Best Business Books | 2015

"What we really need is not more authors, 

or better publishers.  What we most need is 

a vastly better system to identify the books we will love."

TechCrunch

Beantown Web has developed such a system. For the eighth year running Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. These books are most likely to add value to your career.

This year's search began by identifying 11 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. Presented here are the results.

A total of 173 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Of these recommendations, 129 of these books were mentioned only once. An additional 21 books were mentioned on two lists. These 21 books have attained Honorable Mention status.

The Fifth Shelf

Seven books were mentioned on three lists and have been placed on the Fifth Shelf:

• Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader
• Do Over
• Extreme Ownership
• Friend & Foe
• Red Notice
• Rising Strong
• The Silo Effect

The Fourth Shelf

Six books were mentioned on four lists and have been placed on the Fourth Shelf:

• A Curious Mind
• Digital Gold
• How Music Got Free
• Phishing for Phools
• Superforecasting
• Team of Teams

The Third Shelf

Five books were mentioned on five lists and have been placed on the Third Shelf:

• Bold
• Losing the Signal
• Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!
• Triggers
• Unfinished Business

The Second Shelf

Two books were mentioned on six lists and have been placed on the Second Shelf:

• Rise of the Robots
• Work Rules!

The Top Shelf

Three books were mentioned on seven lists and have been placed on the Top Shelf:

• Elon Musk
• Leadership BS
• Misbehaving

Personal Recommendations

If 23 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The six highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 23 listed here) are as follows:

• Red Notice (4.41 rating out of 5.00)
• Extreme Ownership (4.28)
• Rising Strong (4.24)
• How Music Got Free (4.23)
• Elon Musk (4.22)
• Team of Teams (4.22)

These six books are now on my Short List.

I have read two of the three books on the Top Shelf and four of the 20 books on the remaining shelves. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• Elon Musk ★★★★★
• Extreme Ownership ★★★★
• Misbehaving ★★★★
• Rise of the Robots ★★★★★
• Team of Teams ★★★★
• Work Rules!  ★★★★★

You can access reviews of all 100+ books that I have read on Leadership and Strategy at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic well-being. The economy continues to improve and job growth continues to look promising in 2016.  You can help enhance your personal economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 10 pictured above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2016.  Of course, you can select all 10 books, read one per month (take some time off over the summer) and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

[ NOTE: The 21 Honorable Mention books, as well as, the 23 Best Business Books of 2015 listed here are being counted down on Twitter.  Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]

View recent Best Business Books blog postings.

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q1 2016

~ The West Wing -- most Emmy wins (9) for a Drama Series in its first season
~ Breaking Bad -- most Emmy wins (9) for a Drama Series in its final season
~ The Simpsons -- most Emmy nominations (9) for an Animated Program in a single year

These are indicators of high standards of performance on the acting stage.

In the recruiting industry nine remains the current standard for performance.  Technical recruiters need nine to make The List.  They need nine LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
 
Boston's Top 100 Technology Recruiters

In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?"  Welcome to the 14th installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 450 technology recruiters via LinkedIn.  Most are located in the Boston area.  Some are located in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and conduct a significant amount of business in the Boston area.

Beantown Web then turned to LinkedIn to identify customer satisfaction scores.  In particular, how many people were willing to provide a public recommendation for each recruiter?

Actors have Emmys and Oscars and Golden Globes.  For those of us who perform on different stages, we have LinkedIn recommendations to recognize our performance.  Less than 100 out of 450 technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least nine LinkedIn recommendations received.

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard.  The best in the recruiting business have received at least 48 LinkedIn recommendations each.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter of 2016 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Chris Fountas [107 + 9] -- Hollister Staffing
2. Scott Dunlop [96 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
3. Brendan Andersen [79 + 20] -- CyberCoders
4. Doug Schade [79 + 11] -- WinterWyman
5. Jamie LeBlanc [76 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
6. John VanderSande [65 + 2] -- WinterWyman
7. Roy Evans [53 + 20] -- CyberCoders
8. Danielle Lief [50 + 8] -- InnoTECH Staffing
9. Maureen Lawson [48 + 57] -- Clear Point Consultants
10. Phil Hurd [48 + 18] -- Oculus Search Partners LLC

Top 10 in Assists

Some actors are valuable because they receive the most applause.  Other actors are less heralded; they are particularly good at setting the stage for others.  This second list ranks "assists."  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"

The Top 10 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received] are as follows:

1. David Perlman [59 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Maureen Lawson [57 + 48] -- Clear Point Consultants
3. Scott Ragusa [38 + 25] -- WinterWyman
4. Tim Halloran [33 + 10] -- JVT Advisors
5. Marsh Sutherland [31 + 12] -- Walden Recruiting
6. Carol Taylor [30 + 18] -- Private Clients
7. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting, LLC
8. Brendan Anderson [20 + 79] -- CyberCoders
9. Roy Evans [20 + 53] -- CyberCoders
10. Sean Dowling [19 + 24] -- WinterWyman

Congratulations to Maureen Lawson, Brendan Anderson and Roy Evans for attaining Top 10 status on both the receiving and giving lists!  If you had only three recruiters to contact, why not start with these three?  [Full disclosure: I had the pleasure to have worked with Maureen Lawson at CDIA.  You can review my recommendation on her LinkedIn page.]

