Lexington, KY - Author Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, you must read a lot. I believe the same is true for success in business. If you want to work effectively, become a leader, start a business or understand trends and economics, you need to read.
As a reviewer, I try to select books on a diversity of business subjects that are timely. In 2008, that means being aware that many businesses are in turmoil. Attempting to gain insight into those changes is part of the goal of business reading.
The following 10 books were on my list of "must read' for the year. Most have been reviewed in Business Lexington; some are still to be covered. Every book you pick up has its own lessons or lessons, whether on leadership, team building, or management principles. I hope some of these books will give you the best of ideas for building business in the new year.
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. This book has been much touted during this year's political campaigns, and recently with President-elect Obama's Cabinet appointments. The author gives insights into Lincoln's leadership style and his understanding of the strength of working with those who disagree with you. Selecting and developing the best people is crucial whether running a country or a business.
2. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future by Daniel H. Pink. If that MBA you worked so hard to obtain is not helping you locate your new job after being laid off, you may want to read this book to understand what the world needs now. Your left-brain expertise in technology is no longer an asset, but an expectation. Survival depends on being able to do something that someone overseas can't do for five dollars an hour.
3. Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill) by David Cay Johnston. An infuriating book that is certain to raise your blood pressure. Johnston describes how a whole series of government programs have taken money from the middle class and given it to the very wealthiest Americans.
4. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. A very ambitious look at our current economic situation and the history that led to it. One of the most brilliant and horrifying books of the year.
5. Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld & Andrew Ward. The authors look at how career and reputation can be restored after a major setback. While the book describes the ups and downs of well-known corporate leaders, its insights apply to anyone.
6. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss. The Brave New Technology World offers new opportunities that have never existed before. Quit deferring your life and thinking in terms of 9-to-5 workdays.
7. The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart by Bill Bishop. Understanding how Americans have self-segregated into communities and cities gives insight into current realities. The author worked as a columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Whitesburg Mountain Eagle and uses examples from Kentucky.
8. Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt. With a potential bailout of the big three automakers and plans for major public investment in infrastructure, this book is timely. While gasoline prices have dropped in recent weeks, no one seems to be predicting this may be permanent. Before you invest in your next automobile or cheer about another highway being built, read this book.
9. Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why we need a Green Revolution-and how it can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman. America has the unique opportunity to regain its loss of focus and national purpose by leading the world in a Green Revolution. This challenge is an opportunity to engage in nation building on a scale not seen before, according to the author. This forward-looking book shows the work may be difficult, but the rewards will transform the United States and the world.
10. The Page: 10 Powerful Ideas to Transform any Business by Randy Lisk. This disciple of Peter Drucker gives unique strategies that work on a personal as well as a business level. Lisk, a Lexington author and business owner gives us a clear, concise, no-nonsense approach for building and sustaining an effective organization.