Sunday, January 24, 2010

Best Business Books | 2009

Business -- a nice concept that didn't work out too well for millions of Americans in 2009.

It is challenging to identify an American who was not affected by The Great Recession. Yet, how many of us saw it coming? How many of us made adjustments once the storm arrived? How many of us have made the necessary corrections to get back on course and strengthen our ships to survive the next storm which will inevitably batter our shores?

Business Book Resources

What is not difficult is to identify are resources that can help us navigate the world of business, regardless of our choice of occupation. What follows is a quasi-scientific analysis of the Best Business Books of 2009.

An online search revealed 14 "Best of" lists from the following sources:

Best Business Books | Runners Up

All told, 118 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Thirteen books were mentioned on at least two lists (the Honorable Mention). Here are the eight books identified on at least three lists (the Runners Up):

Best Business Books | Winners

Two books were were mentioned four times on the "Best of" lists. And the two best business books of 2009 were . . .

  • Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—And Themselves
  • Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Too Big to Fail takes a look back and explores how we created the storm that crashed our economic ship. Trust Agents takes a look forward and explores how we can use social networks to build a stronger ship to weather the next storm.

Business Action

Identify one book from the lists above and commit to learning more about the business world. Making a study of best business practices can only help improve job prospects and career success as we move into a new decade.

[ NOTE: Facebook Fans of Beantown Web gain access to a list of the 13 additional books that found their way onto two lists (the Honorable Mention). Become a fan today! ]