Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Art of Money Getting (1880) P. T. Barnum

There are no shortcuts to business success; good character is everything 10

2 Losing My Virginity (1998) Richard Branson

Don't be afraid to be different. On entering any new field or an industry, aim to shake it up and provide new value 16

3 The Gospel of Wealth (1899) Andrew Carnegie

The wealth creator has a moral obligation to enrich the lives of others in whatever way they can 22

4 The Visible Hand (1977) Alfred Chandler

It is not entrepreneur ship but management that has brought the greatest advances in business 28

5 Titan: The life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (1998) Ron Chernow

Society's interests are best served by giant monopolies which provide quality and lower prices for the consumer 36

6 The Innovator's Dilemma (1997) Clayton Christensen

Businesses must purposefully engage in "disruptive innovation" if they are to survive and prosper 44

7 Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built (2016) Duncan Clark

Don't be cowed by the big players in your industry Vision, patience, and agility can see you outpace them 52

8 Great by Choice (2011) Jim Collins

Great companies outperform even in turbulent times 60

9 Out of the Crisis (1982) W. Edwards Deming

Enterprises with an extreme focus on quality, better systems and constant improvement have the edge 66

10 The Effective Executive (1967) Peter Drucker

Effectiveness at work depends on clarity of aims and the desire to contribute 74

11 Getting To Yes (2011) Roger Fisher William Ury Bruce Patton

Successful negotiation is based on principles, not pressure 82

12 Rise of the Robots (2015) Martin Ford

Automation and artificial intelligence will change the landscape of work and production forever 90

13 The E-Myth Revisited (2001) Michael E. Gerber

The key to real prosperity in business is to work on your enterprise, not in it 100

14 Be My Guest (1957) Conrad Hilton

Faith in your idea and thinking big are essential to building a great business 106

15 The Hard Thing About Hard Things (2014) Ben Horowitz

Nothing really prepares you for leading an organization and getting it through the inevitable crises 112

16 Steve Jobs (2011) Walter Isaacson

A great vision can require shocking intensity to realize 120

17 The Personal MBA (2010) Josh Kaufman

You don't have to spend a fortune getting a good business education 128

18 The Art of the Start (2004) Guy Kawasaki

The fundamental purpose in starting any new enterprise is to create meaning 136

19 Obliquity (2010) John Kay

Companies that put profits before mission inevitably falter in the long-term 142

20 Penguin and the Lane Brothers (2015) Stuart Kells

Build an enterprise that uplifts people or opens up knowledge to millions 148

21 Blue Ocean Strategy (2005) W. Chan Kim Renee Mauborgne

Companies make the mistake of focusing on the competition when they should be focused on creating big leaps in value 156

22 Shoe Dog (2016) Phil Knight

A great businesses can be the result of a personal passion writ large 164

23 Simplify (2016) Richard Koch Greg Lockwood

It is the radical simplifiers of products and services, rather than the innovators, that win the big prizes in business 172

24 Management in Ten Words (2012) Terry Leahy

Simplicity and clarity are the most powerful advantages in business, but you only arrive at them by being radically customer-centric 180

25 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002) Patrick Lencioni

The best teams trust each other, welcome conflict, are accountable, and focus on results 188

26 The Box (2006) Marc Levinson

How a simple innovation, the shipping container, transformed world trade 196

27 Marketing Myopia (1960) Theodore Levitt

Truly understand what business you are in, and you have a chance of shaping your future 204

28 Team of Teams (2015) Stanley McChrystal

Transparency of information enables people to make good decisions and creates unity of purpose 210

29 The Human Side of Enterprise (1960) Douglas McGregor

People will naturally want to do their best for an organization if they feel that their higher personal development goals are being met 218

30 Crossing the Chasm (1991) Geoffrey A. Moore

Attracting early adopters to your product does not mean you will capture the mainstream market 226

31 Strengths Based Leadership (2008) Tom Rath Barry Conchie

Maximizing your strengths, not trying to correct for your weaknesses, is the key to work success 232

32 Positioning (1981) Al Ries Jack Trout

Successful companies don't simply sell products, they occupy very specific spaces in people's minds 238

33 The Lean Startup (2011) Eric Ries

A lack of resources can be a boon in creating new enterprises, with experimentation and analysis replacing grand strategy and capital 246

34 Lean In (2013) Sheryl Sandberg

More women at the top is not just good for its own sake, companies will only succeed if they are properly representative of half of their market 252

35 How Google Works (2015) Eric Schmidt Jonathan Rosenberg

Only by creating a culture of learning and innovation will you attract the right people to your enterprise 260

36 The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life (2008) Alice Schroeder

Time, discipline, and focus are the most important ingredients in building a fortune 268

37 Pour Your Heart Into It (1997) Howard Schultz

Huge enterprises can be built by giving people a small moment of joy in their day 276

38 The Fifth Discipline (1990) Peter Senge

Great companies are communities in which there is a genuine commitment to every members potential being realized 282

39 Start With Why (2009) Simon Sinek

Average companies are focused on "what" they produce. Great business leaders inspire people to take action by galvanizing them behind a compelling reason, a "why" 290

40 Mythbreaker: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and the Story of Indian Biotech (2016) Seema Singh

Advanced industries can emerge in unlikely environments 296

41 My Years with General Motors (1963) Alfred P. Sloan

A new breed of huge corporation required a different kind of management 302

42 The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon (2013) Brad Stone

Relentless innovation to please the customer and a very long-term view created a dominant online retailer 310

43 Black Box Thinking (2015) Matthew Syed

Willingness to fail frequently, while absorbing the lessons of failure and making constant adjustments, is the way to business success 320

44 The Principles of Scientific Management (1911) Frederick Winslow Taylor

Dramatic increases in productivity benefit capital and labor alike 328

45 Zero To One (2014) Peter Thiel

To grow faster, the world needs transformative technology and business models 336

46 Up the Organization (1970) Robert Townsend

People are most motivated and successful at work when they are left to do their thing and treated as human beings 344

47 The Art of the Deal (1987) Donald Trump

To succeed in business, balance boldness and promotion with patience, caution and flexibility 352

48 Elon Musk (2015) Ashlee Vance

The visionary entrepreneur should not just create a business but shape the future 358

49 Jack: Straight from the Gut (2001) Jack Welch

Never underestimate how far you can go by just being yourself 366

50 The Machine that Changed the World (1990) James P. Womack Daniel T. Jones Daniel Roos

New practices in manufacturing and management have saved vast resources and brought higher quality goods 372

50 More Business Classics 379

Credits 386

Acknowledgments 389

About the Author 390