Recently I came across one of the best quotes about books which underlines their significance in our life. Here it goes: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  We present to you top picks for best business books of all time which can be cherished forever based on their popularity, value and critical acclaim.

In fact all of them are timeless best sellers. Reading and assimilating these books will help you in developing a thorough understanding of some of the most significant business theories, instigate new ideas and will add to your diverse knowledge. Remember, books are to the mind what exercise is to the body.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This classic book has been a favourite with people all over the world. It remains a best seller till date. Dale Carnegie published it for the first time way back in 1936 and since then it has become a bible for all those people who want to learn leadership and speaking skills in their lives. If you are raring to go, this one surely is the one for you to inculcate all those people skills and the ability to arouse enthusiasm among people.

It has helped billions of people to climb up the ladder of success as you learn so many different ways to win people and to make them like you. The book also teaches effective techniques in handling people, to be a leader without being offensive to anyone, to speak confidently while addressing an audience and much more.

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

 

Today’s contemporary leader needs to be highly emotional intelligent in order to become popular and successful. Daniel Goleman’s book is a classic example of teaching leaders to be emotionally intelligent in their decision making.  Our rational and emotional minds need to have a balance with each other and that’s how they determine our future.

The author has outlined five skills regarding this quality which according to him should be present in every successful leader and is applicable in our personal lives too. Successful business leaders use this skill to guide their decisions and thinking for achieving their goals.

The Essays of Warren Buffet (Edited by Lawrence Cunningham)

Warren Buffet is undoubtedly one of the greatest investors in history. Very few people know that he is a terrific writer. This classic book has garnered maximum number of his autographs and continues to be quite a popular title of all times.

Edited by Lawrence Cunningham, the book consists of Warren Buffet’s best shareholder letters while offering an in-depth opportunity to know about his investing principles and philosophy. Through this compelling book he has made complex business concepts look easier by condensing his best letters to investors.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

One of the most motivating books of all times, this book authored by Stephen R. Covey has been a favorite among successful leaders. It is a self-improvement book and is based on the fact that the way we see the entire world is based on our own perception which needs to be altered if we want to change a given situation.

It has dramatically transformed the lives of umpteen managers, business leaders and millions of other people across all age groups and occupations. It talks about seven specific habits required to be cultivated by successful people for climbing the ladder of success. 

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

This popular book by Eric Ries talks about startups. We all know that how challenging is the herculean task of setting up and making a startup super successful. This book states that many of the startup failures can be prevented. The new approach of applying ‘The Lean Startup’ is being applied across the world and the way new organizations are now being launched. The author explains that a startup in reality is a company which creates something new under extreme uncertainty.

The size of the organization does not matter and this approach can be applied on big as well as small companies. They all have a mission to overcome the hurdles and discover the path to being successful. Ries provides startups a route to adapt to the ever changing environment and supports a scientific approach for managing successful startups in a cut-throat competitive world when there is a need for companies to be more innovative than ever.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

 

This book written by Benjamin Graham, one of the greatest investment advisers of the 20^th century claims to have changed lives of many investors and has taught them the way to reach their financial goals. It teaches investors and aspiring people the way to consider a far-fetched perspective in gaining maximum and to have control over decisions regarding trades which when taken without deep consideration result in disastrous results.

Graham underlines the fact that if the investor does not have the right temperament, he cannot succeed implementing his investing strategy. He distinguished investors into two categories – defensive entrepreneurs and enterprising entrepreneurs. The author advocates the philosophy of ‘value investing’ which inspires investors to implement long term strategies and his book has been considered as the ‘stock market bible’.

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen

 

 

This book received a lot of appreciation from the late Steve Jobs for its innovative content. It is one of the most talked-about books for our times meant for entrepreneurs, managers and CEOs. The author has focused on the concept that the more successful any company becomes, the more challenging it becomes for the company to continue being innovative.

In fact it has been seen that super successful companies can do everything right but still lose their foothold on their leadership in the market eventually or even ultimately fall.The Innovator’s Dilemma has become a stepping stone for aspiring entrepreneurs to know the correct path of avoiding failures. The author focuses on the concept of ‘disruptive technology’. He demonstrates the reasons why most organizations miss out on being super successful. 

Jack Straight From the Gut by Jack Welch

 

 

If you really want to know the ins and outs of the corporate world, one of the best men you can read is Jack Welch, former CEO of GE and his popular book of all times – Jack straight from the Gut. Here in this book, he has surveyed the business landscape and revealed all about his management style.

Being a pioneer of the popular Six Sigma standards that exist today in the business world he describes all the shortcomings and mistakes he made while in power and all the business systems he built to manage an empire. His own unique style and leadership policies made him one of the most powerful CEOs of his time. 

 If you are a budding entrepreneur or a person interested in the business world, have a look at this video to learn ins and outs of having entrepreneurship as a career option.