One of the best ways we have found to learn rapidly and grow as a leader is the habit of reading books every day. Reading has been found to activate a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain, which become stronger and more sophisticated over time.
By reading regularly you not only are strengthening your brain but also increasing your ability to emphasize with others, broaden your vocabulary and actually reduce cognitive decline… all of which are valuable skillsets for a leader to maintain.
Take it from Warren Buffet who reads 500 pages a day, or Mark Cuban who reads for three hours every day… if you want to lead, you must read.
Since there are so many books out there, it can be overwhelming to pick the ones worth reading. After all, you need your mindset right and you need to filter the best information to make the best decisions in a chaotic and changing system.
To help you cut through heaps of books and find books worth investing, this article focuses on the best business book that we believe every leader should read. Let get into it.
- What Are CEOs Reading in 2021?
- What is The Best Book to Read About Business?
- What is The Best Book For Starting a Small Business?
- What Are Executives Reading in 2022?
- What Are The Top 5 Business Books You Must Read?
- What Books do Millionaires Read?
- What Did Most Billionaires Study?
- Which Books do Rich People Recommend?
- How Does Bill Gates Read so Fast?
- Top Management Books 2022
- Best Entrepreneur Books 2022
- New Business Books 2022
- Business Learning Books
- What’s The Most Useful Business-related book You’ve Ever Read
What Are CEOs Reading in 2021?
CEO books are works aimed at top executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and company heads. Performing the CEO role requires a vast skill set and a full-picture mindset. Books written by and for CEOs can help top executives gain the abilities and perspective needed to lead organizations towards success.
CEO books are a subset of leadership books and management books and often include entrepreneur books.
From executive memoirs to CEO best practice guides, here is a list of books to help develop top leadership skills.
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
Nine Lies About Work challenges common wisdom about work that leads to frustration, conflict, and disengagement. The book unpacks common misconceptions such as that company culture determines success more than individual team strength, offering more realistic analyses backed up with facts and examples. Nine Lies About Work tackles topics such as goal-setting, feedback, and employee loyalty.
Read Also: How to create a Business Plan
Notable Quote: “We follow leaders who connect us to a mission we believe in, who clarify what’s expected of us, who surround us with people who define excellence the same way we do, who value us for our strengths, who show us that our teammates will always be there for us, who diligently replay our winning plays, who challenge us to keep getting better, and who give us confidence in the future.”
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power was published around two decades ago, and is still one of the best selling CEO books on the market today. The authors distill three thousand years of human history into the most essential lessons in leadership. The book draws on the philosophies of great achievers to explore what it takes to make it to the top.
The book promotes an aggressive and dominating style, examining topics such as persuasion, competition, and image. Examples of advice from these pages include, “use absence to increase respect and honor,” and “win through your actions, never through argument.”
Notable Quote: “When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.”
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
A Promised Land tells the story of Barack Obama’s rise to the highest office in the US, offering first-person insider access and insights from the 44th president. The memoir is equal parts personal and national history, inspiration, and leadership philosophy.
Obama covers concepts like rising to the responsibilities of leadership, overcoming daunting obstacles, and retaining a sense of humor and optimism in the face of struggle. A Promised Land is a primer in ambitious yet graceful leadership, advising aspiring greats on the best ways to build a meaningful legacy.
Notable Quote: “I experienced failure and learned to buck up so I could rally those who’d put their trust in me. I suffered rejections and insults often enough to stop fearing them.”
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
Brené Brown wrote a guide to having the courage to disagree and stand up for your beliefs. And, to stand up even in the face of criticism or dissension. Braving the Wilderness teaches readers how to be empathetic and open yet honest and strong, exploring how to discover and defend your principles. The book is an introduction to authentic leadership, and aims to help readers find true belonging through self-reflection and spiritual exploration.
Notable Quote: “You are only free when you realize you belong no place – you belong every place – no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.”
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling
The 4 Disciplines of Execution teaches leaders how to act effectively and implement strategies by following four simple rules:
- Focus on the wildly important
- Act on the lead measures
- Keep a compelling scoreboard
- Create a cadence of accountability
The book examines each concept in depth and analyzes different situations through the lens of the process. While many CEO books focus on philosophy, 4 Disciplines of Execution lays out concrete, actionable steps that achieve promising results for carefully-constructed plans.
Notable Quote: “If you’re not keeping score, you’re just practicing.”
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger
The Ride of a Lifetime is one of the most acclaimed recent books by a famous business person. Robert Iger reveals valuable perspectives gained from a decade and a half as the CEO of Disney, one of the most popular, profitable, and beloved companies in the world.
The author elaborates on central wisdom such as “betting on talent,” “the power of respect”, and “if you don’t innovate you die,” backing up each belief with experience. The Ride of a Lifetime champions values such as optimising, decisiveness, fairness, and courage, offering a blueprint for legendary leadership.
Notable Quote: “Optimism. One of the most important qualities of a good leader is optimism, a pragmatic enthusiasm for what can be achieved. Even in the face of difficult choices and less than ideal outcomes, an optimistic leader does not yield to pessimism. Simply put, people are not motivated or energized by pessimists.”
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow explores two approaches to thinking: emotional, immediate, intuition-based judgment, and the more thorough, conscious, logical slow approach. Each method has appropriate applications and fits particular situations. Daniel Kahneman explains each style of thinking, delving deep into highly-pertinent business themes like over-confidence and decision making.
A CEO needs to be the main brain of an organization, and Thinking, Fast and Slow helps executives strike the right balance between feeling and reasoning, helping leaders manage their own mindsets and convert employees to their wavelength.
Notable Quote: “The confidence that individuals have in their beliefs depends mostly on the quality of the story they can tell about what they see, even if they see little.”
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos by Jeff Bezos and Walter Isaacson
The majority of the best CEO biographies trace the full life journey of executives. Invent and Wander focuses on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos by collecting his writings, telling the tale of his ascent via the advice and guidance he gives along the way.
