A love of reading is what separates a good businessperson from a great one. The most successful people in the world will tell you through interviews and biographies that they read a considerable number of books to enhance their knowledge and improve their skills.
Why You Should Take Time Out of Your Schedule to Read
According to PIA’s blog post, the pastime has spiked massively in recent years thanks to social media influencers who encourage people to read more. Billionaires like Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg helped this by pushing their passion for reason on others as well.
If you’re not sure whether you should take time out of your business schedule to read books, you may be inspired to know that some of the most successful people ever read frequently.
Bill Gates famously reads 50 books per year, Warren Buffet has been known to read up to 500 pages in a day, and Elon Musk has credited his reading habits with his success.
More people than ever are reading, so business people who want to keep up with their competition need to do so as well. There are a few key books that often get mentioned by the best business brains. By starting with these, you can form a solid foundation to build from.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
For businesspeople just starting out, The Lean Startup by Eric Ries is an essential read. The 2011 publication puts forth its methodology for building and scaling a business. The emphasis on experimentation and reacting to failures drills home the importance of learning from customer feedback.
The Lean Startup is geared toward the modern age. Ries argues the traditional approach of creating and implementing a business plan is dead. Instead, business owners need to be adaptable and in tune with the fast-paced, uncertain world of startups.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends and Influence People is often cited as the foundational book that all successful people should read. The offering from Dale Carnegie was originally published in 1936, but its lessons are still highly relevant today. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and could be credited with giving birth to the self-help genre.
People who read the book learn strategies for building strong relationships and dealing with others. These are essential skills for business owners who need to communicate effectively with their employees as well as clients. Darius Foroux argues that these lessons can be applied just as well today as they could back in Carnegie’s era.
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Good to Great is one of the best books for learning about leadership, and The Growth Faculty has listed some of the key aspects of the book. The 2001 offering from Jim Collins focuses on some successful companies, and analyses what sets them apart from their competitors.
The book has sold more than four million copies, highlighting just how revered it is in the business world. Jack Welch even referred to it as the “best management book I’ve ever read.” It is now seen as a blueprint for success, and one that business owners should study carefully.
If you want to improve your business and your knowledge as a business owner, reading can be the best way to do that. These books can form the foundations and set you on the way to discovering more books that will boost your company.
