MUST READ BUSINESS BOOKS FOR MBA STUDENTS
One of the most important things that an MBA student must do is take out some time from his hectic schedule and read some of the best books on business ever published. He will not be disappointed and will definitely not be wasting his time by doing this. On the contrary, he will be enhancing his knowledge far above his classmates, which will put him in a superior category of his own and thereby make him more desirable for hiring companies. Below is a list, complied with great care, of some of the top business books that an MBA student can devote his time too. 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 a favorite of Bill Gates. 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 bok 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 figues in the Silicon Valley,Travis Kalanick. The author takes readers on an incredible ride as he scrupulously details 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 the one of the globe’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 into the details of what MBA students deal with on a daily basis — the term sheet, the players, the negotiations, the legalities, and 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 ONE MUST READ 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 is the entrancing 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 talks in detail about the greatest insider-trading ring in financial history and profiles the players who almost walked away with billions. The book mixes together business, crime, the ugly side of human nature and everything else that an MBA student could desire. Business Adventures by John Brooks This is one of Bill Gates’ beloved books. John Brooks compiled his longform New Yorker articles into this book, which include profiles of Xerox, Ford, and General Electric. BIOGRAPHIES 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 also giving the readers a better understanding of Elon Musk’s mind. Jeff Bezos and The Age of Amazon by Brad Stone It is often mind-boggling to think Amazon started out 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 & 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 this was while banks were wildly pushing the economy to the edge of ruin. This book talks in detail about the remarkable rise, fall, and the rise again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone. Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson The MBA student may 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 obviously 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 own personalized way. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries The author of the book, Ries advices 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 the more than 200 world-class performers who he has interviewed on 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 trailblazers who made their mark on their way the top. First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman In this bestselling book, Gallup presents its findings after studying more than 80,000 managers in search of learning the secret as to what separates the greatest leaders from all of the rest of the population. BOOKS ON INVESTING The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham As the greatest investment advisor of the twentieth 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 beautiful book, claims that success is the outcome of zeal and determination, not talent and luck. This book gets to the center of why 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 almost as if their life depended on it. 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 such as that 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 meant to “lean in.” The expression takes on a fresh meaning in this book where she recounts the instant 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 MBA students 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 angel investors, fad-chasing venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and even wantrapreneurs. 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 away gamble everything on a high-stakes game of deception.