Top 5 Books to Build a Business Foundation
Easy and approachable books to increase business acumen
Recently, a good friend who is going through a career transition asked me what are some good business-related books for someone trying to build a better foundation across sales, managing people, entrepreneurship, etc. My goal wasn’t to make a comprehensive list of all worthy books but to suggest the books that I feel can have the most efficient impact. Here are my top picks.
Knowing Yourself + Finding Purpose: The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks - There are many good books on mindset and finding purpose but this is one of the very best. There are some great exercises to help readers learn more about themselves and get clear on what they want to bring to the world. Representative quote: “The goal in life is not to attain some imaginary ideal; it is to find and fully use our own gifts.”
Sales: The Ultimate Sandler Sales Library by David Sandler (audiobook only) - David Sandler is a legend and his system is used by many of the leading technology sales organizations including Salesforce, Oracle and more. He has a smart, question-forward approach and lot of great one-liners, including this representative quote: “Selling is a broadway play performed by a psychiatrist”
Structured Thinking: The McKinsey Way by Ethan Rasiel - Consulting firms like McKinsey are some of the most influential organizations in the world, this book outlines how their team members are trained to approach problems which is a valuable to anyone in business. Representative quote: “Whatever you’re doing, chances are someone, somewhere has done something similar. Learn from others’ successes and mistakes. Leverage your valuable time and don’t reinvent the wheel!”
Leadership: How to Be A Great Boss by Gino Wickman - It was tough to get out of my own way on this topic but I really like how simple and actionable this book is to improve leadership. There are templates and frameworks that you can take from this book and apply immediately. Representative quote: “We have learned that to get the most from your people—to have a highly motivated workforce—you, in your role as boss, must create an environment where your people will thrive.”
Building Great Businesses: Good to Great by Jim Collins - This book describes how companies transition from being good companies to great companies, and how most companies fail to make the transition. Easy to read with great case studies to help bring awareness to the things that separate the best organizations. Representative quote: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.”
Honorable Mentions:
Life Hype + Real Estate: Am I Being Too Subtle? by Sam Zell
Negotiation: Never Split the Different by Chris Voss
Management: How Output Management by Andy Grove & The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
Startups: Zero to One by Peter Thiel & The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Sales: The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Buying Companies: HBR’s Guide to Buying A Small Business by Ruback & Yukcoff
Economics: Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan
Conscious Business: Conscious Leadership by John Mackey & The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Chapman, Dethmer and Klemp
Marketing: The Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Like these books or others? Share this post and let me know your thoughts.
- Adam