@Soulati getting ready to play in my first mixed doubles tourney with @kfvickery over the weekend - how about you?!?
12 Most Indispensable GoodReads Lists for Business Bookworms
Although this article specifically addresses business people, if you are a reader of any kind, you must look into GoodReads. It’s the Facebook of books (I would have called it Bookbook). It’s an ongoing conversation about the written word. If you are an avid reader and want to find out what others are thinking about your favorite books, GoodReads is the place to go.
The site has a vast amount of features. You can create your own bookshelf, which is sorted by default into the categories of read, reading, and to-read. You can add friends, finding people from other social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You can join groups, in which you discuss books of certain genres or get assigned readings for a digital book club. You can rate books and review them, and find the ratings and reviews of others. You can read author interviews, download eBooks, take quizzes, read quotes, and much more.
My favorite aspect of GoodReads, and the subject of this article, is Listopia. GoodReads offers its users an opportunity to create lists of books and vote on existing lists. As a list gains momentum, GoodReads ranks the books on the list according to its ratings and popularity. Therefore, if you are looking for books to read on a particular subject, you can find a list of books that others have found helpful.
As a business person, you’ve got to be reading. It sharpens your business acumen, keeps you uplifted, and make you more knowledgeable about the business world. As you view the following lists, feel free to vote on your favorite books or add new ones. Get ready to outsource your reading list…
1. Business Biographies and Memoirs
I created this list, as I couldn’t find a list that adequately represented. Books about businesses and books by business people about their experiences in business. We can learn a lot by finding out where others have been and what they’ve gone through. I’ve started with books from the 12 Most Intriguing Business Biographies of Our Time and the 12 Most Motivating Business Memoirs of Our Time. What books would you add? The current number one book on the list is Onward by Howard Schultz.
2. Best Sales and Marketing Books
Books about sales and marketing. Nothing happens until somebody sells something. These books are all about crossing the chasm between seller and buyer. I’ve added the 12 Most Essential Sales Books with “Selling” in the Title. What would you add? The current number one book on the list is The New Power Base Selling by Jim Holden.
3. Behavior Change and Social Psychology
Books about the psychology of decision-making. Behavioral economics is huge right now and it’s imperative for business people to understand the incentives that drive people, including their customers, their employees, and themselves. The current number one book on the list is Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.
4. Entrepreneur’s Book Club Reading List
Books about entrepreneurship and innovation. Maybe you’ve started a business. Maybe you work for someone who has. Regardless, all business people need to think like entrepreneurs. These books show you how. I’ve added the 12 Most Game-Changing Books for Aspiring Entrepreneurs. The current number one book on the list is The Lean Start-Up by Eric Ries.
5. Top Management Books
Books about management and leadership. Everyone in business need to know how to effectively manage and lead in order to be more productive and influential. I’ve added David Dye’s 12 Most Consequential Books for a New Leader. What would you add to the list? The current number one book on the list is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
6. Best on Social Entrepreneurship
Books about social responsibility. More and more, business people need to be thinking about how they are influencing the planet and its people. Business is not conducted in a vacuum. Everything is connected. Do you see your favorite social change book on the list? The current number one book on the list is The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz.
7. Best Social Media Marketing Books
Books about social media, content marketing, web 2.0, and the like. If you are in business and haven’t embraced the web, it’s long past time. These books show you how to build a presence digitally. I’ve added Ekaterina Walter’s 12 Most Helpful Books on Social Media and Peggy Fitzpatrick’s 12 Most Informative Social Media Books I’ve Read in the Past Year. See anything missing? The current number one book on the list is The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.
8. Best Business Books
This one is the grand-daddy. The best business books. Period. Of all sub-genres. Surely you can find something useful here. If not, add it! The current number one book on this list is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
9. Silicon Valley
Much of business today own’s its streamlined operations and communications capabilities to Silicon Valley. These are books about computer technology and the most influential tech businesses and people that have shaped our world. The current number one book on the list is Steve Jobs by Walter Iassacson.
10. Motivation and Self-Improvement Books
If you’re in business, this is probably your favorite genre. Everyone could use a good pick-me-up. These books are packed with inspiration, motivation, and tips on becoming a better professional as well as a better person. The current number one book on the list is Walking the Corporate Beat by Michael Tabman.
11. Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
The only list of fiction books I have recommended for business people. Why these? They are all about finding meaning in chaos. Classic dystopian books are about imagined societies in which individuals strive to overcome injustices to make a difference. If you’re in business, that’s you. You’re rebelling against a structure stacked against you. You’re fighting for your right to belong in a crowded marketplace. Get inside these characters and tell me they aren’t business people. The current number one book on the list is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
12. Best Books about Money
Books about finance. Making money and keeping it. I mentioned that motivation and self-improvement might be the business person’s favorite genre. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this is it. Certainly, a business not making money isn’t a business for long. Profits are the fuel that keep a business going. These books are all about the green. The current number one book on the list is The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
See any lists you like? If you’re in business, chances are that you didn’t see a list that you did not like. What about the books on the list? See any you liked? Vote for them! Think something’s missing? Add it! Be careful though: you can only add 100 books to each list. It’s time to step up your reading game. Read more. Make your reading social. Join me on GoodReads!
Featured image courtesy of Zitona licensed via Creative Commons.
Doug Rice
Doug Rice is the Small Business Storyteller, a writer who helps small business people develop content for web pages, blog posts, newsletters, white papers, and more. He is an avid reader, a coffee snob, and a lover of all things business and marketing. On his blog, Doug writes regularly on issues related to small business marketing.
3 comments
Very nice collection, Doug - as I dive more into GoodReads, I will check them out. I did just put a little more effort into my profiles, but it will take awhile to go back and put in a lot of the books I've read. Guess I need to do that to get more intelligent recommendations of future books to read.
Let’s be social!
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