Christmas is just around the corner (or in case you are reading this at a different time of year, find your own excuse). So it is time to fill up your book shelf with some of the most influential business books. If you are in management, the eight books I have chosen can provide blueprints for revitalizing your organization. IF you are not in management, they are a great way to help you get there by thinking like a leader. I will present four of the books in this post and the remaining four in my next post a week from now.

Several of these books have been mentioned before in this blog, but I thought it might be helpful to share with you the eight you should ask Santa to bring you (and then tell Santa to give you a little peace and quiet while you start reading). The list is in no particular order but I chose these books from a much bigger list. Clicking a book cover will take you to its page on amazon.com.

The Innovation Dilemma, by Clayton M. Christensen. In this revolutionary bestseller, innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership—or worse, disappear altogether. And not only does he prove what he says, but he tells others how to avoid a similar fate.

Focusing on “disruptive technology,” Christensen shows why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. Whether in electronics or retailing, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know when to abandon traditional business practices. Using the lessons of successes and failures from leading companies, The Innovator’s Dilemma presents a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation.

Find out:

When it is right not to listen to customers.
When to invest in developing lower-performance products that promise lower margins.
When to pursue small markets at the expense of seemingly larger and more lucrative ones.

While this book was written for the corporate world, its lessons can also be applied to NGOs and other organizations.

How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. Written in 1936, this book has sold over 15 million copies and is one of the most highly-regarded books for becoming more effective in interpersonal relations. It was updated in 1981 and is every bit as relevant today as it was when written more than 80 years ago.

Eight Things This Book Will Do For You:

Get you out of a mental rut, give you new thoughts, new visions, new ambitions.
Enable you to make friends quickly and easily.
Increase your popularity.
Help you to win people to your way of thinking.
Increase your influence, your prestige, your ability to get things done.
Help you to handle complaints, avoid arguments, keep your human contacts smooth and pleasant.
Make you a better speaker, a more entertaining conversationalist.
Help you to arouse enthusiasm among your associates.

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, by Daniel Goleman. Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until "Emotional Intelligence, we could only guess why. Daniel Goleman's brilliant report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers startling new insight into our "two minds"--the rational and the emotional--and how they together shape our destiny.

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.

The best news is that "emotional literacy" is not fixed early in life. Every parent, every teacher, every business leader, and everyone interested in a more civil society, has a stake in this compelling vision of human possibility.

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg. If you are a woman in or about to enter the workplace, this book is a must for you. If you are a man, understanding the women with whom you work is equally essential.

This book and the movement it inspired has been controversial ever since it was published in 2013. Sandberg has been undeniably successful in the corporate world and for that reason, if no other, it is worthwhile to read her advice.

Her 11 key points are:

The Leadership Ambition Gap: What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?
Sit at the Table
Success and Likeability
It's a Jungle Gym, Not a Ladder
Are You My Mentor?
Seek and Speak Your Truth
Don't Leave before you Leave
Make your Partner a real Partner
The Myth of Doing it All
Let's Start Talking about it
Working Together Toward Equality

Four more recommended books will be presented in the next blog post. Happy reading.
- Herb