I saw the headline "Most Business Books Are Bad For You" and clicked. Worked on me.
I believe you can learn from just about anything. Of course, the trick is to not waste time on "anything" but rather to focus on the best or good and ignore the rest.
This one was NOT tips to find a good business book.. so I responded to AMPLIFY.
Catchy headline. You got me to click to see what sort of nonsense you had written.
Your formula can be applied to most business, most blogs, most conventions and most of what people do in their business days. Insert just about anything and people will feel compelled to click and your advertisers will be happy.
If you'd listed book titles to avoid, or given some background on how you have been tricked into reading all those bad books you refer too, or given us some red flags to watch for, the headline shenanigans would have been well worth the click.
Your thoughts are good and you seem sincere. You'd like to recommend a couple of good books and get us talking. Safe bet to put Atlas Shrugged and you hit a home run for me with Enders Game. (if these books affected you so strongly, why not give Ayn Rand and Orson Scott Card credit?)
I totally reject the idea that most business books are bad. Rather, most READERS have not learned to pick the right books, study with the intent of finding and imagining new and better ideas and committed to applying what they learn. Any "empty space" would be what's inside the head of someone flipping pages without thought.
If I can spend the afternoon with a book and a pad of paper I know I'll come out better for the experience... even from a bad book. I'm reminded or a phrase I heard a speaker use once "A properly motivated individual can learn something from two dogs fighting in the street" ... I would imagine he did not mean that you would learn from anything the dogs SAID 
Why not go out on a limb and include a BUSINESS book? Here's a couple that I can recommend to anyone.
"Influence: The Science of Persuasion" by Dr. Robert Cialdini"
- six principles of how people influence each other.. heavily researched, documented and full of case histories that will get you thinking about every business interaction in a new way. Each time I read this book, I find myself putting it down to contemplate how the stories work, what lessons I use in my business, and notes on action steps I will take.
"Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives" by Christakis and Fowler
Science of networks and how people rely on them. I changed my own networking theory when I read this and now explain to every person I meet how powerful our connection can be beyond any immediate transaction
"Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust" by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
I ordered this book by two friends and attempted to read it on a flight so I could say nice things in a blog post. By chapter 3, I had to put down the Kindle, get out a pad of paper and redesign my entire approach to business. It changed the fundamentals of how I look at my own business, our relationships in the market and leverage points I"m using to grow faster than I thought possible.
I read more business books than anyone I know, which is ironic because I can’t stand most of them. That’s not to say I hate all business books — after all, I’ve written one — but 95% go on one of two lists: “if you don’t know this already, you should be working at the DMV” and “if you do these things, your company will become the DMV.”
Business success isn’t a checklist, and that’s the implied message from many business books: do these things and you’ll be the hero. Business success is a dance: with the market, employees, investors, customers, landlords, and creditors — not to mention spouses and kids.
Read more at www.bnet.com
No comments:
Post a Comment