Business Books: My Favorites

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Over sushi with a couple friends, one asked me to name my favorite business books.

I’ve listed my favorite books for kids and my favorite books for grownups (so far). Why not a blog post about my favorite business books?

And here we go: The books listed below in alphabetical order caused significant shifts in my thinking and my behavior when it comes to my professional—and, in some cases, personal—life.

Connected Strategy by Nicolaj Siggelkow and Christian Terwiesch

This book, which the FrogDog team read as part of its quarterly book club, came as a welcome surprise of new perspectives on how companies of all kinds can better adapt and evolve to thrive in the modern economy and with current expectations across the value chain.

Drive by Dan Pink

Pink’s summary of the research into human motivation altered my thinking about how to reward and motivate employees, people whom I’d like to influence personally, and the people to whom we direct our own and our clients’ marketing efforts at FrogDog.

The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

I found this book by chance without knowing a thing about Peter Drucker. I’ve since read his other books, but this text was my game-changer. It helped me clarify how senior executives should allocate their time and efforts to the greatest effect for their organizations.

Influence by Robert B. Cialdini

Cialdini reviews fascinating academic research to show how people and organizations have influenced individuals over centuries using six principles. This book clarified my understanding of persuasion—useful for leadership, for sales, and for FrogDog clients.

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath

One of the most difficult challenges? Changing thinking and behavior. As a leader, I try to change aspects of my business. As a marketer, I try to change how people think. And personally, I try to improve my own habits and behaviors. This book by the Heath brothers gave me actionable guidance on how to improve my ability to lead.

Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook by Michael Linenberger

Implementing the Outlook tricks Linenberger outlines in this book made me more productive and efficient and organized than ever. It may seem overwhelming at first, but the effort to put his recommended practices in place is worth it, I promise.

What rank as your favorite business books?