15 Essential Business Book Recommendations for 2020

There’s something for everyone: customer experience, employee experience, startups, business strategy. Enjoy!

I’ve never done this before, but I will say I’ve had a record year for the number of books I’ve consumed. As my gift to you, I wanted to share the very best of what I read. I was tempted to expand this list a little more to include them all (or most), but here’s the best of the best instead.

Many of you will recognize at least most of these names, though hopefully there’s something in here for even the most avid readers. Instead of a lengthy description or review (which can easily be found on many other sites, I thought I’d just provide a 1-2 sentence description of what felt important to me about it. Enjoy!

Please note that this is an alphabetical list, not any order of preference or chronology, etc.

Also, please note that I included links to these books on Amazon to make it easier to find them. I do not benefit in any way should you choose to buy these either on Amazon or anywhere else, just trying to make things easier to find!

1. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, by John Carreyrou

   This is a great example of what not to do in a company culture. Enough said.

2. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink

   Understanding the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is the secret to actually achieving both employee engagement and organizational culture change. This book does a great job of making this real.

3. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds, by Charles MacKay

   Amusing and ahead of its time, this economic theory book proves that hindsight doesn’t always tell the most flattering story of why things happened the way they did.

4. Goliath's Revenge: How Established Companies Turn the Tables on Digital Disruptors, by Todd Hewlin and Scott A. Snyder

   With so many books about how change and innovation is easier in startups and “disruptors,” it’s great to see this book that shows how established organizations can still remain relevant and defend themselves against upstarts.

5. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz

   The stories Ben shares in this book are ones that any entrepreneur or leader can relate to, and it is great to hear a recognized leader admit that there were times in their career where they simply didn’t know exactly what to do. The honesty and clarity are both a breath of fresh air amongst a lot of business writers that paint a picture that is often rosier in hindsight.

6. Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini

   His description of common methods of achieving “compliance” are a fascinating study of sales techniques, cognitive bias, and many other aspects. It instantly influenced my reactions and feelings about “sales” calls and scripts.

7. The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

   After reading this book, I will forever think differently about how and when I go to market with a new company or product.

8. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, by Eric Ries

   I was long overdue reading this, but its lessons are as relevant as ever, particularly for anyone in a startup or young business. For those in more established companies, lean principles still apply.

9. Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries, by Safi Bahcall

   This book is full of unexpected twists and stories that both dispel some common myths about business and organizational strategy.

10. Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott

    Being straightforward and direct all the time isn’t always easy (I have my own struggles with this), but we can all learn valuable lessons for this, both as managers, fellow employees and even in our day to day relationships.

11. Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, by Thomas L. Friedman

    Musings on the future and our relationship to change. It made me think differently about the “downtime” in between things as well, and I have to admit I have thanked several people for being late to meetings with me as a result of reading this book.

12. Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman

    An interesting meditation on decision making and the process by which many important decisions are made.

13. What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture, by Ben Horowitz and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
    This is the second book by Ben Horowitz on this list. Even though it shares some anecdotes (or at least references to them) with The Hard Thing About Hard Things, I really enjoyed this for its refreshing directness and its interesting way of weaving history in with the world of business.

14. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel H. Pink

    I loved the exploration here and it helped me to put a vocabulary behind many things I had come to know about my own best ways of working. Oh, and if I have anything to say about it, I will only have surgeries in the morning from now on.

15. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

    Concise read that speaks plainly about the best (and worst) ways to create a company. Provides a good challenge to entrepreneurs to do things the best way possible.

Now that I’ve shared my list with you, I’d love to hear your recommendations as well! May 2020 bring even more reading and learning.