business books

Business Books You Have to Read

Being an entrepreneur is becoming more and more complicated as the economy evolves. There are so many things to think about out and pay attention to, that it can prove to be quite overwhelming. Fortunately, there is an abundance of information out there that can really help you figure out some important concepts and rules that are the backbone of the business world today. There are numerous business books available that contain knowledge and information that everyone should know. We've compiled a list of five such books that we consider you should absolutely read. 

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  • How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
  • Good to Great by Jim Collins
  • The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Written in the beginning of the 20th century, How to Win Friends & Influence People is a book that is still relevant today. Dale Carnegie perfectly explained how social skills can improve your personal and business life. While the times were definitely different when this book came out, the core principles remained the same. Treating people with respect, and actually listening to what they have to say is still the best way to establish healthy relationships, and yield best results.

The lessons from this book in terms of business, can be applied at any level. Carnegie's advice comes useful whether you are a CEO of a large corporation, or a clerk at a store. Making connections and networking is still one of the main factors in the business world, and this book can tell you how to improve your skills in this area. 

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

Leadership is still one of the most important factors that can greatly impact the success of any enterprise. Without proper leadership there is no cohesion, which is often times one of the main reasons for poor performance of a company. Patrick Lencioni's book describes just how important leadership is, and goes into some common problems leaders face in their effort to achieve efficient and effective teamwork. 

This book can be very useful to anyone in a leadership position, whether they are a small business owner, a new and inexperienced entrepreneur, or a high level manager of a large corporation. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable is a great troubleshooting guide that can help you get your team on the right track. 

Good to Great by Jim Collins

In modern day and age, everybody is looking for that shortcut, a secret, that would launch their company to great heights. This is not what Good to Great has to offer. You won't find a silver bullet that will solve all of your problems, but what you will find is an interesting set of conclusions Jim Collins and his team of researchers discovered during their research to find what makes great companies, great. 

Good to Great offers an insight into decision making and strategies that some of the largest corporations in the world use, which could be applied to your business and actually make a difference. 

The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham

There are numerous books written on the topic of leadership and how it impacts the success of a company. The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham offers a new and refreshing approach to the problem of leadership, and includes some interesting and unintuitive conclusions that might be new for a lot of readers. Buckingham's arguments, and line of thinking will challenge you to see things from a different perspective, which could be beneficial to anyone interested in this subject. 

Buckingham also touches the subject of personal success, and what role it plays in becoming a good leader. He is a younger author, but the information he gathered in his book is definitely worth reading. 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey

Steven Covey is a well known author whose book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change is favored by many of the most successful people in the world. In his work, Covey explains what are the seven habits some of the most influential and powerful people have, and how you can develop these habits yourself. He states that first thing that needs to happen is a complete paradigm shift, that would change the way you perceive people and situations both in your personal and professional life. 

Covey's book has been around for several decades now, and his advice has been put to the test numerous times. The information in this book is genuine, and could help you achieve your goals more efficiently, ultimately allowing you to become a more successful person. 

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What is the importance of these five books and how can they improve your business, and your professional life? 

Like it is the case with most things in life, there is no such thing as too much information in the business world. It doesn't matter if you are a small business owner, a fresh entrepreneur who is just starting, or if you are a well seasoned CEO of a large multinational corporation. Business books have always been the source of knowledge that many successful people used as a tool to get where they are now. However, there are so many of them written on a large number of topics, that someone who is new may not know where to start. 

There are numerous industries with their own sets of rules and standards, and those require niche reading material that is written specifically for each industry. The books we've chose can be applied to almost any field and profession out there, as these principles are universal to anyone doing business. Almost every company and every factory will have a hierarchy of some sort, where leadership is essential. The human factor is something every industry has in common, and knowing how to properly deal with people is a skill that can significantly improve your life, both private and professional. 

The five business books we have chosen to include in this article make for a great foundation of information that you can build upon later. One Thing You Need to Know, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team cover the importance of leadership, how to become a good leader, and how to create teamwork and cohesion that will allow your company to achieve its goals more efficiently. Additionally, Good to Great offers an insight into the inner works of large and successful corporations, and what kind of decision making and strategies are necessary in order to achieve their level of success. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie will tell you  how to deal with people in your daily life, and how the relationships you have with others can impact your success. 

While most of the books we've mentioned focus on your relationship with others, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey offers information on how to improve yourself. Personal discipline, efficiency, and confidence will get you far in the business world, but they are skills that you have to acquire. Learning to be efficient, and maintaining a good discipline will allow you to achieve more of your goals faster, which will in turn boost your confidence. All of these skills are essential if you want to be a good leader and advance up the ranks in your industry. 

Conclusion

Business world is a competitive environment where having even the slightest advantage can help you be more successful. Knowledge you can obtain through books is too valuable to ignore, and you should always strive to learn more. With the books listed in this article, we tried to give new entrepreneurs a great foundation they could build upon. At the same time, these books are a valuable read even for those who are well experienced and more knowledgeable.