MUST-READ BUSINESS BOOKS FOR MBA (MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION) STUDENTS
THIS ARTICLE WAS UPDATED ON 23/JUNE/2020
One of the most important things that an MBA student must do is to invest some of his time in reading some famous business books. If you think that it’s a waste of time, then let me tell you, it is better than investing your time in watching movies and playing games while taking a break from your schedule.
By reading books you will get more knowledge about the ways of doing business and administering it. When you read someone else’s experiences you’ll get them too. You can avoid their mistakes that they have mentioned in their books. When you read business books you can also know about how to become more desirable to get a job in a big company or how to start your own business with a low risk of collapsing.
FAMOUS BOOKS FOR MBA STUDENTS
Below is a list, compiled with great care, of some of the top business books that an MBA student can devote his time to. They have been put into different categories so that one may find it easier to pick a book relating to his field of interest.
TOP PICKS FOR EVERY MBA STUDENT
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Shoe Dog offers an internal look at how Phil Knight steadily built his startup, Nike, into the global brand that it is today. This book is one of Bill Gates’ favorites.
- The Smartest Guys in the Room by Peter Elkind & Bethany McLean
If the reader is looking for drama and some extremely good reporting, then this book is for him. The book talks in detail about the rise and fall of Enron.
- Titan by Ron Chernow
John D. Rockefeller has often been called “The Jekyll-and-Hyde of American Capitalism.” He was a coldblooded business tycoon while also being a key philanthropist. This one is a business staple.
- Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
This is a real-life thriller with an extremely detailed account of the financial disaster that brought the entire financial world to its knees. It has everything from greed, to ego, and fear.
- Wild Ride by Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky in this book writes about one of the most polarizing figures in Silicon Valley, Travis Kalanick. The author takes readers on an incredible ride as he explains in detail, Uber’s spectacular rise and its jaw-dropping sink into hullabaloo.
FUNDAMENTAL BOOKS TO READ
- Principles by Ray Dalio
Most people hate clashes, but Ray Dalio flourishes on it. He built Bridgewater Associates into one of the world’s biggest hedge funds by encouraging radical transparency and organizational dissent. This book will give the reader the suitable tools to make decisions, advance to challenges, and put together strong teams.
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson
This one investigates the details of what MBA students deal with daily, the term sheet, the players, the negotiations, the legalities, and much more. Readers must think of it as a very inclusive guidebook to understanding venture capital funding.
- E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
E-Myth should be required reading for anyone who wants to start their own company. In this bestseller, Gerber dismisses the myths about starting a small business and helps readers take their plans from the ideal to the specific.
CLASSICS BOOKS
- Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
This book has been called, “one of the finest, most compelling accounts of what happened to corporate America and Wall Street in the 1980s.” It has a detailed account of the fall of RJR Nabisco and still acts as a great cautionary tale about greed and double-dealings.
- Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart
This bestseller contains all the details about the greatest insider-trading ring in financial history and profiles the players who almost walked away with billions. The book mixes business, crime, the ugly side of human nature, and everything that an MBA student could ever desire.
- Business Adventures by John Brooks
This is one of Bill Gates’ beloved books. John Brooks compiled his long-form New Yorker articles into this book, which include profiles of Xerox, Ford, and General Electric.
BIOGRAPHIES THAT MBA STUDENTS CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS
- Elon Musk by Ashley Vance
The book looks into the mind of one of the most pioneering and extraordinary entrepreneurs of our time. Vance gives readers an exclusive look into SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, while giving the readers a better understanding of Elon Musk’s mind also.
- Jeff Bezos and The Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
It is often mind-boggling to think Amazon started as an online bookstore. That wasn’t nearly enough for its wildly ambitious founder, Jeff Bezos. This is an in-depth account of how Bezos’ large bets forever transformed the retail industry.
- King of Capital by David Carey and John E. Morris
This is a great book to read right after the MBA student finishes Barbarians at the Gate. It shows how Blackstone and other private equity firms changed into closely controlled, risk-conscious investors. All of this was happening at the time when the banks were pushing the economy towards the edge of a canyon. This book talks in detail about the remarkable rise, fall, and rise again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone.
- Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
An MBA student might already know that Franklin was an inventor, writer, scientist, media baron, diplomat, and business strategist. However, this book is a look into how the country’s decisive founder helped identify America’s national identity.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP- A CATEGORY VITAL TO ALL MBA STUDENTS
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel’s contrarian view that we live in an age of technological stagnation is heavily debated. The author teaches readers how to reflect for themselves and shows them how to succeed by avoiding opposition.
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz shares words of advice for running a startup, solving tough problems, and managing a growing company. The author in a very unique manner uses rap lyrics to teach complex business lessons in his personalized way.
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
The author of the book, Ries, advises founders to take a more capital-efficient advance when it comes to building a company.
- Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
In his newest book, Tim Ferriss shares the efficiency secrets of more than 200 world-class performers who he interviewed in his podcast.
MANAGEMENT BOOKS ALL MBA STUDENTS MUST READ
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
In this book, Collins outlines the uniqueness of some of the world’s best performers and explores how they were able to leave their competition behind.
- Earning It by Joann Lublin
As one of the first female reporters at the Wall Street Journal, Joann Lublin knows a thing or two about women shattering the corporate glass ceiling. In this book, she interviews more than 50 female achievers who made their way to the top and left trails for others to follow.
- First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
In this bestselling book, Gallup presents his findings after studying more than 80,000 managers in search of learning the secrets to what separates the greatest leaders from the rest of the population.
BOOKS ON INVESTING
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
As the greatest investment advisor of the 20th century, Benjamin Graham’s philosophy of value investing has withstood the test of time. This is one of the greatest books that an MBA student can read to get an edge in his career. It’s also a book that Warren Buffett says has changed his life.
- The Essays of Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett (edited by Lawrence A. Cunningham)
This book is a collection of Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder letters along with his views on investing. There is no better way for MBA students of SMS Varanasi to learn than from the Oracle himself.
PSYCHOLOGY
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
Psychologist Angela Duckworth, in her incredible book, claims that success is the outcome of zeal and determination, not talent and luck. This book gets to the center of how people thrive and most of it is the product of constant and regular effort.
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
In this highly acclaimed book, celebrated psychologist Daniel Kahneman does a profound analysis of the two cognitive systems that contour the judgments and decisions that we make in our day to day lives.
- Never Split the Difference by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz
As an FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss has come to face all sorts of criminals, including kidnappers, bank robbers, and terrorists. In this book, he talks and teaches various negotiation tactics that MBA students can use in almost every aspect of their lives.
THE "NON-BUSINESS" BUSINESS BOOKS
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
In this book, the author explores the unexplored. Humans have started bending laws of natural selection, so he asks some simple but uncomfortable questions.
These include questions like, “As humans progressively gain the capability to plan themselves as well as the world around them, where will it lead our species and what will we eventually turn out to become?”
- Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace
Everyone can learn something from Pixar. This book tells, in detail, the story of how the studio behind Inside Out and Toy Story came to rule the industry of animation. Creativity Inc. has often been called the most thoughtful management book ever by several industry experts.
- Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Sheryl Sandberg’s raw and gut-wrenching Option B redefined what it means to “lean in.” The expression takes a fresh meaning in this book where she recounts the instance when the rabbi who presided over her husband’s memorial service tells her to “lean in to the suck.”
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This timeless bestseller is the type of book every MBA student should revisit and take notes on. It will shatter long-standing beliefs the reader never even thought that he held. Carnegie’s strategies and principles are pertinent to both, life and business.
FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
- Disrupted by Dan Lyons
This is a muddled, tell-all account of what happens when a veteran journalist from a recognized news magazine takes a job at a software marketing startup. He records his time at Hubspot where he came across all kinds of people from devilish to angel investors, fad-chasing venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and even wantrepreneurs.
- Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
In the 1980s, liar’s poker was the game one played on Wall Street. Lewis talks about his days as a young, bond salesman working at Salomon Brothers. He gives readers an internal look at the frat-boy world where young men would gamble away everything on a high-stakes game of deception.
So, these are the books that every MBA student must invest his time in. These books would not only enhance his knowledge but give him a clear picture of the path he’s treading on too. If you’re pursuing an MBA or have graduated, you should read the above-mentioned books as they contain stories and experiences of some of the most successful and experienced human beings on Earth. This would be a better way to spend your free time.