The book collects Bezos’ most impactful correspondence and speeches from 1997 to the present, piecing together the revolutionary founder’s philosophy and keys to success one memo at a time.
Notable Quote: “We will continue to focus on hiring and retaining versatile and talented employees. We know our success will be largely affected by our ability to attract and retain a motivated employee base, each of whom must think like, and therefore must actually be, an owner.”
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
Experts consistently rank Shoe Dog as one of the best CEO memoirs, and business greats like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates praise it as a remarkable read too. The book tells the tale of Nike founder Phil Knight, tracing his journey from humble beginnings to the head of the prolific shoe company.
Knight presents an honest view of his hurdles, detailing the odds he overcame and the relationships he forged along the way to build one of the most influential brands in the world. The book is an especially apt read for aspiring entrepreneurs in search of level-headed, non-romanticized advice.
Notable Quote: “I’d tell men and women in their mid-twenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointments will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt.”
The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Watkins
The First 90 Days is one of the best first time CEO books. The book centers around transitions into roles of increased responsibility. For example, the chapters map the pitfalls new managers often make in the changeover from worker to leader, and suggest best practices for new leaders.
Michael Watkins elaborates on concepts such as shifting to a leadership mindset, accelerating the learning process for you and your teams, building relationships and organizational foundations, and managing yourself efficiently. The First 90 Days draws on the experiences of thousands of executives to prepare new CEO’s to tackle the challenge.
Notable Quote: “To be successful, you need to mobilize the energy of many others in your organization. If you do the right things, then your vision, your expertise, and your drive can propel you forward and serve as seed crystals.”
What is The Best Book to Read About Business?
Perhaps you are a beginner just entering the business world or are looking for the best entrepreneur books. Or perhaps you are an experienced professional seeking the best management books. Or maybe, just maybe, you want to find the best books on how to run a small business.
Reading great business books is one of the most cost-effective methods to become a whip-smart business person.
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- The One Thing by Gary Keller
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
- The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
- Rework by Jason Fried
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
What is The Best Book For Starting a Small Business?
Starting a business isn’t for the faint of heart. When you consider that more than 1 in 5 new businesses fail within the first year1 (as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), you want to make sure that you’ve done all you can to set yourself up for success. That includes lots of market research, of course, but also spending time understanding small business survival strategies from the “been there, done that” crowd.
Talk to entrepreneurs you know, hit up some blogs, but also, spend some time with a few good old-fashioned business reads. School yourself on some key lessons in entrepreneurship with this list of the best books for starting a business.
1. Will It Fly?
Pat Flynn has made a name for himself as an online passive income guru and he’s considered a thought leader when it comes to the entrepreneurial lifestyle. In “Will It Fly?”, he offers practical, real-world advice on how to test out business ideas before you get started to make sure they’re feasible, realistic and have profit potential.
The book walks readers through five different steps: making sure your business idea aligns with your goals; analyzing details about your idea you may not have thought of; assessing the market for your business idea; testing your idea; and finally, determining whether to move ahead with your idea or send it back to the drawing board.
It’s a good choice for anyone who thinks they may have a great concept for a business but wants a little more validation before they sink their time, money and effort into developing it.
2. Crushing It!
Creating a recognizable brand can make the difference between having a good business and a great one. Brand-building is something to start working on before you even launch so that once your business is up and running, you can start connecting with your target audience and making sales.
Gary Vaynerchuk understands the importance of strong branding and he’s established himself as an influencer in entrepreneurial circles. In “Crushing It!”, he walks you through why having a clearly defined brand matters and explains the foundational principles of good branding.
The book is a how-to guide for establishing your business brand in a way that resonates with the people you’re trying to attract while remaining authentic to who you are. If you’re planning to use social media to market your business, you’ll want to check out Vaynerchuk’s tips for leveraging it to its full potential.
3. Profit First
Figuring out the financial side of starting and running a business can be one of the biggest challenges for new entrepreneurs. You want your business to make money but you also have to understand the mechanics of how to invest for growth and what to do with the money you’re earning once it starts rolling in.
Those are some of the things Mike Michalowicz covers in “Profit First”. His book is designed to help you increase profitability in your business, regardless of where you are in its life cycle, and maintain positive cash flow so you can avoid the money struggles that are often common to new businesses.
He breaks it all down with a simple formula for managing the financial side of running a business in a way that’s easy to understand even if you’re not an accountant. It’s one to read if you want to put a solid foundation for handling cash flow in place from day one.
4. Women Who Launch
Women often face unique obstacles and challenges when starting their own businesses, particularly when it comes to things like getting funding. It can be downright discouraging but “Women Who Launch” offers motivation and inspiration to continue chasing after entrepreneurial success.
Wagman-Geller profiles a number of women who have successfully overcome the hurdles and established their own business brands. The stories included are diverse – Spanx founder Sara Blakely is featured as is Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low – but the underlying theme is universal. The book is a celebration of women who took charge of their careers to create lasting business legacies.
5. Zero to One
Launching a startup is a different animal compared to launching a small business solo. You may have employees or investors to manage, for instance, or your initial costs to open up your doors may be much higher.
It’s a lot to juggle and the startups that can’t pull it off successfully are often the ones who inevitably close up shop. “Zero to One” offers advice on how to avoid that scenario.
PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel drills down to the qualities that are required to run a thriving startup in today’s business environment. One of the points he underscores is how to use creative innovation to establish a footing in the market, without triggering disruption that could threaten your business’s staying power.
6. The $100 Startup
Before you can start any business you first have to figure out how much you’ll need for startup costs to get it off the ground. If you don’t have a huge budget to work with, don’t panic. Becoming an entrepreneur can still be within reach.
In “The $100 Startup”, author Chris Guillebeau examines 50 case studies of entrepreneurs who successfully started a business with very little money. He dissects each one to identify the most important factors that allowed them to be successful (hint: it wasn’t having a ton of money to invest in their businesses.)
