When it comes to working—and working well—a good business book can go a long way. Equipping you with proven business theories and realistic approaches to improving things such as emotional intelligence and management skills, the right author with the right kind of experience can help you drastically build up your professional life.
As a simple, engaging, and cost-effective way to enhance your knowledge and grow your skillset, pick up a good book every now and then.
Here are a few to get you started.
THE INNOVATOR’S DILEMMA BY CLAYTON M. CHRISTENSEN
Written by a Harvard business professor, The Innovator’s Dilemma examines many companies who have embraced disruptive technologies, managed their employees well, and maintained strong customer relationships.
Clayton then goes on to explain why and how some of these companies weren’t successful even despite their strong potential and upstanding reputation. He provides his readers with strategies on how to avoid being shot down by the public and overrun by the competition.
PURPLE COW: TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS BY BEING REMARKABLE BY SETH GODIN
Have you found your Purple Cow yet? That one something that makes you memorable and great? Seth Godin, international marketing guru, says its time to throw away the old notion of marketing and to replace it with your Purple Cow.
Demonstrating how to modernize your approach to marketing through a variety of real-world examples, Godin will permanently change the way you see, create, and market your products and solutions.
ROOKIE SMARTS: WHY LEARNING BEATS KNOWING IN THE NEW GAME OF WORK BY LIZ WISEMAN
Liz Wiseman says your greatest asset is your ability to always be a rookie – to try, hunt, and explore as you did when you were barely getting the hang of this whole business thing. Combine your professional skills with the enthusiasm and curiosity that kick-started your career, and you’ll see your business world change all around you.
Liz attempts to train older, as well as newer, business professionals on how to think like a rookie and how to stay current in a world that continually evolves.
THE UPSIDE OF YOUR DARK SIDE: WHY BEING YOUR WHOLE SELF – NOT JUST YOUR “GOOD” SELF – DRIVES SUCCESS AND FULFILLMENT BY TODD KASHDAN
The Upside of Your Dark Side claims that it’s okay to be angry, guilty, and selfish. Why? Because it makes you a better person. When you allow yourself to fully experience your dark side, you give yourself the opportunity to find the upside—the upside that consists of a better, smarter, and wiser you.
Todd applies real world examples and scientific research to explain to his readers why the dark side shouldn’t always be seen as a negative aspect of your life—but rather, an opportunity to grow.
ZERO TO ONE: NOTES ON STARTUPS, OR HOW TO BUILD THE FUTURE BY PETER THIEL
Peter Thiel, billionaire and PayPal co-founder, talks innovation and success in his book, Zero to One. Thiel says that if you want to be successful and if you want to progress the nation, then it’s time to do something new; it’s time to go from 0 to 1, rather than adding to something that’s already been done (going from 1 to n).
Innovation, technology, and evolution cannot be bottled up by industry, geographic location, or history. No matter what you do, why you do it, or what you offer, you can always find something new, something better, and something that’s never been done before. You just have to learn to look for it.
