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57 Highly Influential Business and Leadership Books That Can Boost Your Management Skills

Mara Leighton, via Business Insider

Warren Buffet advocates for an ambitious habit, suggesting that to attain success, one should aim to read around 500 pages daily. Although this may seem an intimidating task, the crux of his advice lies not in the precise number of pages, but in the habit of consistent reading.

Wondering what to read? Rather than fixating on specific genres or topics, it's the process of reading that's crucial, as it broadens your creative horizon, fuels imagination, and enhances leadership abilities. However, if business, management, and leadership topics pique your interest, the list provided here serves as an excellent point of departure.


It includes:

🔹 Stories about how entrepreneurs and business leaders have overcome challenges

🔹 Books about investing

🔹 Self-help titles to improve your personal and professional life

🔹 Books about business and innovation

  1. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
    Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains: System One is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System Two is slower, more deliberative, and more logical.
  2. Business Adventures by John Brooks
    What do the $350 million Ford Motor Company disaster known as the Edsel, the fast and incredible rise of Xerox, and the unbelievable scandals at General Electric and Texas Gulf Sulphur have in common? Each is an example of how an iconic company was defined by a particular moment of fame or notoriety; these notable and fascinating accounts are as relevant today to understanding the intricacies of corporate life as they were when the events happened.
  3. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund, and Ola Rosling
    When asked simple questions about global trends — what percentage of the world's population lives in poverty; why the world's population is increasing; how many girls finish school — we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.
  4. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
    Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage. "Daring Greatly" presents a transformative new vision for the way we lead, love, work, parent, and educate that teaches us the power of vulnerability.
  5. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    Dale Carnegie's rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. One of the most groundbreaking and ageless bestsellers, "How to Win Friends & Influence People" will teach you: six ways to make people like you, twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, nine ways to change people without arousing resentment, and more.
  6. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
    The greatest investment advisor of the twentieth century, Benjamin Graham, taught and inspired people worldwide. Graham's philosophy of "value investing" — which shields investors from substantial error and teaches them to develop long-term strategies — has made "The Intelligent Investor" the stock market bible ever since its original publication in 1949.
  7. Radical Candor by Kim Scott
    The idea is simple: You don't have to choose between being a pushover and a jerk. Using Radical Candor ― avoiding the perils of Obnoxious Aggression, Manipulative Insincerity, and Ruinous Empathy ― you can be kind and clear at the same time.
  8. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins
    The findings of the "Good to Great" study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. "Some of the key concepts discerned in the study," comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people."
  9. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
    In this instant "New York Times" bestseller, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed — be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people — that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls "grit."
  10. The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen
    Offering both successes and failures from leading companies as a guide, "The Innovator's Dilemma" gives you a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation.
  11. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
    Emotional Intelligence 2.0 delivers a step-by-step program for increasing your EQ via four, core EQ skills that enable you to achieve your fullest potential: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is a book with a single purpose—increasing your EQ.
  12. The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William N. Thorndike
    In this refreshing, counterintuitive book, author Will Thorndike brings to bear the analytical wisdom of a successful career in investing, closely evaluating the performance of companies and their leaders. You will meet eight individualistic CEOs whose firms' average returns outperformed the S&P 500 by a factor of twenty — in other words, an investment of $10,000 with each of these CEOs, on average, would have been worth over $1.5 million 25 years later.
  13. Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams
    Leadership is hard. Convincing others ― and yourself ― that you are capable of taking charge and achieving more requires insight and courage. "Lead from the Outside" is the handbook for outsiders, written with an eye toward the challenges that hinder women, people of color, the working class, members of the LGBTQ community, and millennials ready to make change.
  14. Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein
    Imagine that two doctors in the same city give different diagnoses to identical patients — or that two judges in the same courthouse give markedly different sentences to people who have committed the same crime. Now imagine that the same doctor or the same judge makes different decisions depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, or Monday rather than Wednesday. These are examples of noise: variability in judgments that should be identical. In "Noise," Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein show the detrimental effects of noise in many fields, including medicine, law, economic forecasting, forensic science, bail, child protection, strategy, performance reviews, and personnel selection. Wherever there is judgment, there is noise. Yet, most of the time, individuals and organizations alike are unaware of it. They neglect noise. With a few simple remedies, people can reduce both noise and bias, and so make far better decisions.
  15. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
    Simon Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
  16. Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill
    Through researching billionaires, Napoleon Hill crafted the philosophy and lifestyle behind those who experienced financial success. Although Hill's aim was to coach others to become like said billionaires, "Think and Grow Rich" is more about encouraging people towards their own perspective goals.
  17. Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
    "Blue Ocean Strategy" argues that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves (spanning more than 100 years across 30 industries), the authors argue that lasting success comes not from battling competitors but from creating "blue oceans"— untapped new market spaces ripe for growth.
  18. Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
    In one of the most gripping financial narratives in decades, Andrew Ross Sorkin — a "New York Times" columnist and one of the country's most respected financial reporters — delivers the first definitive blow-by-blow account of the epochal economic crisis that brought the world to the brink.
  19. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
    Through vivid examples, Goleman delineates the five crucial skills of emotional intelligence, and shows how they determine our success in relationships, work, and even our physical well-being. What emerges is an entirely new way to talk about being smart.
  20. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
    Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. "The Lean Startup" is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

21. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey
One of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" has captivated readers for 25 years. It has transformed the lives of Presidents and CEOs, educators, and parents — in short, millions of people of all ages and occupations.

22. 'Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams.

23. "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A black swan is an event, positive or negative, that is deemed improbable yet causes massive consequences. In this groundbreaking and prophetic book, Taleb shows in a playful way that Black Swan events explain almost everything about our world, and yet we — especially the experts — are blind to them.

24. 'Dare to Lead' by Brene Brown
Four-time #1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?

25. 'Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't' by Simon Sinek
In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation, and failure. Why?

26. "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup" by John Carreyrou
In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the next Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with its breakthrough device, which performed the whole range of laboratory tests from a single drop of blood. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at more than $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.5 billion.

27. "First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently" by Jim Harter
Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its revolutionary study of more than 80,000 managers in "First, Break All the Rules,"revealing what the world's greatest managers do differently. With vital performance and career lessons and ideas for how to apply them, it is a must-read for managers at every level.

28. "Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" by Jim Collins and Jerry I Porras
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras took 18 truly exceptional and long-lasting companies and studied each in direct comparison to one of its top competitors.

29. 'Reset' by Ellen Pao
In 2015, Ellen K. Pao sued a powerhouse Silicon Valley venture capital firm, calling out workplace discrimination and retaliation against women and other underrepresented groups. Her suit rocked the tech world—and exposed its toxic culture and its homogeneity. Her message overcame negative PR attacks that took aim at her professional conduct and her personal life, and she won widespread public support — TIME hailed her as "the face of change." Though Pao lost her suit, she revolutionized the conversation at tech offices, in the media, and around the world. In "Reset", she tells her full story for the first time.

30. "Guerrilla Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson
When "Guerrilla Marketing" was first published in 1983, Jay Levinson revolutionized marketing strategies for the small-business owner with his take-no-prisoners approach to finding clients. Based on hundreds of solid ideas that really work, Levinson's philosophy has given birth to a new way of learning about market share and how to gain it.

31. "When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management" by Roger Lowenstein
Roger Lowenstein captures the gripping roller-coaster ride of Long-Term Capital Management. Drawing on confidential internal memos and interviews with dozens of key players, Lowenstein explains not just how the fund made and lost its money but also how the personalities of Long-Term's partners, the arrogance of their mathematical certainties, and the culture of Wall Street itself contributed to both their rise and their fall.

32. "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
"The Wealth of Nations" describes what builds nations' wealth and is today a fundamental work in classical economics and touches upon such broad topics as the division of labor, productivity, and free markets.

33. "Barbarians at the Gate" by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
A #1 "New York Times" bestseller and arguably the best business narrative ever written, "Barbarians at the Gate" is the classic account of the fall of RJR Nabisco. An enduring masterpiece of investigative journalism by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it includes a new afterword by the authors that brings this remarkable story of greed and double-dealings up to date twenty years after the famed deal.

34. "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron" by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
The Enron scandal brought down one of the most admired companies of the 1990s. Countless books and articles were written about it, but only "The Smartest Guys in the Room" holds up a decade later as the definitive narrative.

