May
24
2010
The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You
Posted by THAT Painter Lady in Faux Painters
Product Description
Thousands of business books are published every year— Here are the best of the best
After years of reading, evaluating, and selling business books, Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten are among the most respected experts on the category. Now they have chosen and reviewed the one hundred best business titles of all time—the ones that deliver the biggest payoff for today’s busy readers.
The 100 Best Business Books of All Time puts each book in… More >>
The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You
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Presumably when Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten made their selections for this book, they struggled to decide which books to include written by prolific authors such as Warren Bennis, Clayton Christensen, Peter Drucker, James Kouzes and Barry Posener, C.K. Prahalad, and Noel Tichy. I am curious to know why they include Billy Beane’s Moneyball instead of Thomas Davenport’s Competing on Analytics, Po Bronson’s What Should I Do with My Life? instead of Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography or James O’Toole’s Creating the Good Life, and Annette Simmons’ The Story Factor but none of Stephen Denning’s books, notably The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling and/or The Secret Language of Leadership? And why include none of the books written by others such as Joel Barker (Paradigms), Kenneth Blanchard (The One Minute Manager, with Spencer Johnson), William Bridges (Transitions), Henry Chesbrough (Open Innovation), Eric Drexler (Engines of Creation), Howard Gardner (Multiple Intelligences), Bill George (True North), Jason Jennings (Think Big, Act Small), Jon Katzenbach (The Wisdom of Teams), Philip Kotler (Marketing Management), Thomas Kuhn (The Structure of Scientific Revolutions), David Ogilvy (On Advertising), Michael Ray (Creativity in Business), and Joseph Schumpeter (Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy)?
That said, I think Covert and Sattersten have created an invaluable single source of information, especially given the fact that 11,000 business books were published in the United States in 2007 and, when I last checked, more than 1.9-million business books are now offered by Amazon, including more than 267,000 in the “business management” category. The material is carefully organized within 12 sections, each devoted to a theme: You (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People among the books discussed), Leadership (The Leadership Challenge), Strategy (Good to Great), Sales and Marketing (the selections including Positioning are fine but why not Theodore Levitt’s The Marketing Imagination also?), Rules and Scorekeeping (The Balanced Scorecard), Management (The Essential Drucker), Biographies (My Years with General Motors), Entrepreneurship (The Monk and the Riddle), Narratives (The Force, a brilliant choice), Innovation and Creativity (The Art of Innovation), Big Ideas (Made to Stick), and Takeaways (The Lexus and the Olive Tree).
I especially appreciate the inclusion of “Sidebars” throughout the book. For example Business Books for Kids of All Ages (Page 34), Leadership in Movies (Page 46 but what about Fort Apache, Paths of Glory, and Twelve O’Clock High?), The Best Route to an Idea (Page 77), Learn from Experience (Page 81), Selling on the Silver Screen (Page 120 and the five choices are excellent but where’s The Producers?), Classics (Page 200), Found in Fiction (Page 247), Fresh Perspectives Not in a Bookstore Near You (Page 282), and Readers’ Poll (Page 307). In “The Last Word,” Covert and Sattersten invite their readers to visit 100bestbiz.com for more information about all of the books discussed, including chapter excerpts, interviews with authors, videos about the books, and more. I also highly recommend signing up for the 800-CEO-READ Blog (bloggers@800ceoread.com) which provides daily updates of various kinds.
As previously indicated, I am among those who question many of the selections and especially, several omissions. So what? After reading this book, just for the fun of it, I compiled my own list and even devised a few “Sidebars.” Perhaps others will also come up with their own list. There are several on Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten’s list that I have not as yet read or last read decades ago. After reading or re-reading them, perhaps I’ll change my mind. In any event, I enjoyed reading this book and am grateful for the enlightenment and entertainment it provides as well as for its capacity for thought-provocation. Now that it has been published, let the disagreements begin!
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a decently organized collection of business books but it left me frustrated.
I wanted to learn the key ideas in these 100 books and this book did not provide it. That is my main criticism. I am just not that interested in learning how “refreshing” the style of writing is or in reading commentary on how clever the author was.