This book is all about leveraging your expertise and what you’re passionate about to create a profitable business. It’s a great read if you’ve been wanting to start a business but you’ve let lack of funding stand in the way.
What Are Executives Reading in 2022?
1. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
Yes, fungus. Did you know that these often unappreciated organisms have the power to change minds, heal bodies and fix environmental disasters? This book takes readers on a remarkable journey of discovery, showing just how entangled our lives can be with fungi — from yeast to psychedelics to those that link together in a complex subterranean social network known as the “wood wide web” — and why fungi are key to understanding the planet we inhabit and the ways we think, feel and behave.
2. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria
Although it’s difficult to think beyond our current COVID-19 reality, this book wants you to do just that. It’s all about, “the world that is coming into being as a result of the pandemic and — more importantly — our responses to it.” Written as a set of 10 lessons, this timely read sounds off on the political, technological and economic implications of a post-pandemic world, from the quality of government to the rise of digital life.
3. The 5 Disciplines of Inclusive Leaders: Unleashing the Power of All of Us by Andrés T. Tapia and Alina Polonskaia
This recently published guide to inclusive leadership comes at a time when organizations are seeking to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) cultures. The authors posit that for organizations to create such cultures, they must have inclusive leadership at all levels.
They outline the five essential qualities, or disciplines, of inclusive leaders, based on a database of 3 million leadership assessments. And they then show readers how to use the disciplines to build organizations that are both structurally and behaviorally inclusive.
4. The Accidental President and the Four Months That Changed The World by A.J. Baime
Get a front-row seat into the situation room as Harry S. Truman navigates his first 120 days as U.S. president, a role into which he was catapulted after the sudden death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Truman faced in short order many high-stakes challenges, from the development of the atomic bomb to the rise of the Cold War. Baime uses his experiences to examine leadership at the highest level and explore some of the most significant moments and decisions in world history.
5. The Blueprint: 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights by Douglas Conant
Part manifesto, part practical manual, this book centers on six principles that Conant used to transform his professional journey after being fired without warning in 1984: Reach high, dig deep, lay the groundwork, design, build and reinforce.
He has since held roles as CEO of the Campbell Soup Company and president of Nabisco Foods. Through various exercises, he helps leaders boost their leadership, navigate difficult situations and make meaningful change in their organizations.
6. The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
The premise of this book is that culture isn’t something you are, it’s something you do. Yet many leaders don’t understand where “great culture” comes from, or how to build and sustain it.
This book offers some concrete answers and advice by revealing what makes top-performing cultures so successful, including a special-ops military unit, a professional basketball team and a comedy troupe. Success, Coyle purports, can be pared down to three key skills: Building safety, sharing vulnerability and establishing purpose.
7. The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks
Evolution and creativity. Memory, consciousness and experience. Dr. Oliver Sacks, renowned author and professor of neurology, tackles these themes and more in this collection of 10 essays.
The book’s strength lies in Sacks’ ability to make unexpected connections that compel readers to stop and think deeply about the associations between a wide-ranging number of topics — from the mental lives of plants and invertebrates to the malleability of our speed perception. An ideal read for leaders who want to cleanse their mental palate.
8. The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation by Carl Benedikt Frey
This is a must-read for those interested in the history of technology. From the Industrial Revolution to the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), this book explores technological progress through the years and its effect on the distribution of economic and political power.
But Frey isn’t just recounting history. He’s drawing on lessons from the past to highlight how and why our views on and interactions with technology (resistance, adoption) shape the way that technology impacts our society. With the use of AI, blockchain and emerging tech on the rise, leaders should take note.
9. The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? by Michael Sandel
Can anyone, as the saying goes, “make it if you try”? Is your success your own doing? Harvard philosophy professor Sandel argues that both are an illusion, one that has resulted in rising inequality, is at the heart of today’s societal tensions and is corroding the common good.
He offers instead another way of thinking about success, which includes reassessing the role of college and the dignity of work. Published in August 2020, this book also examines meritocracy in light of the pandemic and is well-suited for leaders looking to increase their understanding of the role of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.
10. Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson
If you think the best ideas are born from “eureka” moments, you’re wrong. Or so says author Johnson. He believes that innovative ideas are built from a collection of existing ideas stitched together to form something new.
Readers will learn the seven patterns of genuine innovation and gain insight into how some of the most interesting business breakthroughs (without the consultant speak) came to be. For leaders looking to spark innovative ideas, the secret is, according to Johnson, “to build information networks that allow hunches to persist and disperse and recombine.”
What Are The Top 5 Business Books You Must Read?
Not sure where to start? These top business books are essential reading.
1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
by Robert Cialdini
2. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
by Michael Gerber
3. Fooled by Randomness
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
4. Breakthrough Advertising
by Eugene Schwartz
5. Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!
by Greg Crabtree
What Books do Millionaires Read?
If Steve Jobs read a book and extracted value from it, there is a good chance that we will as well. That being said, each book speaks to a person in a different way. Using other’s recommendations can be important, but there are endless books with good reviews. That means exploring your own intellectual curiosities and creating a perspective that is unique to you is the most valuable.
While keeping that in mind, there is a reason that some books have been more frequently read and talked about by successful people than other books. Those can be beneficial and create strong roots for anyone. Here are seven of the most common of these books read by millionaires:
1. How to Win Friends and Influence People
The title turns some people off since it feels sale-zy and business-y. This book is a lynchpin in creating productive relationships, though. We are so concerned with what is happening in our own world that we often forget to think about other people, even when we are around them.
How to Win Friends and Influence People is a refreshing reminder of how to build strong professional relationships with others. The insight from this book can immediately be applied to life with a substantial impact.
2. Sapiens
Knowledge of how past goals of survival have influenced our genes and tendencies today helps us understand how people act. That idea can be found and explored in many places. Sapiens dives into that a bit, but what makes this book so unique is the larger context it discusses human evolution and development within.
