As a business manager or owner, you know that there are many books on the market for you to read.
You also know that time is finite, and that there are only so many hours in the day that you have to devote to reading.
Because of this, we have compiled a list of books that you should add to your list and along with an overview of why they are great reads.
- Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t written by Simon Sinek
This book is a great read if your business takes a team approach. (Which business doesn’t? 😉 )
It helps to give you insights into why some teams work together wonderfully, and why others are unable to do the simplest tasks without a problem.
A leader should put his or her team’s interests before his own, if he wants them to succeed. The author uses examples to help explain how your role as a leader of the team plays a part in getting your team to function in a well-oiled manner.
- Thinking, Fast and Slow written by Daniel Kahneman
This is a great read because it helps you to understand how the human mind functions.
It covers situations where you use fast thinking, such going with your emotions or gut, as compared to slow thinking, such as being more logical and using critical thinking.
It then looks at how you can use the different ways of thinking, to improve your decision making.
- The First Time Manager written by Loren B. Balker
Another great read, especially those who are expanding their business by taking on more employees, as it helps set a good foundation for managing.
Learning by trial and error isn’t the only way to become a great manager, as you can learn from the mistakes and triumphs of others.
This can even be a great read for someone who has been managing for a while, but is looking to improve on ways to handle their team.
You can expect to learn about time management, motivation, hiring and firing employees, and more.
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less written by Greg McKeown
There is so much going on today, and people often feel pretty overwhelmed by everything they have going on in their lives.
Are you feeling as though you have too much to do, but never really get anything accomplished in your day?
This book should probably shoot up to the top of your to-be-read list, as it can help you to learn more about the discipline needed to eliminate your busy tasks and focus on what is more important to your life and business.
This is not going to offer help with productivity or time management, but will teach you to do more in your day in less time.
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On written by Jonah Berger
This is a great read if you are fascinated by why things go viral and become trends.
The author is a marketing professor and has been studying marketing for years.
Specifically, he has examined why some things become popular, and others do not. This book will help you to use what he has learned about these trends, in your own business endeavors.
This can help with your marketing messages and advertisements. It can help keep your ideas fresh, and show you ways that you can get your particular products/ideas to trend.
- Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World written by Adam Grant
Being original is not always the easiest thing to do today.
It can be hard to have an original idea, as there is already so much out there and some people are simply set in their ways.
This book offers you the tools that you need for coming up with your original ideas, and seeing them through.
It helps people to have more original thoughts, look at traditions, policies, and practices in new ways, and, above all, to speak up about your original ideas.
- The Industries of the Future written by Alec Ross
This book is excellent for those who are curious about what may happen in the future based on today’s innovations.
Some of the topics that the author discusses include big data, cybersecurity, genomics, robotics, and digital technology.
The author delves into how these different areas will impact our economy and the markets. Learn about how the world is adapting and how these changes challenge us.
- Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges written by Amy Cuddy
This book is perfect for people who are finding themselves to be a little lacking in how they handle life and the challenges they face.
A little confidence and actually presenting yourself with that confidence can go a long way towards making others stand up and recognize you.
Learn about techniques to help you present your most confident self to others and put aside your fears and worries.
- Financial Intelligence: A Manager’s Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean written by Karen Berman
This book is an essential read for any manager who is not from a financial background, but has to make decisions based on the numbers presented to them.
The author of this book helps you to not only understand what financial speak means, but will help you to understand what you are looking for with the numbers.
After reading this book, you should no longer cringe when seeing this type of data hit your desk.