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Business Class

June 16, 2009

Business by the Book

Business by the Book

Shira Levine

Contributing writer and columnist, Business Insider

Summary

Every industry has its own Bible, something that acts as a definitive guide on how to triumph in a field.   The Daily Telegraph  r

Every industry has its own Bible, something that acts as a definitive guide on how to triumph in a field.  

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, the ’Nazi Bible’ appears to be something of a management bible for young business students in India.Mein Kampf, however, is not exactly suggested reading for the young opportunistic entrepreneur aspiring to succeed in the rest of the world.

Here’s a list of more culturally sensitive reading as recommended by some friendly MBAs. 

1. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Bruce M. Patton, William L. Ury and Roger Fisher 

A good book for teaching how to get various types of people to do exactly what you want them to do through negotiations. The five-step system teaches how to win all battles – in the office and at home.

2. Growing Pains: Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm by Eric G. Flamholtz  and Yvonne Randle

This book teaches how to grow a company and shows entrepreneurs how to think in the long-term. Most people don’t think about how to take success to the next stage beyond starting the company. It’s ideal for both the new CEO and the seasoned business partner. It is often used for training.

3. Brealey & Myers on Corporate Finance: Financing and Risk Management by Richard Brealey and Stewart Myers 

This is the corporate finance bible. It’s a must-read for MBAs as most ultimately work within the sector upon graduation from school.

4. The Art of War by Sun Tzu

This book is easily the far more appropriate management tome written by a true military management guru. Ideal for entrepreneurs who realize business is a war. The Chinese military treatise written in the 6th century BC, and long considered the definitive work on military strategies and tactics of its time, via quick actions to changing conditions.  This book illustrates how in some cases planning doesn’t work.

5. My American Journey: An Autobiography by Colin L. Powell and Joseph E. Persico and It Doesn't Take a Hero : The Autobiography of General H. Norman Schwarzkopf by Norman Schwarzkopf

Both Colin Powell’s and General Norman Schwarzkopf’s autobiographies are popular business school reads. While Powell’s is said to have more texture and have the more compelling story, both are about leadership and define the importance of having followers.