30 business books worth reading before age 30

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you want to strengthen your communication skills, improve your leadership skills, and learn to manage your time wisely, these books will help you earn some points towards success.

1. "Stop Dreaming, Get Started!" By Cal Newport

The most common advice that can be seen in almost any book of this genre is to be single-minded and pursue your passion, and success will come. Professor Cal Newport provides an important addition to this recommendation: excellence in any endeavor can open new doors, provide a basis for progress, and, as a result, give new passion. The author suggests not giving up your dreams, but being realistic and becoming a professional at what you do.

2. "Black Swan", Nassim Taleb

People love the illusion of confidence in the future, backed up by the predictions of authoritative personalities and experts. In Black Swan, investor and philosopher Nassim Taleb talks about the vulnerability of such a position and, using the example of the collapse of the financial system in 2007, proves that even the most secure systems are subject to potential dangers.

3. "Don't Be Afraid to Act," Sheryl Sandberg

Don't Be Afraid to Act is worth reading if you want to competently debate women's right to leadership positions. Sheryl Sandberg combines research data with personal stories in her book by telling how women inadvertently deny themselves the chance of career advancement.

4. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit is one of the most useful and engaging books for young people seeking happiness and success. Charles Duhigg, a journalist for The New York Times, shares tips on how to break a bad habit, be it procrastination or smoking, with small steps you can take now.

5. "Take or Give?" By Adam Grant

Something in our culture tells us that we must look for our own benefit in everything, be calculating and selfish in order to achieve something. Psychologist Adam Grant explains why this view is wrong. Research confirms that the most successful people are those who are interested in creating value for others. Adam Grant shares tips on how to be useful and succeed.

6. #Girlboss, Sofia Amoruso

The founder of the online store Nasty Gal, Sofia Amoruza, in the book #Girlboss does not hesitate to share her personal experience with the reader. She talks about her rebellious youth and discusses how bullying helped her to succeed. The book is filled with practical tips to inspire you to pursue your passion and find your own path to the top.

7. "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill

Interpersonal skills are just as important as the skills we used to list on a resume. Napoleon Hill was a journalist who befriended industrial tycoon Andrew Carnegie. During friendly conversations, Carnegie, then the richest man in the world, shared with Hill the lessons he learned from his journey from poverty to wealth.

Although Think and Grow Rich was first published in 1937, it provides up-to-date practical advice on building interpersonal relationships and exercising leadership skills.

8. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie

A favorite book by investor and multi-billionaire Warren Buffett talks about the psychology of everyday interpersonal interactions and helps you understand how to become a leader and influencer. The book was first published in 1936, but basic advice on how to overcome conflict and inspire people is as valuable today as it was decades ago.

9. StrengthsFinder 2.0, Tom Rath

The main message of this book is that we should spend less time thinking about our shortcomings and focus on what we do well. This book will help you find your professional niche based on your character and existing skills and, possibly, tell you where you will bring more benefits to society and succeed.

10. Zero to One by Peter Thiel

We live in a time when young entrepreneurs and start-up founders are rapidly becoming billionaires, taking away the title of world's most powerful people from Wall Street financiers. Investor and billionaire Peter Thiel lifts the curtain on the current state of the business and provides a fascinating and concise guide to starting and running a company.

11. "How to Get Things Done" by David Allen

This book is recommended reading for those who want to effectively manage their time at work and at home. The author gives practical advice on organizing and distributing daily tasks. One such recommendation is adherence to the two-minute rule. It says: if something can be done in less than 120 seconds, then it should be done immediately, and more time-consuming tasks can be postponed for later.

12. "Never Eat Alone," Kate Ferrazzi

Well-known networker Keith Ferrazzi believes that the reason for her success is the ability to start relationships and communicate with people. The author was born in a small town in the family of a steelworker and a cleaning lady, but his tenacity, talent and communication skills allowed him to earn the title of networker # 1 and create a telephone directory of thousands of contacts, including numbers of presidents, rock stars and famous entrepreneurs. In his book, Ferrazzi talks about the communication strategies he used on the road to success.

13. "It Won't Be Easy" by Ben Horowitz

If you are not inspired by the overwhelming success stories of successful businessmen, you might like this book. In "It Won't Be Easy," entrepreneur Ben Horowitz says there are no universal recipes for success. The only way to succeed is to be decisive and attentive to what is positive for business dynamics and what is not.

14. "How to Work Four Hours a Week" by Timothy Ferris

In a book that shouldn't be taken literally, Timothy Ferris shares practical advice on how to be as effective and successful in your professional and personal life as possible. For example, the author advises to use the method of "fear management" - a technique that allows you to examine in detail what you are afraid of, to calmly analyze the risks and ways to overcome them.

15. "Flexible Mind" by Carol Dweck

According to Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, the key to success is our confidence that we can achieve it. The author cites studies that prove that the ability to learn and improve can mean much more than innate talent. The book states that if you are in your 20s, you can become anyone with the proper perseverance.

