The 5 Best Lessons from the 5 Best Business Books of 2017

By: Heena Sharma

At SMB Connect, we value books and reading! Because books have the ability to take us deep — deep inside narratives and stories, deep inside carefully constructed paradigms and schemes, deep inside success stories and anecdotes of people who have scaled heights in professional and personal sphere. The books on this list are all focused on business, and each one of them has the potential to give you the idea(s) that can take your business to the next level. In my mind, that’s quite a gift on this new  year!

1. The Anticipatory Organization by Daniel Burrus

In The Anticipatory Organization, Burrus shows us that the future is far more certain than we realize, and finding certainty in an uncertain world provides a big advantage for those who know how and where to look for it. These are what Burrus refers to as “Hard Trends,” versus “Soft Trends,” which are things that might happen. Companies and people can learn how to identify these two types of trends, and take advantage of the trends they know to be true. This is what anticipatory organizations do, and why they thrive during times of chaos and disruption.
Lessons:
“Separate the Hard Trends that will happen from the Soft Trends that might happen. Anticipate disruptions, problems and game-changing opportunities. Identify and pre-solve predictable problems. Accelerate innovation (both everyday innovation and exponential innovation).Pinpoint and act upon enormous untapped opportunities.”

2. Self-Employed: 50 Signs That You Might Be an Entrepreneur

By Joel Comm and John Rampton

In this book, Joel Comm and John Rampton discuss the qualities that unite successful entrepreneurs. Most notably, this includes drive, a natural tendency to take action, and a borderline compulsive desire to grow and move forward through adversity.

Written by two successful entrepreneurs, and featuring stories, insights and motivation from plenty more, Self-Employed offers serious inspiration for anyone running a business, looking to do so in the future, or even closet entrepreneurs who just haven’t discovered their passion yet.

Best Lesson:
“There’s power in the propensity for action, and that’s ultimately what separates entrepreneurs and successful business leaders from the rest.”

3. Top of Mind: Use Content to Unleash Your Influence and Engage Those Who Matter to You

By John Hall

John Hall, examines how both leaders and brands build trust. Rather than rehash the interpersonal skills associated with authenticity, Hall orients his approach around content-Because today, content is where relationships live.
Trust-building content means playing the long game, rather than looking for quick fixes and easy wins. This is especially powerful when it comes to transparency. Creating honest, open-handed relationships through content must be product agnostic: It has to first solve real people’s real problems and, only after that, move your audience toward what you want for yourself.

Best Lesson:
“Being helpful and building trust with people isn’t just good life advice; it’s also good business practice. It might sound counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to help yourself is to help others.”

4. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
By Tim Ferriss

The text compiles a near-exhaustive list of tactics, takeaways and tips Ferriss has gathered over the last two years of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. Divided into three parts—Healthy, Wealthy and Wise—he distills life lessons, morning rituals, workout routines, investment strategies and (yes) must-read books from a veritable who’s-who of the successful.Everyone from actors, such as Seth Rogen and B.J. Novak to fellow authors such as Brené Brown and Malcolm Gladwell to business leaders such as Jack Dorsey and Peter Thiel take the stage here.

Best Lesson:
“10x results don’t always require 10x effort. Big changes can come in small packages. To dramatically change your life, you don’t need to run a 100-mile race, get a Ph.D., or completely reinvent yourself. It’s the small things, done consistently, that are the big things.”
The superheroes you have in your mind (idols, icons, titans, billionaires, etc.) are nearly all walking flaws who’ve maximized one or two strengths. Humans are imperfect creatures. You don’t ‘succeed’ because you have no weaknesses; you succeed because you find your unique strengths and focus on developing habits around them.”

5. Option B:Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
By Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

After the sudden and untimely death of her husband, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg found herself searching for answers. The quest led her to Wharton business professor and Option B co-author Adam Grant. Together the two found peace in an unlikely place: data.
Option B is a rare one that mixes storytelling with science, metrics with meaning, and depth with data. Sandberg’s deeply personal account of pain and recovery—along with several others who have embraced power and resilience in the face of striking setbacks—offers hope, a practical way forward and even laughter.

Best Lesson:
“Sometimes, life’s most painful, unexpected, and tragic experiences can give way to something positive. Building your resilience can help you move forward in business and in life.”

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