Must Read Business & Management

Many folks have asked that I give them references to good books to read on different topics. I've read a bunch -- these are the best.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman. I'm always the first to doubt the utility of a management book derived from pollsters, but this book is great at reversing just conventional wisdom about management, but also what is intuitive to smart people as well.

How to Become a Great Boss: The Rules for Getting and Keeping the Best Employees by Jeffrey J. Fox. While this read repeats much of what you'll find in other books, the true genius here is the presentation. Many books are completely unable to articulate points concisely (i.e. the Charles Dickens school of business book writing -- Michael Porter is a great example). Mr Fox excels at taking great ideas and putting them into a small, easily accessible package. As with many great business books, Mr Fox doesn't really have all the ideas himself, but instead has been a great amount of time researching to understand what truly makes a great boss and puts that all here.

The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an 'Employee' into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion! by Tom Peters. Tom Peters is a lunatic. There are a bunch of takeaways from this book and things are presented very clearly (albeit with a ridiculous set of fonts and huge !'s. Major takeaways include 1) the notion of approaching your working life as a 'free agent' working on projects and 2) making sure that every project you work on is the most impactful thing you can possibly be doing.

Jack: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch, John A. Byrne. Alright, so the guy cheated on his wife and ran off with that funny looking woman from the Harvard Business Review. In any case, his book is really excellent -- and not necessarily for what it is in it, but what is not. The huge take away from this book is that great results flow from great teams and great people. As he notes in the book, his job at GE was all about making sure that his team (i.e. the top 800 execs at GE) had the right caliber of people, who were organized with the appropriate directions. For those Bosses who spent days out talking to customers instead of worrying about the application of Human Resources, this is a great one.

High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove. Andy Grove nails very clearly 1) the importance of finding the right people and 2) a managers output is the sum of the output of his/her charges and 3) basic commonsense in regards to managing projects (the three-minute egg, for example).

Real Estate Riches: How to Become Rich Using Your Banker's Money by Dolf de Roos, Robert T. Kiyosaki (Foreword), Dolf De Roos. While not the best book about the mechanics of real estate investing, this book clearly makes the case as to why investing in real estate is a good thing.

Investing in Real Estate (Third Edition) by Andrew James McLean, Gary W. Eldred. One of the best books around regarding the mechanics of buying, maintaining, and operating rental properties.

The Real Estate Game: The Intelligent Guide to Decision-Making and Investment by William J. Poorvu, Jeffrey L. Cruikshank A more advanced book and also a bit more difficult read, but worth it. Covers some common sense topics (like simple Back of Envelope analyses of opportunities. Also covers more advanced topics like REITs, partnerships, and commercial operations.

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter (Contributor). The cover of this book (which looks like a trashy romance novel) would immediately be something that would turn me completely off. I did end up reading it because a friend of mine said, "You should read this book. He's got all your crazy ideas in there." This book teaches you (in confusing and windy prose) that the path to financial independence does not (usually) consist of being an employee. If you're someone wanting to get out of paycheck to paycheck, this is the first book to read.

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko. This book has a slightly better cover. Differing from the Rich Dad series, this book is about methodically becoming a rich person through what seems to me as basic common sense. Clear examples of real people they've interviewed allows the reader to compare/contrast themselves.