Five business books to help you up your game
American Businessman, Herb Kelleher said, ‘the business of business is people.’ At Spacelist, we agree with Herb. As CRE professionals, you see this reality first hand. So having a repertoire of business books to help navigate the sometimes complicated world of business and people is wise. We have compiled a list of our favourite ‘business books’ that unwrap some of the complexities of working with fellow humans. If you are curious about improving your business, grab one or two of these. You’ll discover some valuable tools you can apply daily. So without further ado, here are our five must-read business books to help you navigate business like the boss you are:
Getting to Yes – Roger Fisher and William Ury
Getting to Yes initially hit the shelves in 1981. This book has proved to be timelessly valuable even 40 years later. The book gives you tools to negotiate more effectively, using what Fisher and Ury call ‘principled negotiating,’ which aims to preserve relationships and avoid unfair agreements. This approach departs from traditional adversarial negotiation tactics that can leave a wake of ruin. Getting to Yes helps to “disentangle the people from the problem, focus on interests [and], not positions, [while] work[ing] together to find creative and fair options” (Fisher and Ury). We love this book because it offers easy-to-apply tactics and tools that will come in handy often.
Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss
As an international hostage negotiator for the FBI, Chris Voss knows a thing or two about negotiating effectively. His book, Never Split The Difference, reveals his tried and true approaches to negotiating when the stakes are high and the lessons he learned along the way. This book offers valuable instructions on the art of working with people to pursue the desired outcome and will equip you with the knowledge to help you negotiate like a pro. Chris weaves in real-life negotiation stories, making this read educational and entertaining.
How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie’s book was written over 80 years ago but is still consistently added to must-read lists. How to Win Friends and Influence People has become a handbook for business. Carnegie’s wisdom covers handling people, criticism, the key to influencing people and the secret to success. Considering this book is still a must-read after over ¾ of a century, there must be a few valuable nuggets of wisdom.
Think Again – Adam Grant
Think Again is an important read for anyone living in the 21st century. Grant discusses the concept of ‘rethinking conventions and adopting new ideas in place of old ones will allow you and your team to be more agile and innovative. He starts by building an understanding of why people often struggle to adopt new perspectives and then unpacking how to help people explore new concepts and ideas. Grant paints a provocative picture of how to ‘think again’ throughout his book. He ends his discussion with instructions on implementing this approach in business. This book is a compelling read that is ripe with practical wisdom.
Start With Why – Simon Sinek
Why did you get into ‘business? What is the core reason you get out of bed each day to work? Simon Sinek wants you to uncover the answers to those questions because knowing your ‘why’ will transform your approach to business and people. When you understand your ‘why,’ you’ll understand your company better while inspiring those around you. This book helps uncover your core purpose in business and develop strategies to inform the way your work.
In conclusion
This is a partial list of all the books that have inspired us over the years. Otherwise, this blog post would become a book of its own. The selected titles are recent reads that have inspired us. We want to hear what books have transformed the way you do business. Please share your favourites with us on LinkedIn or Facebook.
P.S. If you’re looking for other ways to develop your CRE business, consider exploring Spacelist’s Engine. It’s a tool that allows you to showcase your listings easily on your website. With your new negotiating knowledge combined with your Pro account (which gives you numerous amazing features), you’re on your way to being unstoppable.