Sapiens goes into the revolutions that have pushed societies forward, it talks about some of the great empires that have existed and about how we have ended up where we are today.
This book is invaluable when thinking about what will happen in the future. Yuval Noah Hurrari makes you realize that much of what has happened in the past has had factors of luck.
Hurrari also makes you question how much “better” off society is today than it was a few hundred or a thousand years ago. This perspective is a necessity when thinking about how we should be spending our lives, especially if you want to play a big role in what the future will look like.
3. Thinking Fast and Slow
For a long time, economists have made the assumption that humans are rational. It does not take long to think of countless examples where that is not the case. In Thinking Fast and Slow, Nobel-Prize-Winner Daniel Kahneman discusses many of the ways that people are influenced by situational context.
He helped pioneer behavioral economics and the idea that humans are very irrational when looking at benefits versus costs.
This book paints the way that we think about our decisions in a different light. Awareness of our own biases and what might influence our decisions will help you make more rational and level-headed choices when they count most.
4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
As a bit of a complement to Thinking Fast and Slow (although it came out many years earlier), Robert Cialdini wrote a masterpiece of a book about influence with his Influence: The Pyschcology of Persuasion. It takes a lot of the Kahneman’s ideas and puts them into practice. This comes from both our friends, salesmen, and advertisements.
There can be a negative connotation towards influencing others. Some people take ill advantage of these ideas and principles, but that does not need to be the case. When working for a company or talking with your friends, you often need to convince them to get behind your choice.
You might have great reasons underlying your proposed action, but that does not mean that your company or friends will buy in. Recognizing subtle changes to how you present information or speak and how they can influence other’s decision making is invaluable.
5. Originals, How Non-Conformists Move the World
One of the greatest challenges in life is to think independently. There are countless outside influences that push us to try and conform to how others think. In Originals, How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant looks at some of the most original people that have inhabited this earth.
Grant shows that anybody can achieve a life like that, and he provides tangible ways to do so. It is more about the approach towards life, taking chances and stimulating creativity than it is about genetic make-up. Originals is an entertaining and empowering read towards living a more fulfilling and successful life.
6. The Power of Habit Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Everybody has bad habits. A big differentiator for successful people is the ability to recognize and change these negative tendencies. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg provides tangible ways to get rid of our vices and live lives where these bad habits do not get in our way. He provides great examples, tactical advice, and makes the book relatable to everyone.
7. The Alchemist
We have the power to pursue the best version of our life. The Alchemist is a classic book that talks about this journey. For anybody trying to find your passions and eliminate the noise, The Alchemist is a powerful book. It is a simple story of a boy that we can draw countless lessons from. It serves as great motivation towards pursuing our “personal legend” and listening to our hearts.
What Did Most Billionaires Study?
Have you ever wondered what the self-made richest billionaires on Earth studied in university?
Well, if there is an overlying theme, the answer is: nothing. Six of the top ten either dropped out of or never attended college/university. Of those who attended, whether or not they got degrees, you can probably guess what the most popular majors are. Read on to find out if you’re right.
Here are the top ten (mostly self made) richest people in the world, according to Forbes, and their university majors.
Bill Gates
Founder of Microsoft, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEO of Cascade Investment
Age: 59
Net worth: $82.1 Billion
Major: Pre-law – drop out
Programmer-turned business tycoon, Gates, started at Harvard as a pre-law major in 1973, but soon shifted focus, quickly ran through “the university’s most rigorous mathematics and graduate level computer science courses,” says NPR, then dropped out and founded Microsoft.
Carlos Slim Helu
Chairman & CEO of Telmex, América Móvil and Grupo Carso
Age: 74
Net worth: $79.9 Billion
Major: Civil engineering
Mexican business magnate, Slim Helu, studied civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico School of Engineering, where he also taught Algebra and Linear Programming at the same time. He’s known as the “Warren Buffett of Mexico,” apparently, and his fortune comes from interests in such things as communications, real estate, airlines, media, technology, retailing, and finance.
Amancio Ortega
Co-founder of the Intidex group
Age: 78
Net worth: $57.7 Billion
Major: Nothing
Fashion mogul, Ortega, didn’t pursue higher education. As a young teen he started working as a shop hand for a shirtmaker in his hometown of La Coruna. He then started a business making and selling bathrobes before opening his first Zara store in 1975.
Warren Buffett
CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Age: 84
Net worth: $70.4 Billion
Major: Business administration, economics
In 1947, at age 16, Buffett – a.k.a. The Oracle of Omaha – enrolled at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as a business major. After two years he transferred to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln where at age 20 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He then earned a Master of Science in economics at Columbia Business School.
Larry Ellison
Age: 70
CEO and founder of Oracle Corporation
Net worth: $50.3 Billion
Major: Science? – drop out
I can’t find exactly what software big shot Larry Ellison majored in, but have read that he attended the University of Illinois in the 1960s with a plan to become a doctor and that he “was named science student of the year” – maybe ironically since the first source says he failed to maintain a C average. So, the major was probably some kind of science.
He dropped out after two years and then went to the University of Chicago, “intending to pursue a degree in physics and mathematics,” but dropped out after one semester. In 1966 he moved to southern California where he eventually founded Oracle.
Michael Bloomberg
CEO of Bloomberg
Age: 72
Net worth: $35.9 Billion
Major: Electrical engineering, business administration
Financial media mogul, Bloomberg, graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, and in 1966 he received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He then worked at an investment bank before starting Innovative Market Systems, later to become Bloomberg L.P.
Mark Zuckerberg
Co-founder and CEO of Facebook
Age: 30
Net worth: $33.3 Billion
Major: Psychology/computer science – drop out
Social media entrepreneur, Zuckerberg, studied psychology and computer science at Harvard in the early aughts. It was there that he developed “Thefacebook” – which would later become Facebook – in 2004. He eventually dropped out to focus on the project, and now basically runs the social media world at age 30.
