10 Books to Add to the Top of Your List for 2018

A new year means a new stack of information.

Question: What's at the top of your reading list for the new year? What's one book that you plan to read?

From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000, Singapore and the Asian Economic Boom

"This book is more relevant to businesspeople nowadays than ever, and it helps that it was written as a memoir by the late MM. Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore. It chronicles the growing pains faced by a small (startup) nation like Singapore after being left in the cold by Britain and the constant antagonization from Malaysia. It's a great non-fiction "David vs. Goliath"-type story."


Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

"I try to keep up with the latest books, but occasionally I miss one. I promised myself that this year I am going to read "Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. The reveries of Thiel, CEO of an ed tech company, related to innovation and technology are particularly interesting to me. Hopefully, it will help me start the New Year feeling inspired."


Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

"Recommended to me by an architect, "Creativity, Inc.," by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace documents the building and maintenance of a competitive advantage at Pixar. Ed Catmull, the Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios, gives the history of building and dominating the world of digital animation for the past 20 years along with the lessons that are applicable to all modern businesses. "


Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of the World's Most Successful Businesses

""Ninja Innovation" by Gary Shapiro identifies the strategies that have made some of the biggest companies in the world, such as Google, Amazon and Apple what they are today. Several people I respect have recommended this book, and it's on the top of my reading list for this year. "


My View of the World

"Ever since I read “What is Life,” by Erwin Schrodinger, I have been intrigued and impressed with his theories. The next book of his that I want to read is “My View of the World,” mostly because of my experience working with an artificial intelligence project. It's incredible how one has to really go back to the basics to create a technology so advanced that it's beyond our time."


Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction

"Who doesn't want to predict the future? "Superforecasting" by Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner looks like an incredible read. One of my employees and I share books pretty often, and he picked this one up for me recently. There are countless reviews on this piece of work by great people. I cannot wait to get started."


Same Game, New Rules

"If your company is sales-focused -- and it should be, because nothing happens until something gets sold -- start here. Even though I've already read it, it's at the top of my reading list again. It's composed by Bill Caskey, and while I hate buzz phrases like "think outside the box" and "synergy," if there ever was a "guru" in sales, it's this man."


Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both

"I'm cheating a little because I just finished this one. This is a great book about the art and science of negotiation, told by two experts in the field: Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer. It's based in academic research but uses real-world examples to make it a quick read. It will definitely give anyone who has upcoming negotiations -- business or personal -- something to think about and learn."


Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age

"Word-of-mouth is an essential part of growing a business, especially if you have a high-end product or service. "Contagious" by Jonah Berger has been recommended to me by a number of people. It is an ongoing part of my company's strategy to build more word-of-mouth referrals, and it has always been a great source of new clients for us. It's first on my list to read."


Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

"I'm one of the 30 million-plus people who watched Amy Cuddy's TED Talk on body language, so her book on presence is at the top of my reading list. A better understanding of power poses, gender tendencies and the science of the human response would be an asset to any executive's development in the coming year."


Resources

10 Books to Add to the Top of Your List for 2018

A new year means a new stack of information.

Question: What's at the top of your reading list for the new year? What's one book that you plan to read?

From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000, Singapore and the Asian Economic Boom

"This book is more relevant to businesspeople nowadays than ever, and it helps that it was written as a memoir by the late MM. Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore. It chronicles the growing pains faced by a small (startup) nation like Singapore after being left in the cold by Britain and the constant antagonization from Malaysia. It's a great non-fiction "David vs. Goliath"-type story."


Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

"I try to keep up with the latest books, but occasionally I miss one. I promised myself that this year I am going to read "Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. The reveries of Thiel, CEO of an ed tech company, related to innovation and technology are particularly interesting to me. Hopefully, it will help me start the New Year feeling inspired."


Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

"Recommended to me by an architect, "Creativity, Inc.," by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace documents the building and maintenance of a competitive advantage at Pixar. Ed Catmull, the Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios, gives the history of building and dominating the world of digital animation for the past 20 years along with the lessons that are applicable to all modern businesses. "


Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of the World's Most Successful Businesses

""Ninja Innovation" by Gary Shapiro identifies the strategies that have made some of the biggest companies in the world, such as Google, Amazon and Apple what they are today. Several people I respect have recommended this book, and it's on the top of my reading list for this year. "


My View of the World

"Ever since I read “What is Life,” by Erwin Schrodinger, I have been intrigued and impressed with his theories. The next book of his that I want to read is “My View of the World,” mostly because of my experience working with an artificial intelligence project. It's incredible how one has to really go back to the basics to create a technology so advanced that it's beyond our time."


Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction

"Who doesn't want to predict the future? "Superforecasting" by Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner looks like an incredible read. One of my employees and I share books pretty often, and he picked this one up for me recently. There are countless reviews on this piece of work by great people. I cannot wait to get started."


Same Game, New Rules

"If your company is sales-focused -- and it should be, because nothing happens until something gets sold -- start here. Even though I've already read it, it's at the top of my reading list again. It's composed by Bill Caskey, and while I hate buzz phrases like "think outside the box" and "synergy," if there ever was a "guru" in sales, it's this man."


Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both

"I'm cheating a little because I just finished this one. This is a great book about the art and science of negotiation, told by two experts in the field: Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer. It's based in academic research but uses real-world examples to make it a quick read. It will definitely give anyone who has upcoming negotiations -- business or personal -- something to think about and learn."


Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age

"Word-of-mouth is an essential part of growing a business, especially if you have a high-end product or service. "Contagious" by Jonah Berger has been recommended to me by a number of people. It is an ongoing part of my company's strategy to build more word-of-mouth referrals, and it has always been a great source of new clients for us. It's first on my list to read."


Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

"I'm one of the 30 million-plus people who watched Amy Cuddy's TED Talk on body language, so her book on presence is at the top of my reading list. A better understanding of power poses, gender tendencies and the science of the human response would be an asset to any executive's development in the coming year."


See Also: Planning to Bootstrap Your Business? Follow These 7 Tips

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