So, if you think that you are going to get summaries and distillations of the ideas from these 100 books then you are mostly mistaken. I say mostly because there are indeed a few (a very few) morsels provided in each review. However, all too often the review just says something like “the author then provides 8 ideas that you should consider in setting up your business”, but you don’t get to learn what those 8 ideas are! Down with fluffy teasers.
I also wish the collection did not restrict itself only to relatively contemporary works. That is like saying music should only be understood by looking at everything from the Beatles on. Don’t get me wrong: I love the Beatles but what about Bach? Frederick Taylor’s views of the employee may be old but it still provides insight into how a sizeable portion of businesses are still being run around the world today … not to mention that it gives us a context for understanding how we got to where we are right now.
In fairness, there are a number of “pop numbers” that I would have never learned about if not for this book. So, I feel the authors do a credible job of surveying and presenting fresh options based on contemporary (e.g. humanitarian) business values and trends.
If you like this book you probably owe it to yourself to broaden your list a little. There are a lot of “best business” lists out there. For example, Fortune Magazine has a nice list called the “75 Smartest Books We Know”.
After going through this book, the Fortune list and numerous other “best business” lists, my favorite “best of business” source remains “The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You’ll Never Have Time to Read”. That one, too, has its share of problems but, in my opinion, it provides less pop numbers but more meat and more context.
Rating: 3 / 5
It’s a little awkward to recommend a book where the authors are generous to you, but for a moment, let’s pretend they are not.
If you own a Zagats restaurant guide, it probably means you care about the food you eat.
You need to buy this book if you care about the work you do.
Even better than a restaurant guide, this book will actually feed your head. The summaries are first rate, their enthusiasm is palpable and you’ll learn something on every single page.
I know, I’m biased. But I’m sitting here making a fool of myself for a reason–you need to read more business books! This is a great place to start.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m not usually a fan of lists, but for this book I make an exception. It’s fascinating, erudite, and tremendously useful. As the authors point out, the value proposition of a good business book is enormous — much cheaper than consulting, alas, for us consultants — and this book tells you what the great ones are.
I’m afraid, though, that they’re going to have to commit to updating the book almost every year. We need them to work through each year’s new crop of candidates for us. Bravo, Jack and Todd!
Rating: 5 / 5
Throw a rock in any of your local, large bookstores and you’re certain to hit at least a dozen business books that promise to help you do everything from organizing your business completely in seven days to quadrupling your sales in ten minutes. How can a business person hope to find their way through the maze to a book that will address their specific needs in the best possible way? Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten’s “100 Best Business Books of All Time” does just that, distilling the jumbled mass of business tomes down to focus on the books that really are worth your time and money.
As the founder and president, respectively, of 800-CEO-Read, a specialty business book retailer, Mr. Covert and Mr. Sattersten have read and reviewed hundreds of business books through the years. The two used a three point criteria for choosing books to include in the 100 best list: 1. The quality of the book’s idea, 2. The applicability of the idea to businesses today, and 3. The accessibility of the book’s writing. The result? Twelve specific categories of informative and life-changing books, including books focusing on sales and marketing, management, leadership, entrepreneurship, and business strategies.
Mr. Covert and Mr. Sattersten don’t waste time with useless generalizations and platitudes; in each book’s description they get straight to the point and deliver precisely enough information to tell the reader the salient arguments and themes of each book, why they are important for business people to read, and how they can specifically help the reader.
“100 Best Business Books of All Time” includes business golden-oldies (”The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”; “How to Win Friends and Influence People”), modern classics (”The Tipping Point”; “Purple Cow”), biographies of such luminaries as David Packard and Sam Walton, and even some off-beat, but life-changing selections such as Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” and Eugene O’Kelly’s thought-provoking “Chasing Daylight.” Interspersed throughout the reviews are sidebars with recommendations for movies that display characters with outstanding leadership characteristics, books that focus on global business etiquette, and more creative business-flavored information.
Before you buy another business book, take a look at Mr. Covert and Mr. Sattersten’s recommendations; you won’t be sorry.
Reviewed by Michelle Kerns
Rating: 5 / 5