Li Ka-shing
Chairman of the Board of Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa and Li Ka Shing Foundation
Age: 86
Net worth: $31.2 Billion
Major: Nothing
Business magnate Li Ka-shing was forced to drop out of high school in Chaozhou in Guangdong province, China, before the age of 15, after the death of this father. Li sold plastic flowers in Hong Kong in the 1950s and is now Hong Kong’s richest person. His fortune comes from – among other things – operating container terminals, health and beauty retail, supplying electricity, and developing real estate.
Sheldon Adelson
Chairman and CEO, Las Vegas Sands
Age: 81
Net worth: $30.5 Billion
Major: Corporate finance – drop out
Hotel heavyweight, Adelson, – who started a candy vending machine business at age 16 – attended City College of New York in the 1950s, majoring in corporate finance, but dropped out after less than two years. He joined the U.S. Army, worked as a court stenographer, then a mortgage broker and investment adviser, then real estate.
Larry Page
CEO of Google
Age: 41
Net worth: $30 Billion
Major: Computer engineering, computer science
Search King, Page, earned a Bachelor of Science, with honors, in computer engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Science in computer science from Stanford University. He was enrolled in the PhD program at Stanford where he met fellow PhD candidate and future partner Sergey Brin, and the rest is internet history.
Which Books do Rich People Recommend?
1. “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
Originally published: 1937
Mastering your money has more to do with mindset and overcoming psychological barriers than anything else — at the end of the day, you can think your way to success.
“Riches begin in the form of thought! The amount is limited only by the person in whose mind the thought is put into motion.”
2. “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham
Originally published: 1949
“Value investing” — buying stocks when they are undervalued and holding them for a long period of time — is the most effective way to put your money to work … and a hallmark of Warren Buffett’s investment strategy.
“But investing isn’t about beating others at their game. It’s about controlling yourself at your own game.”
3. “Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford
Originally published: 1992
You exchange your time for money, so start thinking about how many hours of your life it took to save up the money to buy something and ask yourself questions like, How much of my life did I trade for this? and, Is it worth it?
“Money is something we choose to trade our life energy for.”
4. “How Rich People Think” by Steve Siebold
Originally published: 2013
Anyone can become a millionaire — the secret isn’t in the mechanics of money, but in the level of thinking that generates it.
“I interviewed rich people because I wanted to be rich. What I discovered was, to get rich, I had to learn to think like a rich person. … Once I changed my thinking, the money started to flow.”
5. “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason
Originally published: 1926
You probably won’t get rich quick, but you’ll get rich if you pay yourself first, put that money to work and stick to long-term thinking.
“I found the road to wealth when I decided that a part of all I earned was mine to keep. And so will you.”
6. “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach
Originally published: 2003
You don’t need a budget, you don’t need to make a lot of money, and you don’t even need willpower to accumulate a fortune — all you need to do is put your finances on autopilot.
“The one way to create lasting financial change that will help you build real wealth over time is to make your financial plan automatic!”
7. “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki
Originally published: 1997
Knowing the difference between an asset — something that puts money in your pocket — and a liability — something that takes money out of your pocket — is the single most important distinction to recognize if you want to get rich.
“The long-term rich build their asset column first. Then the income generated from the asset column buys their luxuries. The poor and middle class buy luxuries with their own sweat, blood, and children’s inheritance.”
8. “The Little Book of Common Sense Investing” by John C. Bogle
Originally published: 2007
The simplest and most efficient investment strategy is to invest in low-cost index funds.
“Investing is all about common sense. Owning a diversified portfolio of stocks and holding it for the long term is a winner’s game.”
9. “Rich Habits” by Thomas Corley
Originally published: 2010
What you do every day matters so, if you want to build wealth, start by reevaluating your daily habits.
“The metaphor I like is the avalanche. These habits are like snowflakes — they build up, and then you have an avalanche of success.”
10. “I Will Teach You to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi
Originally published: 2009
There aren’t any secrets to getting rich — all it takes are small steps, a bit of discipline, and a willingness to simply get started on managing your money.
“Getting started is more important than becoming an expert. Too many of us get overwhelmed thinking we need to manage our money perfectly, which leads us to do nothing at all. That’s why the easiest way to manage your money is to take it one step at a time — and not worry about being perfect.”
11. “Unshakeable” by Tony Robbins
Originally published: 2017
You don’t have to predict the future to win the investment game — if you focus on what you can control, you can be the master of your investment fate.
“Control what you can control. … You need to learn the rules of the financial game, who the players are, what their agendas are, where you can get hurt, and how you can win.”
Can I Become Rich by Reading Books?
Yes, the millionaire entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk has not read many books, not even his own books. Don’t take it as a brag. Don’t take it as a good thing. He’s an exception to the rule. It’s hoped that you can get rich if you truly hate reading or listening to audiobooks.
But don’t lean on it. Trust the billionaire Charlie Munger’s advice instead:
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time — none, zero. You’d be amazed at how much Warren reads–and at how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I’m a book with a couple of legs sticking out.”
Having said that, information from books alone is not the answer. I know plenty of people online (myself included) who brag about reading hundreds of books and yet they’re clearly stalling or not making progress. They love to sit in comfort accumulating potential knowledge without taking action.
How Much Does Bill Gates Read Per Day?
Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Jack Ma, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey – they are all successful in their respective careers, and they have one thing in common – all of them follow the 5-hour rule. This means allotting one hour per weekday for reading and learning
This rule can be traced back to the life of Benjamin Franklin who spent about an hour a day on deliberate learning. He started his day early to read and write, as well as create personal goals and monitor his progress. Simmons created the five-hour rule from this practice – one hour every weekday.
This principle is an effective way toward success because working harder and for a longer period of time is not equivalent to working smarter. When you devote time to reading and learning, you veer away from your current tasks and invest in self-improvement. That’s how you work smart.
