658. Books on general business management

Further Reading:

George Anders The Rare Find: Spotting Exceptional Talent before Everyone Else, 2011.

We all know stories of people with lots of promise (like J.K. Rowling) who were turned down multiple times before they were given a chance to shine. George Anders discusses how this happens, but he also confronts the issue of candidates who have all the right credentials but are a bad investment. Here, he uses the advice of top talent scouts to help you find the diamonds in the rough.

Paul Axtell Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversations, 2015.

Are meetings a waste of time? Consultant Paul Axtell says no, not if you know how to design, lead, and participate in them effectively. On the contrary, if done correctly, he argues that meetings are essential for increasing productivity.

Mo Bunnell The Snowball System: How to Win More Business and Turn Clients into Raving Fans, 2018.

Whether a freelancer or a professional consultant, you must know how to attract new clients. Mo Bunnell has a system that works for both the outgoing and the reticent grow business opportunities.

Jim Clifton and Jim Harter It’s the Manager: Gallup Finds that the Quality of Managers and Team Leaders is the Single Biggers Factor in Your Organization’s Long-Term Success, 2019.

This book’s title says a lot, but it’s not everything you need to know about management. Using Gallup’s largest study on the future of work, Clifton and Harter demonstrate how to work with remote workers, diversity, and AI to keep the best employees and to use them in the best ways possible. Their suggestions can improve output for workers, managers, and the bottom line.

Peter F. Drucker The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done, 2006.

Management expert Peter Drucker outlines executives’ priorities, then determines the time management skills and actions that support those priorities. Avoiding unproductive, time-wasting activities, he says, is essential.

Stephen Few Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten, 2004.

We all know a picture speaks a thousand words, but does that always suffice when it matters? Stephen Few teaches you how to use good design to communicate your facts and ideas.

Paul Jarvis Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business, 2019.

If you’ve ever dreamed of financial independence and the ability to be your own boss, Paul Jarvis has a message for you. Jarvis shows you how to deliberately stay small, instead of scaling up, to have more freedom to pursue what makes you happy while making enough money to support it. It’s a different path that takes you from the rat race to productivity and happiness.

Fred Kofman Conscious Business: How to Build through Values, 2006.

Business consultant Fred Kofman has taught organizations like Google and Microsoft that it’s all about paying attention to the needs of you, your workers, and your customers. If you do this with consciousness, your business will self-correct when it goes off course.

Jim Signorelli Storybranding 2.0: Creating Stand-Our Brands through the Purpose of Story, 2014.

Marketing thought leader Jim Signorelli begins with good storytelling fundamentals to ensure you understand how to craft your branding story. He helps you turn your company into a protagonist that will have people pulling for you and eager to become part of your journey themselves.

Amy Webb The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream, 2016.

Change is the one constant, and it’s constantly speeding up. Quantitative futurist Amy Webb can help you stay on top of trends so your business won’t get left behind. She says that figuring out the next big thing doesn’t take a crystal ball. It requires paying attention to the fringes of society. In this book, she teaches you where and how to find them.

For more information on the Further Reading series, see Further Reading: Start Here.