Best Business Books in 2022

While the world of real estate talks about location, location, location, we’d surmise the business world as connections, connections, connections. Author Dale Carnegie takes you inside the boiled down elements behind what it takes to garner friendships and connections, while also providing a high level of influence in your social circles and the hierarchy of your business industry. Through cunning storytelling and examples that showcase what a high level of influence can do, Carnegie has brought over half-a-million businessmen into the mindset of what it takes to rise above all else, and display your expertise in a fashion that garners respect, and commands the attention of your peers. You’re a leader; it’s time to gather followers. Put this book in your briefcase and conquer the world. 

Crafted by author Eric Riles, over 2,000 dedicated businessmen as you have already benefit from his mastery. We’re in the age of startup companies that rise and fall like dynasties in the middle of the night, and with such a rapidly expanding and deflating landscape, it’s difficult. Lean Startup is an overhaul of your current mindset, putting you in the path of notable men and women who have already blazed the trail. The CEO of General Electric makes this a mandatory read for all his managers, putting them in the same way of thinking to establish a uniformity about how they run their operations. If you want to contest, you need to learn from the best, which is exactly what Eric Riles is about to show you.

For more amazing titles like this, check out our guide to the top productivity books.

Author Travis Bradberry didn’t sell over half-a-million copies on sheer chance alone. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is strictly business, and helps to take the anxieties and worry out of the workplace, and put logic and confidence in their place. Let’s face it: we’re all working far more hours per day than anyone used to, and it’s straining, which eventually wears down on your emotions. You’ll learn self-awareness strategies, which are vital to retaining leadership and creating a culture in your workplace environment. You’re going to positively compartmentalize issues that happened, realize better solutions, and build on your leadership every single day. You can finish this book in one long evening, and emerge with your go-to bible for business from here on out. Keep a copy in the top drawer of your desk; it’ll come in handy.

Business will always have a certain associated amount of risk; there’s no denying that. Facebook took a risk by being wildly different than MySpace and AIM, the two most social platforms of that time, and despite recent events, they’ve become one of America’s largest corporations. Author Jim Collins goes deeper than that: he goes back to the nineties when companies were making leaps and bounds around the technological revolution, showcasing the dos and don’ts that made some of the most well-recognized companies in the world exactly what they are today. Good to Great has become an instant classic among leaders, showing you to boil down everything to its basic form, and work from the inside out to solve problems.

You can’t hide excellence, it’s in you already, but it’s raw as can be right now. These business books are all about refining your process, and when it comes to investing, The Intelligent Investor is hailed as the number one guide for rookies and seasoned professionals. Benjamin Graham has even received praise from the legend of all investors, Warren Buffet, elevating the mettle behind these pages. You’ll learn how to take a good look at an investment opportunity, and make a sound decision based on ethics, and business sense. Far too many men are willing to let things go or have at least one “I should have invested in X” story, but with this, you’ll be able to pinpoint sound investments right from the get-go. Be sure to also check out our list of the best self-help books for more great items like this. 

We’re a society that’s obsessed with learning from others, analyzing acting, and determining the best possible course of action from all of our research. The Outsiders gives you William N. Thorndike’s introspective view, as well as eight examples of some of the greatest CEOs in history, analyzing their success. This book doesn’t give you the glorious side of a CEO, the payout, and lifestyle: it shows you how to get there, based on sound business and the idea that working equally intelligently and ferociously will get you to where you want to be. There’s a laundry list of organizations and well-known professionals who recommend this book, which shows you the one main center of any CEO’s success: capital allocation.

We could all afford to be a little more efficient. You don’t want to work yourself into an early grave, you just want to work more efficiently, and administer habits that take all the stress out of your life. While this isn’t divine intervention, Stephen R. Covey’s groundbreaking book breaks down the bricks of procrastination, giving you insight into a vast world of effectivity through the main seven habits defined in his book. Having been around for nearly three decades, this is still one of the top bestsellers for business and finances gurus wanting to make their mark. You’re working for a better life, you’re building on your business and career to ascertain the status that you’ve always dreamed of: consider this the optimization method in which you’ll achieve your goals. One of the best books for men out there.