Many successful people who engage in deliberate learning go through three stages:
1. Read
Most successful business leaders and personalities are voracious readers, not only to expand their knowledge but also to be aware of strategies and tactics of others. If you think devoting one hour per day for reading is too much, go for about 30 minutes instead.
Develop the habit of reading by bringing a book with you wherever you go. This way, you can flip through several pages while waiting for your turn at the bank rather than browsing through your social media accounts. If you prefer audiobooks, you can try listening to one during your morning commute.
2. Think/Reflect
The 5-hour rule may include time for thinking and reflecting. Some may write notes in their journal, while others zone out and block off the world. This is an opportunity to assess your mistakes and accomplishments. This prepares you for achieving your goals.
3. Experiment
Tech giants conduct a lot of experiments and testing to reach where they are today. Inventions were created out of experiments by great minds. Experiments enable you to apply what you’ve learned. When you experiment, you can see what works, what doesn’t, and ask for feedback from peers.
Learning does not stop inside a classroom. It is a never-ending process that will make you productive on a regular basis and help you achieve success over time. Try the 5-hour rule and make reading and learning a habit.
How Does Bill Gates Read so Fast?
Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year, which comes to about one book a week. That makes him a very good reader compared to other readers (but not speed readers). People in the UK read an average of 10 books/year (with women reading about 12 books/year, and men reading an average of 8 books/year).
With spd rdng you can easily speed read a book a day which will amount to 365 books a year – and will make you a good speed reader.
1. Take notes in the margins
Top speed readers work actively with books or texts by taking notes, highlighting and making mindmaps or rhizomaps. If it’s not your book, post-it notes where invented for this reason.
2. Don’t start what you can’t finish
This one is not exactly a good reading or speed reading strategy. It sounds (I hope I’m not right) like ‘all-or-nothing’ perfectionist mindset, where if he can’t dedicate enough time to make it perfect, he’s not interested. Top speed readers follow 80/20, Pareto principle.
If you can extract 80% of good quality info from 20% of keywords, you don’t have to read everything and definitely, you don’t have to finish a book that is not good. And of course, preview books for about 2-5 minutes before you commit to working with them.
Speed reading is like eating. Sometimes, it’s like having a snack, sometimes like a meal and sometimes like a banquet. And sometimes it’s like eating a slice of cake.
3. Paper books vs ebooks
It’s up to you and whatever preferences you have. There are pros and cons for paperbacks and ebooks. Three advantages of ebooks are: 1) search function, 2) popular highlights which give you good overviews and key insights and 3) portability – as a speed reader you don’t want to carry 5-10 books per train journey.
4. Block out an hour
Top speed readers actually work in 20-minutes work sessions. Most adults can focus easily for 20-minutes and having frequent breaks boosts dopamine levels which are important for memory, motivation and concentration as well as success. Parkinson’s law states “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” so setting timeframes and sticking to them is highly productive.
Top Management Books 2022
For leaders at all levels, 2021 has been a tough year. In times of uncertainty, the organizations that thrive are led by top performers who are constantly learning.
These eight books released in 2020 will help you improve yourself, build your leadership skills and inspire others to excel through adversity in 2022:
1. Friday Forward: Inspiration & Motivation to End Your Week Stronger Than It Started
Leadership depends on your ability to connect with and inspire others. This book from entrepreneur and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Glazer offers actionable advice on how to do just that.
Friday Forward takes the 52 most impactful stories from Glazer’s inspirational newsletter of the same name, which reaches more than 100,000 readers in more than 60 countries. From stories of struggling entrepreneurs who turned things around to new hires rising to the occasion, Glazer’s latest book can give you the push you need to make an impact in your own network.
2. Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You
Frances Frei is one of the world’s foremost authorities on leadership. In Unleashed, she teams up with Anne Morriss — a woman leader in the genomics industry — to teach leaders how to dig deep and empower others.
Leadership takes grit, toughness and the ability to motivate others. Frei and Morriss offer advice from top-performing organizations that can help you raise your game as a leader and pull others up along the way.
3. Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life
Leaders must train their brains the same way elite athletes train their bodies. World-class brain coach Jim Kwik offers strategies in Limitless that you can use to expand your mind, improve your performance and tackle any obstacle.
From exercises that will help you change your mindset for the better to techniques that will help you read faster, make quicker decisions and easily master new skills, Kwik’s actionable advice makes this book a must-read.
4. Personality Isn’t Permanent: Break Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story
Personality is fixed, right? Not according to organizational psychologist and prolific writer Benjamin Hardy, who insists our current personality hardly matters. Instead, he pushes readers to consider who they want their future self to be.
But Hardy’s book isn’t theoretical. In it, he explains how to change your priorities, habits and environments to become the version of yourself. If you’re looking to break free of old modes of thinking in 2021—as every leader should be—you can learn a lot from Hardy’s thoroughly researched, insightful guide.
5. Girl Decoded: A Scientist’s Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology
To lead others and pursue audacious change, we need to be self-aware and draw from our own lives. In her memoir, artificial intelligence entrepreneur Rana el Kaliouby shares her story of transformation, showing how her experiences have inspired her to lead a technology revolution.
Through el Kaliouby’s story, leaders can learn how to draw from their own experiences, make intentional changes in their lives and infuse more humanity into their work.
6. Honest to Greatness: How Today’s Greatest Leaders Use Brutal Honesty to Achieve Massive Success
There’s a revolution happening in what customers expect from the brands they buy from, and the turmoil of 2021 has pressed this trend’s gas pedal. Honest to Greatness by bestselling author Peter Kozodoy shares how brands are walking away from deceitful or unethical practices and instead appealing to buyers with radical honesty and authenticity.
The customers of tomorrow will want to support companies that are open and honest about how they operate. Kozodoy offers a guide for how any leader can embrace these qualities and win in the long term.
7. Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Through Business
As a follow-up to Conscious Capitalism, legendary Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and his coauthors present a framework for how leaders drive change in society through their business leadership. This highly anticipated release features a renowned executive sharing the principles, vision and mindset he’s used to reach the top of the business world—and do plenty of good in the process.
8. Leading Without Authority: How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent Collaboration
Keith Ferrazzi, famous entrepreneur, coach and author of the game-changing book Never Eat Alone, presents a daring, research-backed model of collaborative work. Ferrazzi details a new principle, co-elevation, that enables employees at all levels of an organization to connect with colleagues, collaborate freely and inspire their shared growth.
Leaders can learn how to use co-elevation in their own organizations to help their teams build trust, manage stress, and improve performance across the entire company.
Best Entrepreneur Books 2022
here are 10 books that entrepreneurs must reread in 2022.
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
There’s a reason this book has been on the New York Times’ best seller’s list for over 20 years. It’s a classic and one that every successful person I know has in their library. An in-depth look at the seven habits that we all need to develop as leaders, entrepreneurs, parents and people.
2. Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Jim Rohn, Robbins’ mentor, wrote a book called The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. Those five pieces consisted of philosophy, attitude, activity, results and lifestyle formed the foundation of many of his presentations. Awaken the Giant Within is a classic in the personal development field and one that does a deep dive into the philosophy behind success. Robbins holds nothing back in this tomb of a book.
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This book has saved more businesses and marriages than probably any book on this list. Carnegie breaks things down into thirty principles and shares numerous examples to back him his claims. Considering that it has gone on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, it has earned its place on this list.
4. Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
Ferriss sent out a list of questions to hundreds of successful people in their perspective fields. Not everyone replied, but many did. This book is a compilation of those who answered. It distills key habits and offers advice from some of the most brilliant people in the world, giving us a peek into the minds of those people who have achieved success.
5. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Power is, and always has been, an integral part of our society and lives. In this book, Greene attempts to distill 3,000 years of history into 48 laws that can help us gain power over or prevent being manipulated by others. It gives us great insight into the issues that affect us in business, social and political spheres thereby giving us a better understanding of how to conduct ourselves.
6. Talent is Never Enough by John Maxwell
Hiring has always been difficult, but with our world moving away from the brick-and-mortar model and into either a hybrid system or the work-from-home model, acquiring the right talent will become an even greater challenge. This book though asks the question of whether talent is really the key to being successful.
7. Triggers by Joseph Sugarman
Most people refer to Influence by Robert Cialdini as the book to pick up to understand the psychology of marketing. Sugarman’s Triggers albeit a much lesser-known book, it encapsulates a wider range of marketing strategies with more funny stories making it both more enjoyable and memorable.
8. Thick Face, Black Heart by Chin-Ning Chu
One of the three books marketing legend Dan Kennedy continually recommended in his seminars. An intriguing look at Eastern philosophy and how it applies to business. With the rise of China over the past 20 years, no entrepreneur should overlook this gem.
9. Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
The definite book on copywriting. A relatively quick read that requires multiple readings to get the most out of it. One copywriter I know told me he reads it once a year. It’s that good. While it’s the oldest book on this list, its lessons have not faded one iota.
10. In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr.
A classic book that invites us to take a look at what it takes for companies to excel. Initially, it was a book that talked about success, but over time, this book has become a list of cautionary tales. Entrepreneurs should always be aware of their competition.
New Business Books 2022
Every year, we look forward to the new and innovative ideas presented in business books. In addition to evergreen topics such as management, leadership, and sales, popular books to hit the bookshelves include those on diversity and inclusion, women in business, and working from home.
We’ve highlighted 10 of the most noteworthy business titles to come out in 2021 below for your consideration.
1. Just Work: Get Sh*t Done, Fast & Fair by Kim Scott
Bestselling author Kim Scott is back with an essential guide for leaders to create a more just workplace and establish new norms of collaboration and success. Learn how to recognize, attack, and eliminate gender injustice while respecting workers’ individuality, making sure all voices are heard, and collaborating effectively.
2. Think Again: the Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant examines the critical art of rethinking: learning to question your opinions and open other people’s minds, which can position you for excellence at work and wisdom in life.
3. Curve Benders: Why Strategic Relationships Will Power Your Non-Linear Growth in the Future of Work by David Nour
David Nour provides a personal growth roadmap at the intersection of the future of how we’ll work, live, play, give, and our strategic relationships. The book will focus on how strategic relationships can dramatically alter our growth trajectory in both its direction and ultimate destination against the forces that will shape the future of how we’ll work, live, play, and serve others.
4. The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance by Rich Diviney
Beneath obvious skills are hidden drivers of performance—surprising core attributes that explain how we perform as an individual and as part of a team. Former Navy SEAL commander Rich Diviney explains how understanding these attributes can allow readers and their teams to perform optimally, at any time, in any situation.
5. Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World by Emily Balcetis
Successful people literally see the world differently. Now, award-winning scientist Emily Balcetis explains how anyone can leverage this “perception” gap to their advantage. Inspiring, motivating, and always entertaining, Balcetis demonstrates that if we take advantage of our visual experiences, they can lead us to live happier, healthier, and more productive lives.
6. Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done by Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
Executive coaches and #1 bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton offer insight and advice in this practical eight-step guide both managers and employees can use to reduce work anxiety in the office and at home.
7. Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning by Mike Hayes
Mike Hayes, former Commander of SEAL Team TWO, shows readers how to apply high-stakes lessons about excellence, agility, and meaning across the spectrum of their personal and professional lives. His battle and boardroom-tested advice will motivate readers to do work of value, live lives of purpose, and stretch themselves to reach their highest potential.
8. Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon by Colin Bryar & Bill Carr
With keen analysis and practical steps for applying it at your own company—no matter the size—two long-serving executives illuminate how Amazon’s fourteen leadership principles inform decision-making at all levels and reveal how the company’s culture has been defined by four characteristics: customer obsession, long-term thinking, eagerness to invent, and operational excellence.
