Business Books for the Connected Era
The need for entrepreneurship and innovative businesses to bolster our economy has never been greater. The industrial era of business is coming to an end, and we must recognize the shift to business in the connected era. Businesses will need to provide increased value to our society, reduce waste (of natural resources, time, and human potential), account for a growing global middle-class, and showcase our creativity.
The following is a list of books that speak to this paradigm shift, and showcases the role of business in a connected era.
The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win by Steve Blank
The founder of customer development and inspiration for The Lean Startup, Steve Blank's foundational book "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" might be the roadmap for how to create a start-up. The book isn't the easiest to get through, and is fairly technical, but is an essential resource for anyone looking to launch a startup. His personal website is also full of great resources.
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Reis
Building upon the groundwork of Steve Blank, Eric Reis and The Lean Startup seek to make startups more like science experiments than just lucky ventures taken by risk takers. The lean startup reduces the amount of time wasted, produces greater success, and leads to more innovation. Starting with the process of Build-Measure-Learn, you will understand that there is a framework that you can put in place to turn your idea into action.
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton Christensen
The only business book mentioned by the late Steve Jobs in his biography is Clay Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma." In this insightful theory, innovation expert Christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership—or worse, disappear altogether. And not only does he prove what he says, but he tells others how to avoid a similar fate. Often a companies sudden downfall is due to "disruptive technologies/innovation" and in this video Christensen gives a quick explanation of Disruptive Innovation.
The New Capitalist Manifesto: Building a Disruptively Better Business by Umair Haque
Umair Haque has become a thought leader on business in the 21st century on Twitter and through his books and blog post. In "The New Capitalist Manifesto", Haque argues that we need businesses to provide "thick" value-enduring, meaningful, sustainable advantage that deeply benefits the larger society.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Kahneman has received praise for his work as a psychologist, has received the Nobel Prize and is a founder of behavioral economics. After years of being celebrated in the academic field and amongst corporate executives, with Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman has brought his research and ideas to the mainstream. In "Thinking, Fast and Slow," Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble.
Linchpin, Tribes, Poke The Box by Seth Godin
Not only a marketing guru, Godin is a prominent author and blogger that is becoming a thought leader for how we interact in the connected era. In "Linchpin", Godin states that people who figure out what to do when there's no rule book are indispensable to a company. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art. "Tribes" is Godin's take on leadership in the connected era. A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. As we become more connected, our tribes get stronger and the opportunity to find a new tribe is made easier. "Poke The Box" is a manifesto to take action and stop holding back. If you have a great idea or plan, this is the book that will make you finally want to do something with it. His thoughts and ideas have had a huge impact upon my own thinking, and suggest you read his work as often as possible.
The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman
Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and executive at PayPal, just released this guide for how to further your career in a flattening world. Start-ups - and the entrepreneurs who run them - are nimble. They invest in themselves. They build their professional networks. They take intelligent risks. They make uncertainty and volatility work to their advantage. And these are the same skills that you will need to get ahead today.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
The visionary CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, discusses his leadership and how the culture of Zappos has allowed them to grow and succeed in his book "Delivery Happiness" . Look at some of the ways Zappos works, "Pay new employees $2000 to quit. Make customer service the entire company, not just a department. Focus on company culture as the #1 priority. Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business. Help employees grow both personally and professionally. Seek to change the world. Oh, and make money too." While those don't sound like tactics that would work in an industrial age company, they are exactly what work in a connected age company.
The Thank You Economy by Gary Yaynerchuk
A salesman from birth, Gary Vaynerchuk has become a social media heavy hitter, and thinks you have to be in order to grow a business in the connected era. In "The Thank You" economy, Vaynerchuk shows how the internet has given the customer back their voice and the power that they now yield online (look how Bank of America changed their fee policy after outrage online). "The Thank You Economy" suggest that businesses that connect with their customers, not just flood them with advertising, will be at a much greater advantage. Here is a great video from Gary telling you to take advantage of this opportunity and to step up.
