Add These Business Books To Your Reading List
In an era dominated by online content, picking up a physical book can feel extra special. When it comes to books on business, you’ll be able to acquire some in-depth information straight from expert businesspeople themselves.
If you’d like to read a book (or several) about how to improve your business (and your life!), these 4 business books from 2016 are worth a read.
1. Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days, by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, & Brandon Kowitz
This book’s title will certainly get your attention, and the content delivers on the headline’s promise. Sprint takes you through a five day problem-solving process that’s been used successfully by more than 100 companies.
Jake Knapp created the sprint process while he was a designer at Google, and it can be used to answer the hard questions that entrepreneurs have to tackle on a daily basis. You’ll learn how to test ideas, how to go from confusion to a decision, and will save time and money after implementing what you’ve learned.
2. Contagious: Why Things Catch On, by Jonah Berger
Jonah Berger’s Contagious explains why and how things become wildly popular, and sometimes even viral. He’s studied the topic for many years and has discovered the “secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission.”
The book outlines six core principles that make products, social media content, rumors, and more become “contagious”. As you read, think about how you can use the principals to make your own products or services popular amongst your target audience.
3. Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
If you’re your own boss, the freedom is great… but we’ve all struggled to focus on our important work at one time or another, especially when we’re only accountable to ourselves. Contrast that with deep work, which is, “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” It’s a skill any businessperson can benefit from, that’s for certain. Cal Newport’s book offers plenty of actionable information to get you in deep work mode, including four rules that are part of his training regimen. They’ll transform the way you get stuff done
4. The Art of Authenticity: Tools to Become an Authentic Leader and Your Best Self, by Karissa Thacker
There’s a difference between being a boss and being a leader, but it’s hard to be an effective leader if you aren’t also your best self. We all have different versions of ourselves and our personalities that shine through based on the situation we’re in, and The Art of Authenticity will teach you how to choose the most appropriate version to present to the world.
Karissa Thacker argues that being your most authentic self is the best way to be an effective leader, and you’ll be inclined to agree after you read her book. It’s a great read to get you started on the right track in 2017.
