Books in this section:
The author compelling argues that switching back and forth between various activities lowers the mind’s productivity as each task lingers on the mind beyond the time when you think it is finished and detracts from focus on the next activity. The solution proposed is to create protected blocks of time for deep work where you only do one thing – but do it well.
If you thought that business is a stark choice between cold-blooded profit seeking behavior and striving for building a business that combines ideals, principles and a good dose of fun, the story of Tony Hsieh’s success with Zappos should make you reconsider.
A philosophy of orienting one’s life around extreme prioritization in order to accomplish what is truly important.
A though provoking way of thinking about assembling effective teams.
An experimental approach to figuring out what works and what doesn’t in the quest to be more productive.
The story of how Phil Knight built Nike into the success that it is today.
A thoughtful argument that deliberate practice is the surest way to achieve expertise.
An inside look at what happens when an investor tries to ply his trade in Russia.
A book for all the introverts out there to help them better understand themselves.
A provocative study of amazing organizational cultures and the people who helped create them.
A look inside Pixar that helps the reader understand the amazing culture responsible for so many creative successes.
A systematic guide to improve how we learn from someone who achieved a high level of mastery at both chess and martial arts.
Lessons from the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq that are applicable to many contexts for how we can build flexible and resilient organizations.
The authors co-wrote a wonderful wine column in the Wall Street Journal for many years, and this book shares their stories and their wine journey through the years.
This book encourages deep introspection and forces you to think about what really makes you happy and what goals you consider worthwhile.
A great book about the benefits of being a giver in all aspects of your life, including business. One of the key points is that givers don't necessarily finish last or get taken advantage of by others, as some might have suspected.
An honest look inside the investment industry that should help inform your decisions as to how to invest your money by the man who founded Vanguard and created index funds.
An informative story about how Thorp used dispassionate analytical techniques to exploit ineffeciencies in blackjack, stocks and derivatives. One of the biggest lessons is the importance of thinking for yourself from basic principles rather than accepting the conventional wisdom about how things work.
An in-depth account of a battle in Afghanistan during which a group of American soldiers exhibited amazing leadership and resourcefulness under extreme pressure.
A detailed account of the stories behind Uber and Airbnb.
An exploration of the subject of what it takes to achieve mastery, using case studies from various fields such as Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein and Darwin.
A story about the shadowy world of short-term traders and the largest insider trading investigation in history involving Steven A. Cohen and his hedge fund, SAC Capital.
A great overview of how to become better at distinguishing what is likely to be true from the many potential distortions, lies and faulty statistical arguments in the real world. The author helps us understand how the human mind is ill-equipped to interpret probability and statistics without training, which makes us susceptible to those who might be trying to use that fact to take advantage of us.
The authors use a tragic personal story to teach us how to be more resilient in the face of adversity as well as how to be more compassionate to those facing it.
An informed guide to how to be an effective boss while being a good human being to your employees and colleagues.
The authors detail the mind-set and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish the most difficult missions in combat and apply them to any team, family or organization.
A thorough treatise on how to create and assess one of the main sources of a sustainable competitive advantage - Economies of Networks
An in-depth biography of Jack Ma and the company that he built, Alibaba.
An exploration of how different elite performers and teams achieve high-performance states. A survey of psychology, neurobiology, technology and pharmacology that allows teams from the Navy SEALs to high-tech start-up to elite athletes to reach their best mental state.
Part personal biography, part a story of how to achieve success in business from humble beginnings, this book by Sam Zell has a lot to teach us about both business and value investing.
A story about a highly improbably rise of a man who went from being the laughing stock of the German establishment to the leader of the strongest nation in Europe with total domination over all opposition. This book offers many insights, including how behavioral persuasion techniques can be used, and how seemingly calm, rational people can be converted into wild and unruly mobs.
There are many books on meditation, but this one makes it easy to start. The author demystifies the practice and gives the reader many informal ways to make meaningful progress quickly without trivializing what it takes to achieve real mastery.
A great collection of practical wisdom from successful people from various walks of life. You won't want to follow every piece of advice, but you are highly likely to find something that will be useful.
The stories about a handful of companies that chose to be great rather than big.
A systematic approach to building a decision-making 'machine' for making decisions in your life and in your business.
Insights into the psychology of why we like what we like and the economics of cultural markets.
A great description of Lee Kuan Yew's approach to leadership and governing that have allowed him to turn a near-hopeless situation into an incredible success.
The story of how Bill Walsh used his style of leadership, coaching and mentoring to turn a losing football team into a dominant franchise. There are many lessons here for what works and what does not in building a great organization and a great team.
An excellent analysis of what makes some cultures great and others toxic.
The story of how Danny Meyer built a very unique and successful culture at the Union Square Hospitality Group.
John Doerr describes a simple yet effective management system that has helped Google succeed and scale. The Objective and Key Results approach can be effective for anyone from a single contributor to a large organization trying to encourage a culture of effective collaboration and achievement.
Howard Marks describes how to understand the market cycle, identify where we are at a given point in time, and then how to position the portfolio accordingly.
Great analysis of business failure to help both managers and investors avoid it. Various behavioral biases cause CEOs to embark on strategies which have a disproportionate chance of failure, and this book helps analyze which strategies to be particularly cautious about.