16. "Introverts" by Susan Kane

If you are an introvert, this does not mean that the path to the top of the career ladder is closed for you. The author was prompted to write this book by the injustice of the widespread stereotype that the owners of this type of personality are second-class people. Research by negotiation consultant Susan Kane disproves the idea that being “loud” and extremely outgoing is essential for success.

17. "Predictable Irrationality" by Dan Ariely

If you want to be successful in business, you have to understand the complexities of human behavior. The book by psychology and behavioral economics professor Dan Ariely is one of the best ways to do this. The author cites scientific studies that explain the nuances of our behavior: for example, why we procrastinate until later or how we make a decision to buy a product.

18. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Published in 1989, this book has already become a classic in business literature. Whether you are a politician or an entrepreneur, it will inspire you and empower you to achieve your professional goals. Each chapter discusses a key skill such as proactivity or synergy. Each of these qualities helps to become an effective leader and a true team member.

19. "Liar's Poker" by Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis in Liar's Poker talks candidly about the Wall Street financial district of the 1980s. Lewis himself after college got a job at the prestigious investment company Salomon Brothers, where he went from an intern to a bond seller. The book is written in the genre of documentary, but reads like a novel: the author paints a vivid picture of the trading room and the characters in it.

20. The Strategy for Life by Clayton Christensen

The reason for writing "The Strategy of Life" was a meeting of the author with former classmates of the Harvard Business School. Then, after completing their studies in 1979, the future of each of them was full of prospects, their peers had equal and excellent conditions for employment or starting their own business.

Twenty-five years later, it turns out that many of Harvard's former students are in crisis. Some - personally, some - professionally, for example, the former head of Enron, Jeffrey Skilling, who was sentenced in 2006 to 292 months in prison. The book explores why some of those with great opportunities prosper while others lose everything.

21. "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham

Investor and billionaire Bill Ekman is one of many Wall Street financiers who have called The Smart Investor the book that changed their lives. This in-depth guide to valuable investments will not only help finance industry workers, but anyone looking to make the most of their money in the long run.

22. Crossing the Unknown Sea by David White

This book does not focus on the place of work in our lives. This makes Crossing the Unknown Sea stand out from other business literature titles. The author views a career not as a quest that must be completed, gaining maximum points, but as an incessant contact of a person with the world and himself.

23. Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson

The late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs has become a legendary figure hovering over Silicon Valley. Isaacson's biography helps to understand the Jobs phenomenon and offers a look at two sides of his personality: a strong inspirational visionary and a difficult businessman to communicate.

This is a story about how a great man was fired from his own company, and after a while he returned and conquered the whole world. It shows how important it is to recover from failure and move towards your goal.

24. Choose Yourself, James Altusher

James Altusher is a hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, podcaster, and best-selling author. Choose Yourself teaches you to express yourself in your profession and at the same time not give up your wildest dreams. Altusher is trying to convey the message that whoever works for someone else is no less valuable than any businessman.

25. Corporation of Geniuses by Ed Catmell

As they grow professionally and immerse themselves in routine, many lose their craving for creativity. The Pixar co-founder tells the story of the creation of one of the largest animation studios and talks about what everyone can create, but many simply do not dare due to various social norms and personal inhibitions. The author argues that love and the ability to think creatively for bankers or programmers is just as important as for writers and musicians.

26. "Act like a leader, think like a leader", Herminia Ibarra

Starting a career is the best time to define your leadership role. Business professor and leadership expert Herminia Ibarra shares advice on a range of topics, from expanding professional networks to generating new ideas. The author's philosophy is based on the assertion that there is no universal recipe for successful leadership, the best tactic is the one that works in your case.

27. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Journalist and pop sociologist Malcolm Gladwell provides the results of sociological research and explains the mechanics of information dissemination. Tipping Point was published in 2002, but the material in the book continues to help us understand why people share news, facts and ideas, and why some of them are spreading to epidemiological proportions.

28. The Stream, Mihai Csikszentmihalyi

We strive for happiness, we constantly hear tips for achieving it, but many of us do not think about what it is and how it works.

American psychologist Mihai Csikszentmihalyi shares the results of research on the nature of this state and claims that the key to finding happiness is the ability to control yourself and your feelings, finding small joys in the everyday life around us.

29. The Power Broker, Robert Caro

Not understanding how powerful people think and act makes us vulnerable to their will. The biography of the city planner of New York, Robert Moses, is called upon to shed light. If you want to see how Machiavellian intelligence works, The Power Broker can help you with it.

30. “Light the Fire!” By Danielle Laporte

"Light the fire!" - a collection of essays that will make you look at your “I” in a new way, will help to overcome the fear of resisting habits and beliefs imposed from the outside. Business Strategist and PR Specialist Danielle Laporte argues that only you are responsible for who you are, and that it is not necessary to conform to other people's ideas to be successful.