Team Scores

Now, for the team scores.  The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:

Gold Category:

• WinterWyman [7]

Silver Category:

• CyberCoders [5]

Bronze Category:

• PeopleSERVE Inc. [3]

Suggested Strategy

There are no live broadcasts on network television that document technical recruiting excellence.  In fact, there is no single measure we can all agree on to decide which recruiter or recruiting firm might work best for you as a candidate or as a hiring manager.

However, there is one place to start your search.  It is the same place many of us start when buying a car, or looking for a plumber or finding a dentist.  That place is personal recommendations.  LinkedIn provides personal recommendations.

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then consider working with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service in the form of personal recommendations -- both receiving them and giving them.

The List of Boston's Rockstar Recruiters is made available exclusively to the 400+ Web Design and Web Development alumni of CDIA, some of the most talented designers and developers I have had the pleasure to teach, mentor and collaborate with.  You will hear more about the CDIA Alumni in the very near future.  Until then, rock on!

The list of the most recommended technical recruiters in the Boston metro area is being counted down throughout the quarter on the Beantown Web page on Facebook.

[ NOTE: You can follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook. ]

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q4 2015

Job growth accelerated in October and the unemployment rate declined to 5.0 percent.  Beantown Web's quarterly Boston Web Tech Job Market analysis confirms that the job market, especially for web technology workers, continues to expand.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the fourth quarter. It appears in the right-hand column and below.  This list is based on keyword searches in job postings at Indeed.com. The most in-demand keywords are listed more frequently than less in-demand keywords.

Indeed.com is a meta-search engine that offers a maximum number of search possibilities.  All searches encompass a 25-mile radius of Boston.  Search parameters can be adjusted to fit your personal needs.  Indeed helps more people get hired than any other job site.

Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 25 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [  or  from early July ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

November, 2015

1. SQL | 5,923 10%
2. Java | 3,967 3%
3. agile *** | 3,715 5%
4. JavaScript | 3,105 5%
5. Oracle | 2,662 10%
6. Python | 2,321 2%
7. social media | 2,229 7%
8. Web Services | 1,662 2%
9. SaaS | 1,659 6%
10. C# | 1,601 4%
11. iOS | 1,564 40%
12. SQL Server | 1,400 0%
13. HTML + CSS | 1,399 6%
14. XML | 1,239 3%
15. UI | 1,197 9%
16. scrum *** | 1,195 3%
17. jQuery | 1,190 10%
18. Android | 1,181 56%
    
19. Perl | 1,042 0%
20. MySQL | 1,007 3%
21. Ruby | 994 6%
22. AWS | 935 6%
    
23. Git | 911 14%
24. PHP | 848 8%
25. UX | 799 7%
    

Recommended Strategy

Select five technical skills in the Top 25 and focus on becoming proficient -- if not expert -- in each technology.  What are your top five technology skills?

• ________________________
• ________________________
• ________________________
• ________________________
• ________________________

List three links to projects that demonstrate your proficiency in these technologies?

• ________________________
• ________________________
• ________________________

Guard against being distracted by "shiny new object" skills that are not listed in the Top 25.  Without having solid core skills in high-demand technologies, you may not experience an optimum return-on-investment in terms of time and energy invested in becoming proficient at lower-demand technical skills.

To help you develop your technical skills consider joining Boston PHP Meetup and participating in one of the following virtual self-study groups:

Git Lunch, Season 1
jQuery jAM, Season 6
HTML5 Brunch, Season 6
PHP Percolate, Season 8
Drupal Diner, Season 2

[Full Disclosure: The author of this blog is one of the co-organizers of Boston PHP Meetup.]

Boston's Top 100 Web Technologies

An expanded version of this list -- Top 100 Web Technologies in Boston -- is being counted down for the next two months @webapprentices.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook today. ]

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q4 2015

~ Boston's professional sports teams -- won nine championships in the 21st Century
~ Martina Navratilova -- won Wimbledon (singles) nine times
~ Rafael Nadal -- won the French Open (singles) nine times

These are indicators of high standards of performance in the arena of professional sports.

In the recruiting industry nine becomes the new standard for performance.  Technical recruiters need nine to make The List.  They need nine LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
 
Boston's Top 100 Technology Recruiters

In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?"  Welcome to the 13th installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 450 technology recruiters via LinkedIn.  Most are located in the Boston area.  Some are located in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and conduct a significant amount of business in the Boston area.

Beantown Web then turned to LinkedIn to identify customer satisfaction scores.  In particular, how many people were willing to provide a public recommendation for each recruiter?

Professional athletes have championship trophies.  For those of us who perform on different playing fields, we have LinkedIn recommendations to recognize our performance.  Less than 100 out of 450 technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least nine LinkedIn recommendations received.

