Savvy Business and High Level Performance Reading Curriculum

Traditional education and I are not good friends. I attempted to get a 4 year degree in business with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and it didn't work out. I don't have good study skills and I have a chip on my shoulder as it relates to homework (which I think is just busy work). Add to that the cost of tuition and books and I've sworn it off forever. I do however think of myself as an educated person. In addition to the education I have derived from real life experience (which of course has no equal) I am an avid reader (or listener if you think listening to books doesn't count as reading). Naturally, since learning by reading is something I am passionate about I'm always recommending books to people based on what they are looking to do/learn/change. Yesterday I was accused of “having a book for everything.”

On occasion I do run into people who ask more broadly for a book list that I would recommend. I have developed this book list for individuals who I am mentoring and I thought it would be appropriate to share it here. Since I'm always reading new books and discovering older books that are really awesome I will return to this post to update it when I find a new golden nugget I think has to be on this MUST READ list. (Click here for my article on how you can double the number of books you read)

Lastly, before I give you the list, let me disclaim that I'm listing these books in an order that I think naturally builds on itself. If you are looking for books about a specific subject you may want to jump around. Also, if you are looking for a good book list based on specific business or personal development categories you may want to check Josh Kaufman's 99 Best Books List. He originally built the book as a curriculum he calls the Personal MBA. Since then he has written his own book which summarizes all the principles (listed below).

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
2. Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
3. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
4. Good to Great by Jim Collins
5. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
6. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Cargnegie
7. The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
8. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
9. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
10. Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
11. The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris
12. Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
13. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
14. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
15. Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
16. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
17. Start With Why by Simon Sinek
18. The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
19. Tribes by Seth Godin
20. What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
21. Getting Things Done by David Allen
22. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
23. The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
24. Built to Last by Jim Collins
25. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
26. First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham
27. To Sell is Human by Dan Pink
28. Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard
29. The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas Stanley & William Danko