There are conventional management tactics, and then, there’s a healthy workplace culture led by strong and rational managers. Marcus Buckingham didn’t just name this Break All The Rules for the fun of it; he breaks down exactly what everyone is doing wrong and the immediate effects that arise from inconsistent or poor quality management. You can’t afford to lead your organization or employees into the ground; you want to be the beacon of reason and stability. There are a million wrong ways to do it, and industry “norms” that promote poor management. This business & leadership book will change your perspective and gift you insight into the fastest-growing and healthiest workplace culture from around the globe. 

Focusing on management and the connection between sound business and innovative technology, The Innovator’s Dilemma brings issues to light that most don’t see until it’s too late. It’s not about how to run a firm well, it’s about why the well-run ones run into the ground, and how to stop it from happening. You’re disrupting the market with your innovative ideas, and there’s going to be a rippling effect. Good management is essential, but there’s a larger problem at hand, and nobody discusses it better than Clayton M. Christensen. Originally written in 1997 and constantly revised as the years go on, Clayton’s look into the constantly changing landscape in innovation gives you the insight you’ll need to apply, sooner or later. So take out your diary planner and start taking notes, ’cause this book will change your life. 

Daniel Goleman throws us into a world of speech and identification and shows us why we never learned emotional intelligence in school, or for the most part, even in our parent’s home. Your IQ can be a waypoint in your success, but following through and actually making the journey relies on many outlying factors. Connections are essential, understanding how to establish them is a vital role of business, and learning how to take a good hard look at yourself – not just other people – is absolutely paramount to your success. You’ll be able to identify when others are failing, offer advice, and command the respect that your new skills deserve. Making sound investment decisions and business deals hinge on your emotional intelligence far more than you know.

For chess lovers, we have prepared our selection of the best chess books. Check them out.

From Wall Street to the additional stories of the world’s perils with finance, author John Brooks brings amazing insight into the driving force behind business deals, and the mistakes made along the way. Business Adventures isn’t going to teach you about investments; you’ll learn about reading the finer details beyond just the financial aspect. It’s more of a storytelling narrative, but in the end, it tells you that just about anything is possible if you’re intelligent enough, and possess enough gusto. Innovate and change the world, or be left behind to wish you had. Business Adventures is an acclaimed favorite of Bill Gates, as well as the thousands of readers since its release. This should be the first item on your Christmas gifts wishlist this year.

Businesses can ride on a few good ideas, but they’ll eventually lose steam. Authors Jim Collins and Jerry I Porras show you what it means to make an ironclad business. Your ideas and industry are your own; this is about culture. We heard that buzzword, “culture,” associated with the workplace a lot. Built to Last actually delves into that topic, instead of just bolstering the attractive wordplay. Core beliefs and workplace values help companies through rough times, and every company is going to have that rough time. You’ll learn how to develop core beliefs that weather all storms,  which will impact your future dealings, and fortify the hard outer shell of your business.

We all know about Enron, but as time goes on, we forget just how truly massive that scandal was. Author Bethany McLean takes an illustrious dive into one of America’s most iconic and massive financial scandals and takes nearly 500 pages to crack everything wide open. Make no mistake; this isn’t your history textbooks from high school. The key component to this is identifying ignorance in leadership, understanding where it’s going to lead you and your company, and putting your foot down before it accelerates into a huge mess. Through artful storytelling and in-depth research, you’ll have an insight into exactly what not to do.

Through the masterful storytelling and meticulous research of the 2008 economic failure of Wall Street and the housing bubble, author Andrew Ross Sorkin tells the tale from start to finish. In terms of business, there’s absolutely no greater example of what not to do, while still taking certain fundamentals from this tale about what it truly takes to keep your business together, and if it’s even worth it in the end. A rather morbid but fair look into the world of finance, you’re able to take away the ideals that help the rise and fall of financially-driven businesses, all while learning far more than the presses ever told us about the great scandal that rocked the boat in 2008.

The baby brother to the Enron scandal, as told by Bryan Burrough, is a must-read for students and seasoned professionals of the business. With little to no regard for their employees, the dangerous dealings of RJR Nabisco created economic turmoil in its own right, while bringing the downfall of a powerhouse financial institution. Long and taking good hard looks at every aspect of this financial scandal, you’ll have a gleaming example of what to avoid, and how to maintain your workplace culture. Everything in Barbarians at the Gate is what not to do if you want to succeed, and a must-read for anyone looking to further their company and capital gain.