Books about the business world

[nolanfan34]

As I posted recently, I'm starting a new job soon. This is a slightly different career path for me. I have not worked in a private sector job that could be considered somewhat "corporate-ish".

Part of my efforts to acclimate myself to a new and challenging work environment is going to include doing some reading, I think, since I'm going to be playing less p*ker in my spare time.

So, for those of you who are business types - what are some good book recommendations? Any must reads for someone who wasn't a business major or doesn't have an MBA? Any recommendations appreciated.

[istewart]

http://web.iese.edu/jestrada/Images/Liars_Poker.gif

[RacersEdge]

Thats a huge topic - might want to narrow it down.

"Good to Great" by Collins is the in book out there now. I think I saw where CEOs said it was their favorite biz book in a poll. I have the audio version and I plan on listening to it next week.

[Boris]

this book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060517123/qid=1125216251/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5002955-9221613?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) has been recommended to my by several people who generally have good advice.

[morgan180]

here are a few:

How to win friends and influence people - dale carnegie (great book)
7 habits of highly effective people - stephen covey
Good to Great (about how good companies achieve consistent greatness)
Winning by Jack Welch - solid business advice from the chairman of GE and overall Bad Ass (his other book Straight from the Gut is pretty good too)
Any book by Jeffery Fox - quick reads with excellent business lessons
Wooden on Leadership
Leadership by Rudolph Guliani
The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell
Getting to yes - how to negiotiate with out giving in
The portable MBA (for basic business stuff)
Execution - the art of getting things done
What Client's love (a good customer service book)
The Little Red book of sales (if you're doing sales)
Fierce Conversations (how to speak well in business)
Crossing the Chasam

good reading is also in these magazines:

the economist
harvard business review

and you can't go wrong with biographies - pick some people who were bad asses in their day and you'll learn alot - easy ones are: teddy roosevelt, licoln, washington, john adams, jefferson, etc.

check to see if your office will give you an allowance for the books - mine did. it fell under employee education.

there's plenty more but that will get you started.

[IHateKeithSmart]

Hey nolan:

This book is not about the business world per se. But, I know you are headed to ms. If you are anything above peon level (I think you said corporate communications?), you will soon be overrun with meetings, con-calls, deadlines, etc.

My time at ms (consulting) was filled with tons of mini-projects, tasks, etc. - basically juggling many things simultaneously. Much more so than with any other company I've worked for. Ditto for the folks I know there (I know some mid-high level managers/directors, but mostly techies).

The book Getting Things Done (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0142000280/qid=1125217399/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1836022-2044764?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by David Allen will help you immensely if your are not already a very organized person (and probably even if you already are). It's a very quick read, but I think it could help you get off on the right foot.

I highly recommend it, and I know a lot of ms'ers use it as well.

Anyhoo, good luck with the new job.

[Spaded]

What about Will to Power? All i know about that one is a lot of powerful, evil dictators read it before they became evil powerful dictators. So it must be good.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
Thats a huge topic - might want to narrow it down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I'm looking for a wide range of recommendations. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good recommendations so far, just looking for anything that might be interesting to read regarding the business world. Especially the tech sector. For my job, working on internal communications, I'm interested in just learning more about people's mindset who work for these companies.

I guess that's more specific after all.

[RacersEdge]

This one (http://a1204.g.akamai.net/7/1204/1401/04062212011/images.barnesandnoble.com/images/7870000/7874204.jpg) is pretty interesting in terms of keeping up with the next big thing.

[lapoker17]

built to last
good to great
the new new thing
conspiracy of fools
den of thieves
when genius failed
the tipping point
unleashing the ideavirus
getting to yes