35. "In search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies" by Thomas Peters and Robert H. Waterman
Based on a study of forty-three of America's best-run companies from a diverse array of business sectors, "In Search of Excellence" describes eight basic principles of management — action-stimulating, people-oriented, profit-maximizing practices — that made these organizations successful.

36. "Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder" by Arianna Huffington
In this deeply personal book, Arianna Huffington talks candidly about her own challenges with managing time and prioritizing the demands of a career and raising two daughters. Drawing on the latest groundbreaking research and scientific findings in the fields of psychology, sports, sleep, and physiology that show the profound and transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging, and giving, Arianna shows us the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplace, and our lives.

  1. 'Steve Jobs' by Walter Isaacson
    Based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years — as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues — Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
  2. 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama
    In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her — from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it —in her own words and on her own terms.
  3. 'Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future' by Peter Thiel
    The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In "Zero to One," legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.
  4. 'Good Economics for Hard Times' by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo
    Immigration and inequality, globalization and technological disruption, slowing growth, and accelerating climate change — these are sources of great anxiety across the world, from New Delhi and Dakar to Paris and Washington, DC. The resources to address these challenges are there — what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. Here, the winners of the Nobel Prize show how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our day.
  5. 'Uncanny Valley' by Anna Wiener
    Part coming-of-age-story, part portrait of an already-bygone era, Anna Wiener's memoir is a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune, and accelerating political power. With wit, candor, and heart, Anna deftly charts the tech industry's shift from self-appointed world savior to democracy-endangering liability, alongside a personal narrative of aspiration, ambivalence, and disillusionment.
  6. "The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Fourth Edition" edited by Lawrence A. Cunningham
    [This book's] popularity and longevity attest to the widespread appetite for this unique compilation of Buffett's thoughts that is at once comprehensive, non-repetitive, and digestible.
  7. "Den of Thieves" by James B. Stewart
    "Den of Thieves" tells the full story of the insider-trading scandal that nearly destroyed Wall Street, the men who pulled it off, and the chase that finally brought them to justice.
  8. "Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution" by Michael Hammer and James A. Champy
    Building on their firsthand experiences, Hammer and Champy show how some of the world's premier corporations use the principles of reengineering to save hundreds of millions of dollars a year, to achieve unprecedented levels of customer satisfaction, and to speed up and make more flexible all aspects of their operations. The key to reengineering is abandoning the most basic notions on which the modern organization is founded.
  9. 'Winners Take All'
    The "New York Times" bestselling, groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite's efforts to "change the world" preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. An essential read for understanding some of the egregious abuses of power that dominate today's news.
  10. 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success' by Carol S. Dweck
    After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.
  11. 'Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead' by Brené Brown
    It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in "Rising Strong". As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people — from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents — shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, 'What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common?' The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they're not afraid to lean into discomfort.
  12. 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear
    No matter your goals, "Atomic Habits" offers a proven framework for improving — every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
  13. 'Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World' by Cal Newport
    In "Deep Work", author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules" for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill.
  14. 'The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness'
    Money ― investing, personal finance, and business decisions ― is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world, people don't make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together.
  15. 'The 4-Hour Workweek' by Timothy Ferriss
    Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, "The 4-Hour Workweek" is the blueprint.
  1. 'Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future' by Ashlee Vance

In "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future", veteran technology journalist Ashlee Vance provides the first inside look into the extraordinary life and times of Silicon Valley's most audacious entrepreneur. Written with exclusive access to Musk, his family and friends, the book traces the entrepreneur's journey from a rough upbringing in South Africa to the pinnacle of the global business world.

  1. 'Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know'

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people's minds — and our own. As Wharton's top-rated professor and the best-selling author of "Originals" and "Give and Take", he makes it one of his guiding principles to argue like he's right but listen like he's wrong.

  1. 'Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy' by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. "I was in 'the void,'" she writes, "a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe." Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.

  1. 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers' by Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz, a cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup — practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn't cover, based on his popular blog.

  1. 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion' by Robert B. Cialdini

In this highly acclaimed "New York Times" bestseller, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini — the seminal expert in the field of influence and persuasion — explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these principles ethically in business and everyday situations.

  1. 'Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World' by David Epstein

David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters, and scientists. He discovered that in most fields — especially those that are complex and unpredictable — generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see.

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