My love for business & strategy books led to an inquiry to the Harvard Business Review Press – 10 years ago! (in 2023). And then I started book-worming their titles…
10 years and > 50 books later, here I am – older and hopefully business-wiser. Let me share my key learnings with you, via these fantastic titles’ reviews!
Below you can find the finest business books on the planet from a leading publisher- Harvard Business Review is a super-brand in itself. Doitinvest.com is proud to name itself a long-standing review partner!
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As such, we would appreciate your support of us by considering the purchase of this book via our suggested link below – thank you in advance for keeping us going!: Best Business Books Worth Your Time
Below our book reviews (in reverse chronological order of the reviews – the latest on top):
HBR 54 –“by Thomas H. Davenport and Nitin Mittal – can be bought here.
Generative AI is on everybody’s lips, but how can you really make AI work for your company? Interesting strategic approaches, plus some new AI usage cases (for example augmentation)
HBR 53 –“The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership” by Adam Bryant – can be bought here.
Do you want to take your career to the next level? You know that what got you here won’t get you there. Adam Bryant shows you what might actually help leapfrog your organizational impact.
HBR 52 – “Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)” by Amy Gallo – can be bought here.
Admit it – you have met at least once in your life one or more toxic persons. But how should you manage them in your organizational setup… without hurting yourself and the teams.
HBR 51 – “Love and Work: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life” by Marcus Buckingham – can be bought here.
Sounds easy and obviously it isn’t, since Buckingam write an entire book about it – how do you transform your passions into meaningful achievements at work?
HBR 50 –“Radically Human: How New Technology Is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future” by Jim Wilson and Paul Daugherty – can be bought here.
Doitinvests’ 50th review (sic!) looks at the AI and its uses in our current life. A book that anticipates the rise of ChatGPT and related AI technologies – with almost one year!
HBR 49 –“The Synergy Solution – How Companies Win the Mergers & Acquisitions Game” by Mark L. Sirower & Jeffery M. Weirens – can be bought here.
Most Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As in short) fail – in fact, 80% according to some PWC studies. So how shold the companies go about them?
HBR 48 –“Experimentation Works” by Stefan H. Thomke – can be bought here.
Most business models become successful via incremental processes, not all of a sudden. And there is no better way to discover something new – than experimenting. But how do you do it efficiently?
HBR 47 – “The Politics Industry” by Katherine Gehl & Michael Porter – can be bought here.
Porter wrote very few books so far – and his venturing into politics is definitely worth reading. Can one treat the politics … as an industry?! yes!
HBR 46 – „Kings of Crypto“ by Jeff John Roberts – can be bought here.
A book about the rise of the Crypto trading – and above all, about Coinbase – the cryptocurrency market still number 2 as of 2023.
HBR 45 – “Collision Course – Carlos Ghosn and the Culture Wars That Upended an Auto Empire” by Hans Greimel and William Sposato– can be bought here.
A wide-ranging story about Ghosn, the Renault-Nissan alliance and – above all – about the Japanese business culture. Fascinating.
HBR 44 –„The Imagination Machine – How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company‘s Future“ by Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller – can be bought here.
Who says that imagination and business models cannot go hand in hand? Or that businesses cannot be creative? The Imagination Machine offers some very interesting recipes for unleashing your company’s creative engine.
HBR 43 – “Better, Simpler Strategy – A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance” by Felix Oberholzer – can be bought here.
It is hard to re-invent the business strategy approaches, after so many other thinkers have don so in the last over 100years. But Oberholzer comes with a different twist…. worth reading.
HBR 42 – “Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos”, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson – can be bought here.
The founder of the most used online shopping platform, the richest man on the planet and the creator of the Cloud services – Jeff Bezos transformed the business in so many ways.
HBR 41 –“What is Strategy? An Illustrated Guide to Michael Porter” by Joan Magretta – can be bought here.
What can be more fun than understanding at a glance the best business strategy concepts ever created? Magretta takes Porter’s concepts to a new level.
HBR 40 – “When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession With Economic Efficiency” by Roger L. Martin – can be bought here.
America’s capitalism model, widely adopted around the world, is at risk. Roger L. Martin takes the classical neo-liberal capitalist philosophy and gives it a spin – where is it heading and what can we do to improve our societies?
HBR 39 – “Strategic Analytics – the Insights You Need”– audiobook can be bought here.
