Don't
we all wish it existed? That book that holds within its pages the elusive magic
formula that weaves its way from Ideation to Execution and results in a
successful venture. I am constantly being asked by clients and participants to
recommend IT, The Perfect Business Book,
and I struggle with the question every time.
There
is no one Perfect Business Book. It's
a bit like parenting, there is no onesizefitsall. Unless you are geographically located
in the same place as the author, have the same perceptions, the same
upbringing, the same support, circumstances and a myriad of other 'samenesses',
how can a book that is the sum of one person's experiences, be the perfect
solution for your business or your life? It can't.
is no one Perfect Business Book. It's
a bit like parenting, there is no onesizefitsall. Unless you are geographically located
in the same place as the author, have the same perceptions, the same
upbringing, the same support, circumstances and a myriad of other 'samenesses',
how can a book that is the sum of one person's experiences, be the perfect
solution for your business or your life? It can't.
My
recommendation is always to read wide. Read chapter headings and summaries of
business books. Read authors who have created businesses similar and far
removed from yours. Read articles and journals and books and listen to Ted
Talks. Read fiction so your creative juices are stimulated. And then adopt and
adapt the philosophies that most resonate with what you are trying to achieve
through your business and the goals and vision you have set. You have set them
haven't you?
recommendation is always to read wide. Read chapter headings and summaries of
business books. Read authors who have created businesses similar and far
removed from yours. Read articles and journals and books and listen to Ted
Talks. Read fiction so your creative juices are stimulated. And then adopt and
adapt the philosophies that most resonate with what you are trying to achieve
through your business and the goals and vision you have set. You have set them
haven't you?
Read
to fill the gaps. What are the skills you lack? What aspects of business do you
know little about? Are you a control freak? Read The Surrender Experiment by Michael A Singer. Are you an introvert?
Read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a
World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. The truth is a book
won't solve your problems but it should stimulate you to develop your own
solutions.
to fill the gaps. What are the skills you lack? What aspects of business do you
know little about? Are you a control freak? Read The Surrender Experiment by Michael A Singer. Are you an introvert?
Read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a
World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. The truth is a book
won't solve your problems but it should stimulate you to develop your own
solutions.
The most successful business people read (success measured by
what makes you happy and brings you a fulfilled life, not by your bank balance).
Warren Buffet reads between six hundred and one thousand pages per day. His
advice is to, 'Read five hundred pages every day. That's
how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest'.
what makes you happy and brings you a fulfilled life, not by your bank balance).
Warren Buffet reads between six hundred and one thousand pages per day. His
advice is to, 'Read five hundred pages every day. That's
how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest'.
So where do you
start selecting the books to add to your bookshelf? OK, or device.
Books
on the list could include The Big Leap
by Gay Hendricks, Purple Cow by Seth
Godin and Business Model Generation
by Alexander Osterwalder. Personal development, marketing and planning covered
in just three titles.
on the list could include The Big Leap
by Gay Hendricks, Purple Cow by Seth
Godin and Business Model Generation
by Alexander Osterwalder. Personal development, marketing and planning covered
in just three titles.
And
then there's Blinkist for the lovers
of ear buds and audio. It's a wonderful little app that gives you a 15-minute
summary of a book while you're on that treadmill or pounding the pavement on a
sunny day.
then there's Blinkist for the lovers
of ear buds and audio. It's a wonderful little app that gives you a 15-minute
summary of a book while you're on that treadmill or pounding the pavement on a
sunny day.
Fortunately,
there is no magic formula. After all, who wants to be swimming in a sea of
sameness? Happy reading.
there is no magic formula. After all, who wants to be swimming in a sea of
sameness? Happy reading.
Christina Gerakiteys is an ideation, innovation and creativity expert. She is the Founder of Ideation At Work, dedicated to opening hearts and minds to possibility.