There are so many reasons for you to sit down and read a book. Reading is a pleasure, an adventure and an education. Books expand your horizons, awaken your creativity and stimulate your intellect. Reading shows you exciting possibilities, warns you with cautionary tales, challenges and enlightens you with new information and introduces you to alternative points of view. Books open whole new worlds for you.

Reading is also good business, whether you own the enterprise, preside in the C-Suite, or hustle in an entry level position, from barista to call center help desk. Reading is integral to building and maintaining the scope and value of your skill set and for that reason, reading books is integral to professional development. The books you read—in particular business books, but might include history, philosophy, psychology, semiotics, or other disciplines—can strengthen your analytical, problem-solving and creative outside-the-box thinking skills.

No matter how successful you’ve been in your business or career, no matter the educational degrees and professional certifications you’ve earned, regardless how amazing the team you collaborate with, you are destined to encounter challenges as you progress through your working life. You may find the answer to your dilemma while reading a book. Whether your book describes the grit and timing needed to launch a business, provides insight into how you can expand and grow your enterprise, or explores the art of leading or managing teams or organizations, there are books that will teach you to recognize and overcome obstacles and coax the best performance from your team and yourself.

The books included here are appropriate for every stage of your working life. The authors are people who’ve experienced obstacles in the business world and lived to tell the tales. Who better to learn from than someone who has already conquered the difficult predicament you’re facing now, or will encounter in the future?

Start With Why Simon Sinek (2009)

Sinek explores a way of thinking, acting and communicating that cultivates your ability to rally and inspire those with whom you work and interact. A defining behavior of that charismatic quality is demonstrated when you ask yourself (and your collaborators) why? When there are important choices or decisions to make, starting with the deceptively simple question why—-why is this matter important? why should we attempt to resolve the issue in this way?—-has the potential to put you on a path that will result in better answers, better strategies and, by extension, will allow you to achieve more fulfillment in your work and your life.

Leaders in organizations who have the courage to ask why—and question common assumptions, behaviors and practices—typically thrive even when others around them are failing. Often, their why is well articulated and forms part of their identity as it informs the reasons that people do the things that they do. Great leaders and visionaries have a powerful why and they invite others to explore it with them.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/start-with-why-simon-sinek/1016513563

The Personal MBA Josh Kaufman (2010)

The Personal MBA delivers need-to-know information from that which MBA programs consider fundamental, from the five elements of business to the 10 ways to evaluate a potential target market and in the process, the book saves you the time and money involved in earning the formal degree. The Personal MBA breaks it down and helps you understand functions that are essential to business success—from finance to sales, marketing to operations, to the nuances of psychology, motivation and teamwork, to creating systems. Kaufman distills everything you need to know to transform your business, or your career.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/personal-mba-josh-kaufman/1102823220

The Power of Geography Tim Marshall (2021)

Marshall explores 10 regions that are positioned to shape global politics in a new age of great-power rivalry—Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, Turkey, the Sahel, Ethiopia, Spain and (surprise!) Space. Learn why Europe’s next refugee crisis is perilously closer than it appears now. Examine the roots of the tragic instability that roils the Sahel; understand why Middle Eastern nations would be wise to look beyond oil to secure their future; explore why western Asia is one of the most volatile flashpoints of the 21st century; and contemplate why Earth’s atmosphere is set to become the world’s next battleground.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Power-of-Geography/Tim-Marshall/9781982178635

Thinking the Future (2021) Clem Sunter and Mitch Ilbury

Think about it—every decision you make impacts the future! We constantly make choices that affect the next week, next year or upcoming decade. The problem is, you can be blinded by what you want or expect the future to be. Scenario planning experts Clem Sunter and Mitch Ilbury posit that the futurist’s art of decision-making, where the flexibility of thinking like a canny fox plays a key role, will be a deciding factor in successfully adapting to a complex and interconnected world.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/book/thinking-future/9781776096299

How Big Things Get Done (2023) Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner

Understanding what distinguishes triumphs from failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg, who’s often called “the world’s leading mega-project expert.” In How Big Things Get Done, the author identifies common errors in judgment and decision-making that cause projects, big or small, to fail.

Happily, Flyvbjerg also shares research-based principles that will make your projects succeed. The book includes numerous helpful and vivid examples, ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House, to a home renovation in Brooklyn gone awry.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-big-things-get-done-bent-flyvbjerg/1141634446

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business (2007) Gino Wickman
Don’t let common problems and frustrations overwhelm you and your business entity. In this book, you’ll learn the secrets of strengthening the Six Key Components of your business. You’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company that will give you and your leadership team more focus, more growth, improved outcomes and more enjoyment.

https://books.google.com/books/about/Traction.html?id=VVDZCQAAQBAJ

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (1984) Robert Cialdini

The author cogently explains the psychology of why people say “yes”—and how to apply these understandings. You’ll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader and how to defend yourself against them. The principles apply to readers at every stage of your career journey. Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a catalyst for your success.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815.Influence

Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy (2020) Patrick Bet-David

From the creator of Valuetainment, the #1 YouTube channel for entrepreneurs, is a practical and effective guide to thinking more clearly and achieving your most ambitious professional goals. Combining these principles and revelations drawn from Bet-David’s rise to successful CEO, the book is a must-read for any serious executive, strategist, or entrepreneur.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/your-next-five-moves-patrick-bet-david/1136404932

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It (2016) Chrisopher Vos, Tahl Raz

Negotiations take place in many different sectors of life, such as politics and business, and also in some critical events, most dramatically demonstrated by hostage situations. The book is a guide to the wisest behaviors to exhibit when stressful situations develop, whether that involves the need for negotiation techniques in hostage situations or in business. The authors describe what to do, questions to ask and how to react in situations that require negotiation.

Without question, Never Split the Difference can teach you a new and useful competency. Raz and Vos offer unique perspectives that will improve anyone’s negotiations skills, from novice to advanced.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-split-the-difference-christopher-voss/1122714695

Freelance Your Way to Freedom (2022) Alexandra Fasulo

Freelancing phenomenon Alex Fasulo delivers a practical, step-by-step guide to navigating the potential and perils of launching your Solopreneur side hustle. The author draws on her experience of scaling a $36,000/year Fiverr gig into a million-dollar enterprise. She explains how to manage those critical moments in business when decisions need to be made quickly and without warning.

In the book, you’ll find actionable tips and hands-on examples to make the gig economy work for you. The book is a must-have for Freelancers, Solopreneurs and Entrepreneurs, as well as anyone who participates or is interested in the future of work.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/freelance-your-way-to-freedom-alexandra-fasulo/1141301804

Happy 4th of July to my American readers! To all my readers, thanks for reading. I appreciate.

Kim

Image: Johann Hamza (1850-1927, Austria) A Gentleman Reading in the Library