9. Trusted Leader: 8 Pillars That Drive Results by David Horsager
Without trust, people and businesses fail. Bestselling author David Horsager provides a framework for building trust so that you and your organizations can perform at your best. Through a business parable, readers will be introduced to the Eight Pillars of Trust and learn strategies to increase alignment, overcome attrition, and get absolutely clear on executing their top priorities.
10. Marketing Mess to Brand Success: 30 Challenges to Transform Your Organization’s Brand (and Your Own) by Scott Jeffrey Miller
In this second book of Scott Miller’s Mess to Success series, the FranklinCovey Executive VP reveals 30 career-challenging obstacles that you may encounter as a marketing manager and how he learned to transform them into team-enhancing opportunities.
Business Learning Books
Unfortunately, it’s hard to use ‘How-to’ and ‘How-I’ to explain the complicated concepts and decision-making processes that take place behind a business. Nevertheless, what we can do is to instill young entrepreneurs with some wisdom and inspiration by compiling some of the best steals as recommended by business professionals and CEOs.
Read Also: How to Write a Business Proposal
Just a heads-up: the books mentioned are not in any particular order.
1. Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
Whether it’s selling products to customers or selling a vision to your employees, every entrepreneur should have the persuasiveness of a salesperson to be able to spread your passion. In order to achieve this, take Gitomer’s book as a guide to understanding the nuts and bolts of the industrial sales process. For the less enthusiastic readers, this Little Red Book of Selling is indeed little, so it’ll be a quick read.
2. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Rework is great because it will show you the easiest way to business and it’s unlike the typical business book you’ll encounter. Believe or not, authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson will tell you how it’s useless to write up a proper business plan, how you don’t need to search for external investors, and why you are more likely to succeed if you ignore the competition.
With its straightforward guidance and friendly approach, this book will help you realize how easy it is to go out on your own.
3. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Author of The Tipping Point and Blink, Malcolm Gladwell delves into the idiosyncrasies of successful figures to search for their mutual qualities in his National Bestseller, Outliers. The truth is, there is no esoteric myth behind true business success, what you must do is simply repeat what you love, and repeat often. To gain expertise in any field, you should at least accumulate 10,000 hours worth of practice.
4. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Some Don’t by Jim Collins
This is a book about endurance and how companies can be built to last. If you are looking for an in-depth analysis of how the management structure should be organized, look no further than Jim Collins’ Good to Great. Through research into companies such as Coco-cola, Intel and General Electric, Collins and his team came up with concepts that will enlighten innovative minds.
5. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
Like it or not, you will be working in teams for the rest of your career. Lencioni weaves his lessons around the story of a troubled Silicone Valley firm and its unexpected choice for a new CEO: an old-school manager who had retired from traditional manufacturing two years earlier at age 55. This book shows how an insightful leader can regroup a dysfunctional team and reunite the individuals into a team that is great and forceful.
What’s The Most Useful Business-related book You’ve Ever Read
1. “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napolean Hill
Key takeaway: You can achieve anything you conceive and believe.
Thoughts are things — and they are incredibly powerful. Focus on what you want to achieve and strengthen your resolve by having what Hill calls a “definiteness of purpose.” It’s also essential that you persist in the face of obstacles that are bound to impede your growth along the way.
2. “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” by Robert Kiyosaki
Key takeaway: Know the difference between an asset and a liability.
There’s a reason the rich get richer: They understand the vital yet often misunderstood difference between assets and liabilities. An asset puts money in your pocket. A liability takes money out of your pocket. In order to get rich, you must buy assets and leverage the income generated from them to buy luxuries and fund your lifestyle.
3. “The E-Myth,” by Michael Gerber
Key takeaway: Work on your business rather than in your business.
“I understand the technical work of a business, therefore, I understand a business that does that technical work.” This is a costly assumption new entrepreneurs make. Understand that everybody who goes into business has three identities: An entrepreneur, a manager and a technician. You need all three to build a company that can thrive without you.
4. “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,” by Al Ries and Jack Trout
Key takeaway: Marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products.
You always want to be the “first.” And in today’s competitive online landscape, a “me-too” copycat has little chance of getting into the prospect’s mind once another company has gotten there first. Not every first is going to be successful, though. If you don’t get into the prospect’s mind first, create a new category you can be first in, instead. It worked for Dominos and it can work for you, too.
5. “How to Win Friends & Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie
Key takeaway: Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
This book is just as important for today’s digital age as it was when it was first published in 1936. There are innumerable takeaways from Carnegie’s classic best-seller, but the most important one is that you can’t go wrong with smiling, becoming a good listener and of course, making others feel important.
6. “The Hard Thing About Hard Things,” by Ben Horowitz
Key takeaway: “Embrace your weirdness, your background, your instinct. If the keys are not there, they do not exist.”
“The hard thing about hard things,” writes Horowitz, is that “there is no formula for dealing with them” — and he’s absolutely right. While many business books tend to prescribe solutions to challenges that aren’t really challenges at all, few, if any, tell it like it really is, which is that there is no one-size solution.
7. “Blue Ocean Strategy,” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
Key takeaway: Avoid trying to beat competitors. Instead, focus on making them irrelevant by creating a leap in value for buyers and your company.
Most markets are red oceans. They’re full of blood because all the sharks feed on the same small pool of fish. Over time, submarkets developed as a reaction to those red markets. In order to differentiate yourself from competitors, you must create a blue ocean for yourself, an opportunity people can’t wait to dive into.
8. “Shoe Dog,” by Phil Knight
Key takeaway: Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
On Bill Gates’ list of must-reads and penned by Phil Knight, the notoriously shy Nike co-founder, “Shoe Dog” offers a rare and revealing glimpse into a man who borrowed $50 from his father to launch a company that, today, is globally recognized and generates $50 billion dollars annually.