Nowadays it is not enough to have a good strategy – the options around it are so large, that you have to focus it somehow. This is where strategic analytics come into play – leveraging the technology, the latest strategic insights and the new data science experts raising around us.
Strategic Analytics – the Insights You Need”
HBR 38 – “Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You” by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss – audiobook can be bought here.
Too much accent on creating a comfortable environment for everybody can deliver great results. But what about being really focused on what really matters? Some leaders do just that – find out with what results.
HBR 37 – “The Context Marketing Revolution – How To Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media” by Mathhew Sweezey – the book can be bought here.
We are living in a new marketing paradigm – one where the classical advertising is irrelevant and the new one – looking a lot like self-promotion. How do you put your products or services ahead of the competition’s?
The Context Marketing Revolution – How To Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media
HBR 36 – “HBRs 10 Must Reads – On Negotiation” – the book can be bought here.
You like it or not, you negotiate every day. Harvard Business Review has put together some of their best articles ever published on negotiating, with some very interesting angles covered. My favorite was on negotiating a win-win agreement – something that is rarely achieved in the real-life.
HBR 35 – “Out-Innovate – How Global Entrepreneurs from Delhi to Detroit Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley” by Alexandre Lazarow – the title can be bought here.
Silicon Valley is not the only place where innovation springs out – and actually some of the emerging markets are taking the lead. How can you overtake the tech giants without their resources? The answer is simple – “out-innovate” them.
HBR 34 – “Emotional Intelligence – Mindfulness” – a Harvard Business Review Press compendium of articles – the title can be bought here.
In a hyper-defocused society, where everything rotates fast, one should try a different approach. Re-focusing on the moment and on what is valuable to those around us will never get old, so becoming a more balanced society should start with focusing on mindfulness.
Mindfulness lessons from doitinvest.com
HBR 33 – „Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World” by Marco Iansiti and Kharim R. Lakhani – the title can be bought here.
AI is not only changing the IT world, but also a lot of business models. Iansiti and Lakhani apply the latest strategic thinking to how the new technologies will revolutionize companies – from operations to market interactions.
Competing in the Age of AI – book essentials from doitinvest.com
HBR 32 – „HBR Emotional Intelligence Series – Influence + Persuasion“ – the book can be purchased from here.
Soft vs. formal influence – we are really pushing the limits of persuasion since the beginning of the mankind. Can you leverage insights from various experts? Certainly you can…
Influence + Persuasion book cover
HBR 31 – “Think for Yourself – Restoring Common Sense in the Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence“ by Vikram Manshamarani- the book can be purchased from here.
We are surrounded by experts and AI systems that tell us what to do, how to do it and when. But is this the right way to go?
HBR 30 – „The Art of Being Indispensable at Work – Win Influence, Beat Overcommitment and Get the Right Things Done“ by Bruce Tulgan – the book can be purchased from here.
To be or not to be… successful? Do you know that colleague that seems always on top of things? Does not work as much as the others but seems to achieve more? He must have read this book…
Art of being invaluable at work – doitinvest.com book summary
HBR 29 – “HBRs 10 Must Reads – On Communication”
Most management gurus agree – if there is something a leader should be good at, it is at communicating. Even better – what do you think about the best 10 articles on communication – the book can be purchased from here.
HBR‘s 10 Must Reads – On Communication
HBR 28 – “HBR’s 10 Must Reads – CEOs”
Best articles on the CEO’s priorities and focus points – combed by Harvard Business Review’s editors. Do you want to know why your strategy needs a strategy? How to innovate and elevate in the same time? – the book can be purchased from here.
HBR 27 – “Blockchain: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review”
The Insights series from HBR take a close look to various hot topics – this one at the blockchain. The technology has still yet to mature – and your organization should keep it on its radar.
a doitinvest.com book review
HBR 26 – „Time Smart – How To Reclaim Your Life And Live A Happier Life“ by Ashley Whilllans
Time management was revisited again and again – yet Ashley Whillans manages to bring new perspectives into it. Stop making poor trade-offs and maximize your happiness factor.
doitinvest.com HBR book reviews and summaries – Time Smart
HBR 25 – “Fit to Compete – Why Honest Conversations about Your Company’s Capabilities Are the Key to a Winning Strategy” – by Michael Beer
A company can hardly win if politics prevail – or if it is unable to address fast the ugly market truths. Honest flowing feedback is key – but how can you encourage it?
a HBR Press book review by doitinvest.com
HBR 24 – “Parents Who Lead – The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent wih Purpose, Fuel Your Career and Create a Richer Life” by Alyssa F. Westring and Stewart D. Friedman
Before we are managers we are often part of a family – and we grow into our values. What can you learn from your parenting? How can you better and humanly grow your organization?
