20 of the best books by the most influential thinkers in business
Since 2001, the Thinkers50 organization has hosted what the Financial Times has dubbed the "Oscars of management thinking," an award ceremony for the top 50 management thought leaders whose work has most affected the business world.
From elite business school professors to insightful career coaches, these thinkers have affected millions of professionals from around the world, from upstart entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 CEOs.
One of the primary ways they spread their ideas is through their writing, and so we gathered some of the best books from this year's winners.
See below for some of the best business books on leadership and career success in recent history.
'How Will You Measure Your Life' by Clayton Christensen
His 2012 book "How Will You Measure Your Life?," co-written with James Allworth and Karen Dillon, deviates from the rest of his work and is his most personal.
Drawing from both his research and his private life, Christensen explores what it means to be truly successful, and what causes some talented people to flourish and others to despair.
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'Linchpin' by Seth Godin
His 2010 book "Linchpin" was his fastest selling book yet. It's a guide on how to become a linchpin at your company, how to differentiate yourself from other "cogs in the machine" to become truly indispensable.
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'Presence' by Amy Cuddy
Her upcoming book "Presence" explains the ways that our brain's self-perception can be manipulated to overcome insecurity to allow us to be more confident and assertive.
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'Blue Ocean Strategy' by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
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'Give and Take' by Adam Grant
In his 2013 book, he explains that givers are those who create value for others without expecting anything in return, and it's an approach that when done properly results in very valuable professional networks.
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'The Lean Startup' by Eric Ries
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'Good to Great' by Jim Collins
In it, he uses 11 massive corporations as case studies for determining the ways they created cultures of discipline to scale.
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'Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader' by Herminia Ibarra
For example, she challenges the importance of having "authenticity," a recent buzzword in leadership, saying there is such a thing as being too honest and the line can be perilously thin.
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'Power' by Jeffrey Pfeffer
His 2010 book is a study of power, and how some of the world's most influential people use tactics like acting and bravado to enhance others' perception of them.
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'Drive' by Dan Pink
His 2011 book "Drive" argues that the typical rewards-based approach to motivating employees (or yourself) is insufficient, and instead needs to tap into autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
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'Playing to Win' by Roger Martin
His 2013 book "Playing to Win" is co-written with former Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley and tells the story of how together they "doubled P&G's sales, quadrupled its profits, and increased its market value by more than $100 billion in just 10 years."
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'Competitive Strategy' by Michael Porter
Since the first edition of "Competitive Strategy" was published in 1980, it has become the foundational text on strategy taught in business schools around the world.
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'Multipliers' by Liz Wiseman
Her 2010 book, co-written with Greg McKeown, uses insight from her career along with profiles of leaders like Mitt Romney and Steven Speilberg to illustrate that those who selflessly promote their subordinates end up more successful than those who place prime importance on advancing their own careers.
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'Value Proposition Design' by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
Their 2012 book "Value Proposition Design" is a visual guide to corporate organization and includes the highly practical Business Model Canvas tool for managers.
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'Triggers' by Marshall Goldsmith
His 2015 book "Triggers," co-written with Mark Reiter, lays out a daily guide to staying productive and focused, regardless of what challenges may arise.
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'The Rise of the Creative Class' by Richard Florida
In his 2002 book "Rise of the Creative Class," updated last year, Florida argues that the most successful cities will evolve to attract young talent, foster the technology sector, and pass liberal social policies.
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'Total Leadership' by Stew Friedman
His 2008 book "Total Leadership" is a practical guide to increasing one's productivity, efficiency, and impact.
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'Collective Genius' by Linda Hill
Her 2014 book "Collective Genius" — co-written with Greg Brandeau, Emily Truelove, and Kent Lineback — explores case studies on how large organizations can use their size as an advantage to compete with highly innovative startups.
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'The End of Competitive Advantage' by Rita McGrath
Her latest book, 2013's "The End of Competitive Advantage," argues that the most successful companies need to aggressively take opportunities and move on from them before they're exhausted, in order to keep the competition constantly playing catch-up.
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'Reverse Innovation' by Vijay Govindarajan
In his 2012 book "Reverse Innovation," he argues that innovations made in the developing world due to a lack of resources should be adopted by major corporations as a way to stay nimble and efficient.
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20 of the best books by the most influential thinkers in business
Reviewed by Utit Ofon
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20:21:00
Rating: 5
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