by Mark Horne, Guest Writer
Naturally, these aren't the only books we think are worth reading! We do have lives outside of work, after all. Nor are these the hottest new books out there. But these are the titles that stand out to us as presenting some of the basics. They are not listed in any order of importance since we probably wouldn't all put them in the same hierarchy. In part one, we'll starting out with some management books, and part two will discuss sales and marketing.
Peter Block's Flawless Consulting is widely described as the "bible" for consulting. It clearly sets out how to be a consultant from start to finish, taking you through the steps, warning you about the pitfalls, and giving you guidance for how to avoid them. It gives guidance in a way that is understandable, using illustrative examples, case studies, and exercises to communicate to the reader how to be an effective consultant.
You can find out more about Block at his website. There you will find his own rather interesting recommended reading list as well as links to interviews he has given about his insight. It also provides links to some interviews with him (scroll down).
Additionally, his business site Designed Learning has many resources for getting to know him and his approach to business.
Business Week dubbed Peter Drucker, "the man who invented management." He wrote for decades,The
Essential Drucker spans all his best writings in 26 selections from ten of his many books, dealing with different topics related to management. The selections are chosen and arranged with the aim of giving the general reader a unified and substantial introduction to management. Those who have read some of Drucker's books will find here a good reminder of the scope of his thought. Those who haven't read him before will find this a valuable introduction.
For online information about Drucker, visit The Drucker Institute or the Drucker Archives at the Claremont College Digital Library.
In The Fifth Discipline Peter M. Senge makes the case that institutions, to survive, must be "learning organizations." The deciding factor that will decide which companies successfully compete and which do not, is which ones are able to learn faster than their competitors.
Block describes to readers the five disciplines that must be mastered in an organization if it is to be a learning organization:
spanning from 1939 to 1999.
- Building shared vision
- Mental models
- Team learning
- Personal mastery
- Systems thinking
This last discipline, systems thinking, is the center of the book (as the fifth discipline) because it is the one that integrates the other four. Without thinking in terms of systems, solutions will be found to problems that, in the end, only make the problem worse.
Senge details the nature of the five disciplines as well as common traps that can beset us in management decisions.
We have more books here that we've found helpful and that we will list later. In the meantime, what books to you find especially helpful to business and management? Let us know.
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