A HBR Press book review by doitinvest.com
HBR 23 – “The Real Business of Blockchain – How Leaders Can Create Value in a New Digital Age” by David Furlonger and Christophe Uzureau
One of the best books on the theory and applications of blockchains in business. Powered by Gartner (a leading IT research company) know-how.
HBR 22 – “Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos” By Darell Rigby, Sarah Elk and Steve Berez
Bain and Co. knows it too well – too many companies migrating to the agile methodology end up doing it poorly and with low motivated employees. The authors dare to show a different path.
Agile HBR PRess book review – doitinvest.com
HBR 21 – “Bring Your Brain to Work – Using Cognitive Science to Get a Job, Do it Well and Advance Your Career” by Art Markman
One of the best books on self-development, especially when it comes to interviews approaches (as a candidate). Also great stuff about advancing your career after…
HBR 20 – “The Leader You Want to Be” by Amy Jen Su
How will you leave a footprint and a true legacy, without being perceived as over the top? How will your associates remember you? How do you accelerate your leadership?
Two Wharton professors on how to hyper-link your strategy pieces to beat any market competitor. Really interesting economics and competition book.
A HBR Press book review by doitinvest.com
HBR 18 – “Nine Lies About Work – A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World” by Markus Buckingam and Ashley Goodall
The common organization’s workplace is filled with myths: we crave feedback, fail to plan is plan to fail etc. The authors did some of the most serious research available on the workplace truths, so give it a shot.
HBR 17 – ”Reinventing the Organisation” by Arthur Yeung & Dave Ulrich
How to future proof a company in the brave new disrupted world.
“Reinventing the Organisation” – by Arthur Yeung and Dave Ulrich, a Harvard Business Review book
HBR 16 – “Everyday Chaos – Technology, Complexity and How We’re Thriving in a New World of Possibility ” – by David Weinberger
An exciting story on how the internet got out of hand and yet became an essential part of our lives, by one of its master theorists.
HBR 15 – “Master Your Next Move” – by Michael Watkins – going beyond your first 90 days as a sustainable leader.
HBR 14 – “How Finance Works – an MBA Masterclass” – by Mihir Desai – a crash course on modern finance from a Harvard Business School Professor.
HBR 13 – “Good Charts Workbook” by Scott Berinato – a fascinating journey in the mind, tools and results of a dataviz – and on how to visualize your data.
How can you achieve the next level in charting presentations?
How to become a convincing Dataviz – and thus a more valued member of any organizational team.
HBR 11 – “8 Steps to High Performance“ Focus On What You Can Change (Ignore the Rest)” by Marc Effron
Do you imagine yourself as a brilliant leader, who always delivers despite the adversities? Then you probably are a great leader – and this is not enough – this book shows you how to go beyond.
HBR 10 – “Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI” – book by Paul Daugherty and H. James Wilson
To paraphrase a famous song – „Are we humans or are we machines“? And how will AI change the future of work? Read on to find out.
HBR 9 – Entering StartUpLand“ By Jeffrey Busgang
These Rotman School of Management professors gave machine learning and AI a new twist – an economical one. Do you want to know how machine learning will really help out your business? Read on then.
Doitinvest.com reviews another hot machine learning book from HBR – Prediction Machines.
HBR 7 – “Six Simple Rules – How to Manage Complexity without Getting Complicated” by Yves Morieux
HBR 6 – “Power Cues – The Subtle Science of Leading Groups” by Nick Morgan
HBR 4 – “Big Data at Work” by Thomas Davenport
HBR 2 – “Project Management for Profit” by Knight, Thomas and Angus – a Book Review
HBR 1 – “Playing to Win – How Strategy Really Works” by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin
Other financial and business books worth reading:
“Why I Left Goldman Sachs: A Wall Street Story” by Greg Smith
“Derivatives- Principles and Practice” by Rangarajan K. Sundaram and Sanjiv R. Das