10 Books To read If You Want To Be Successful
Take a minute and think about some of your most successful people. Out of all the people you thought of, did you notice a common pattern? All the successful people have reading habits since people who achieve the most in life are keen on self-improvement, which is why they're also often voracious readers. You can bet those great people who are super-productive and think differently than most read books that have always been between us but never caught our eye. After all, that's how they got to be where they are today. Jealous of them? You can learn these same skills by studying some of the best success books that can help you take your game to the next level and are recommended by present prodigies. Here is a summarized list of one of the best titles to help you get on top of your game.
1. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard
People often read books about business a lot, but this is the one that they always find themselves looking back for. Maybe it's because his approach to business resonates with them on many levels, and they're always thinking about ‘how can this be done better?'
2. Shogun by James Clavell
This is a story of an Englishman trying to break a Portuguese monopoly and eventually being used by a Japanese master. Japan changes John Blackthorne into a new person; as Lord Toranaga uses him, he proceeds to make his remarkable impact on Japan. This thrilling experience of adapting to and operating within foreign cultures is a challenge that the clients face presently, too, as they expand their business globally. The protagonist's narrative shows us the importance of meticulous planning based on solid data, which supports the clients' businesses to make calculated decisions about expanding and investing abroad. The author used to detail and detailed description to tell a spellbinding story on a vivid backdrop and made people see the world as a grander stage.
3. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
In this book, Jen Sincero explains that the difference between someone successful and someone who is not isn't usually capabilities but it is the ability to believe in their capabilities. There's also a pervasive myth that successful people are born with an abundance of self-confidence because they know how good they are. However, in contrast to this, some of the most skilled people in the world start with self-doubts and uncertainties. The difference that keeps them going is that they take the time to learn self-confidence. One can spend their entire life building a career, but without personal confidence, you won't allow yourself to express your expertise fully. This book is one of the top-selling in the market because it breaks down how to recognize the difference between self-doubt and capabilities and how we can manage self-sabotaging beliefs–all while infusing some humour into a very serious topic.
4. Creating Business Magic: How the Power of Magic Can
It's been often said that a magician never reveals his secrets. Still, the late, great magician Eugene Burger writes about how magic isn't only about doing tricks but how it can inspire business innovation and disruption in this work that he co-authored with David Morey, a corporate strategist, and John E. McLaughlin, a former director of the CIA. Eugene and his co-authors give amazing insight into how magicians think and demonstrate how that thinking, when applied to business, can lead to results that are as amazing and unexpected as even the greatest illusion.
5. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
This book is one of the most impactful businesses one can ever read. In this book, Kahneman catalogues the areas where the human brain and logic are at odds. He shows people have a bigger antipathy to less than a desire to win, which means they don't take risks even when the odds are in their favour.
6. Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown
Most leaders are expected to do more with less, and this book is a site map of how to do that efficiently. After studying 150 leaders over four continents, the author found certain leaders, known as Multipliers, who amplify and multiply the wisdom of others and get, on average, two times more out of their people. The book shares useful suggestions for becoming a Multiplier and helps self-diagnose the less favourable ‘Accidental Diminisher' behaviours.
7. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
This amazing book is one of the best in the market for a first-time founder, CEO, or any CEO. It's a gloves-off account of what it's like to take responsibility for people and results like hiring and firing, facing the board and investors and all manner of gut-wrenching decisions a CEO needs to make.
8. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
This book is a fun and fast read and elicits much thought and discussion involving the secrets to success. The author draws on a diverse and interesting example to paint a picture of what it takes to make a person a success story. In one of the chapters,' Gladwell even tells us about a study of music students, which found that the number of hours spent practising is the key determinant of mastery. This may also tell us that while successful people must invest the time to master their craft, they can only do so if their circumstances and unique schedules have space. This serves as an important lesson for every entrepreneur and high achiever about the value of a lot of hard work and a little luck.
9. 1776 by David McCullough
People that have been through several startups know that it is difficult to express the thrill and risks of the initial days. It is believed that all these exciting feelings are well described in 1776 as it talks about the first and arguably the toughest year of the American Revolution. Even though we read it now knowing how successful the outcome is, when they lived it, they had no idea if they would even have a chance of success. This captures what makes startups the hardest and most thrilling business endeavour.
10. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Even though many books have been written on the great personality of Abraham Lincoln, this one looks distinctly at his political discernment and how it helped him get through the challenges during his presidency. Another amazing fact about him is how he assembled a cabinet of leaders that were either more established politically than he was or had even competed with him for office. This tells a lot about his wisdom and how great leaders–whether in politics or business–bring together individuals whose abilities may surpass their own in certain areas, creating an optimal, high-performing team.
All these books outshine when we talk about motivation and success. Do give a read to findout yourself.
