7 Essential Books for Managers - New and Experienced Alike

1. Introduction

2. The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman

Is it necessary to get a Master of Business Administration in order to succeed with your business? Josh Kaufman argues that you can learn a lot more without going to business school - or paying for it. To prove this, he has created his own website, PersonalMBA.com that showcases blogs and webinars for business managers and entrepreneurs to pursue instead of paying for business school. This book compiles some of his most important lessons and concepts, such as the iron law of the market, 12 forms of value, the pricing uncertainty principle, and 4 methods to increase revenue.

3. Oversubscribed: How to Get People Lining Up to Do Business with You by Daniel Priestly

Written by a global entrepreneur, Oversubscribed shares some tips on increasing customer loyalty and maintaining a constant flow of business in any dynamic environment. It is not geared for any level of experience in management as it presents solutions to problems that all managers face. Daniel Priestly’s advice has helped countless business owners improve their plans and actually witness an increase in customers and revenue.

4. Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform of Change by Marc Benioff and Monica Langley

The CEO of Salesforce shares the fundamentals behind his company, and he specifically covers topics like a culture of success, core values, and community impact. With a company that focuses on building its business off of values and positivity, Benioff believes that you are not only contributing to the success of your business but also the success of those around you. If you would like to see more written by Marc Benioff, check out Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-dollar Company - and Revolutionized an Industry, which was written in 2009.

5. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore

Focused mostly on the Technology Adoption Life cycle, Crossing the Chasm demonstrates the difference between early adopters and the early majority and offers insight on how to level the playing field for adoption at any stage. With tips for digital marketing, high-tech consumer markets, innovation, and productivity improvement, Geoffrey Moore seeks to provide his insight to business managers and offer other options.

6. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

Need a refresh or a restart button on your outlook? This book will help you reconsider your thought process and how you view day-to-day life. While not specifically focusing on business management, The Power of Now can help business managers take a step back and reevaluate their own values - and in turn, their company’s values.

7. From Impossible to Inevitable: How SaaS and Other Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin

The template for a successful company exists, and From Impossible to Inevitable shares it with you. It breaks down high-revenue companies such as Salesforce, Adobe, and Zenefits, giving an inside look into how these businesses achieved hyper-growth in such little time. Focused mostly on the subject of revenue, this book aims to display the main components of reaching profitable successes.

8. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Chip and Dan Heath explore the rhetoric behind “sticky” ideas, or rather, how to communicate ideas and concepts in a way that ensures reception and implementation. How you craft a message can be important, especially for your business, so managers should be aware of the words that they choose. Made to Stick offers examples to provide inspiration as well as general insight into making your ideas engaging.