Business Book Discussion discussion

What are some great business books you would recommend?

The BLACK SWAN/Taleb (economics), The psychology of Influence/Cialdini (human behavior), Snowball (Buffets Bio)

wow, there are a ton but I would say that
anything by Brian Tracy or John Maxwell to start with.
Also the Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz.

It depends on what you mean by "business." What aspect of business? Investing? Entrepreneurship? Focus? Motivation? Grant Writing? Business Proposal? Etc.

If you're looking for a solid foundation in character, motivation, purpose, attitude, etc. Think and Grow Rich and The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill are essential. I think too many people avoid the foundation of any business: one's self and his / her character, weaknesses, shortcomings, and strengths. If you're looking for books on marketing, anything Dan Kennedy (A good one is How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules). Investing and Wealth? Robert Kiyosaki. Wealth alone, Stephen Pierce's Secrets to Creating Wealth. Investing? Anything by The Motley Fools. Sales? Og Mandino. Mental attitude? Think Big and Kick Ass, Donald Trump. I'm currently reading When Markets Collide by Mohamed El-Erian which talks about what's going on behind all the current disruption. That's about it for now, unless you can think of another category.

I would suggest reading books on investing on/by successful men, such as: Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffet, George Soros,Bill Gates, etc. To get a basic understanding on how to start a business and get through the downfalls you would have to read about successful companies that have stood the test of time. I would also suggest books on UPS, Microsoft and McDonalds. Another really good book is Managing The Dragon by Jack Perkowski. He broke through the China barrier and gives tips along the way.

The Breakthrough Company by Keith McFarland is also a great book that details the quasi-"missing link" in business literature between start-up and industry giant.

I loke book that help me better understand how people think, so that I can be a more effective salesperson. I read Sway this week. It's a short read with some interesting takeaways about how people make decisions. The takeaways weren't totally new, but it was good to remind myself of them.

Hi Michael –

If you are looking for basic introductions to a variety of business topics, I would recommend the Harvard Business Essential series. The editors pull together information from different sources and then publish these neat, little, hands-on books with the most relevant information on a subject (for example, time management, decision-making, negotiation, etc.)

The Black Swan is definitely worth reading as well, as is Nassim Taleb’s first book, Fooled by Randomness. If you are even a little bit interested in finance, I’d also recommend books by the late Peter L. Bernstein. He is a wonderful writer and his books are a pleasure to read.

Let us know if you want more specific recommendations. There are tons of good business books out there. (Tons of bad ones as well unfortunately.)

Haike

The Black Swan The Impact of the Highly ImprobableFooled by Randomness The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the MarketsCapital Ideas EvolvingAgainst the Gods The Remarkable Story of RiskNegotiationHarvard Business Essentials, Decision Making 5 Steps to Better Results

Michael wrote: "What are some great business books you would recommend?"

Excellent book for Stories, examples, real-life mistakes & makes great teaching tools...Top Ten Things to Consider ISBN: 978-0-9824475-8-1.

I have recently been reading "The Little Red Book of Selling". I'm glad to hear others liked "Black Swan". I have a copy sitting on my bookshelf waiting for me to get to it.

Hello,

After retiring from the FBI, and as an ex-cop, I wrote two books. One is a crime novel. This group may be interested in my non-fiction business book, Walking the Corporate Beat: Police School for Business People. I share true stories from my 27 years of experience to relate how the application of certain business processes led to success or failure. Dr Pepper Snapple Group CEO stated, "CEOs looking for simple ways to avoid complex problems should read this book. Tabman imparts valuable information in a witty and readable style."

I would like to host a discussion group on the book if there is an interest. Please visit my Author Page for background information and my blog.

Thanks,
Michael Tabman

Walking the Corporate Beat: Police School for Business People

In relation to increasing an understanding of leadership within a business, I loved Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin and From Good to Great by Jim Collins.

The psychology of Influence by Cialdini as mentioned is a must to understand why we operate the way we do, I would also recommend Daniel Kahneman previous books (I have hard that his last one “Thinking, Fast and Slow” is very good as well but I have not read it yet).
I think whoever is reading about businesses should read both “sides” of the business, i.e. the successful ones and the failed ones. Jim Collins “Good to great” and “Build to last” describe successful both. Failed ones can be found in “The big short” by Michael Lewis or Jim Collins (“How the mighty fall”).
Same goes when reading about specific companies, you may want to look at successful companies such as the story of the Tisch family (“The king of Cash”), Disney (“The Disney Way”), Starbucks (Onward: How Starbucks fought for its life without losing its soul”), as well as the failed ones such as “When Genius Failed” by Roger Lowenstein and “The smartest guys in the room” by Bethany Mclean.
I also found books that describe business takeovers a key to understanding businesses and leadership, I recently finished “Dethroning the king” by Julie MacIntosh that describes InBev hostile takeover of Anheuser-Busch a fascinating story.