways seldom thought of, it's a gem.

26. Opportunities

A Handbook of Business Opportunity Search

By Edward De Bono

What Our Experts Said: Opportunities - Edward De Bono. he has several books but, that one makes you think.

27. The Fifth Discipline

By Peter Synge, Bryan Smith

28. Execution

The discipline of getting things done

By

Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan

I hope you liked out recommended booklist for business. Here is a link to Amazon where you can purchase these books straight away, if you so wish. 

You can copy the name from above and place it in the search box in Amazon. 

We wish you hours of happy reading and amazing new insights!