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard.  The best in the recruiting business have received at least 42 LinkedIn recommendations each.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the fourth quarter of 2015 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Chris Fountas [104 + 9] -- The Ceres Group
2. Scott Dunlop [95 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
3. Brendan Andersen [76 + 20] -- CyberCoders
4. Doug Schade [76 + 11] -- WinterWyman
5. Jamie LeBlanc [76 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
6. John VanderSande [65 + 2] -- WinterWyman
7. Roy Evans [50 + 19] -- CyberCoders
8. Danielle Lief [45 + 8] -- InnoTECH Staffing
9. Bill Sullivan [43 + 6] -- The Tyche Project
10. Albert De La Vega [42 + 0] -- Strategic Employment Partners (SEP, Inc.)

Top 10 in Assists

Some players are valuable because they score a lot of points.  Others pass the ball effectively.  This second list ranks "assists."  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"

The Top 10 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the fourth quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received] are as follows:

1. David Perlman [59 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Scott Ragusa [38 + 25] -- WinterWyman
3. Tim Halloran [34 + 10] -- JVT Advisors
4. Marsh Sutherland [31 + 12] -- Walden Recruiting
5. Carol Taylor [30 + 18] -- Private Clients
6. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting, LLC
7. Brendan Anderson [20 + 76] -- CyberCoders
8. Roy Evans [19 + 50] -- CyberCoders
9. Phil Hurd [17 + 34] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
10. Sean Dowling [17 + 23] -- WinterWyman

Congratulations to both Brendan Anderson and Roy Evans for attaining Top 10 status on both the receiving and giving lists!

Team Scores

Now, for the team scores.  The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:

Gold Category:

• WinterWyman [7]

Silver Category:

• CyberCoders [5]

Bronze Category:

• PeopleSERVE Inc. [3]
  

Suggested Strategy

There are no live broadcasts on ESPN that document technical recruiting excellence.  In fact, there is no single measure we can all agree on to decide which recruiter or recruiting firm might work best for you as a candidate or as a hiring manager.

However, there is one place to start your search.  It is the same place many of us start when buying a car, or looking for a plumber or finding a dentist.  That place is personal recommendations.  LinkedIn provides personal recommendations.

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then consider working with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service in the form of personal recommendations.

The List of Boston's Rockstar Recruiters is made available exclusively to the 400+ Web Design and Web Development alumni of CDIA, some of the most talented designers and developers I have had the pleasure to teach, mentor and collaborate with.  You will hear more about the CDIA Alumni in the very near future.  Until then, rock on!

[ NOTE: You can follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook. ]

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q3 2015

~ Aretha Franklin -- won eight Grammy Awards in a row (1968 to 1975)
~ Michael Jackson -- won eight Grammy Awards in one night (1984)
~ Metallica -- won eight Grammy Awards over their career

These are indicators of high standards of performance in the music industry.

In the recruiting industry eight remains the current standard for performance.  Technical recruiters need eight to make The List.  They need eight LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
 
Boston's Top 100 Technology Recruiters

In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?"  Welcome to the 12th installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 400 technology recruiters via LinkedIn.  Most are located in the Boston area.  Some are located in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and conduct a significant amount of business in the Boston area.

Beantown Web then turned to LinkedIn to identify customer satisfaction scores.  In particular, how many people were willing to provide a public recommendation for each recruiter?

Musical performers have Grammy Awards.  For those of us who perform on different career stages, we have LinkedIn recommendations to recognize our performance.  Only 100 out of 400 technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least eight LinkedIn recommendations received.

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard.  The best in the recruiting business have received at least 40 LinkedIn recommendations each.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the third quarter of 2015 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Chris Fountas [102 + 9] -- The Ceres Group
2. Scott Dunlop [95 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
3. Brendan Andersen [76 + 20] -- CyberCoders
4. Doug Schade [76 + 11] -- WinterWyman
5. Jamie LeBlanc [75 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
6. John VanderSande [65 +2] -- WinterWyman
7. Roy Evans [48 + 19] -- CyberCoders
8. Danielle Lief [45 + 8] -- InnoTECH Staffing
9. Chris Mitchell [41 + 4] --  WinterWyman
10. Bill Sullivan [40 + 6] -- The Tyche Project

Top 10 in Assists

Some players are valuable because they score a lot of points.  Others pass the ball effectively.  This second list ranks "assists."  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"

The Top 10 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received] are as follows:

1. David Perlman [59 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Scott Ragusa [38 + 25] -- WinterWyman
3. Marsh Sutherland [32 + 12] -- Walden Recruiting
4. Carol Taylor [29 + 17] -- Private Clients
5. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting, LLC
6. Brendan Anderson [20 + 76] -- CyberCoders
7. Roy Evans [19 + 48] -- CyberCoders
8. Phil Hurd [17 + 34] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
9. Sean Dowling [17 + 23] -- WinterWyman 
10. Nagesh Kumar Gona [16 + 29] -- XpertTech, Inc. 
11. Jeff Sweet [16 + 21] -- VLink, Inc.

Congratulations to both Brendan Anderson and Roy Evans for attaining Top 10 status on both the receiving and the giving lists!

Team Scores

Now, for the team scores.  The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:

Gold Category:

• WinterWyman [7]

Silver Category:

• CyberCoders [5]

Bronze Category:

• Global Technical Talent, Inc. [4]

Honorable Mention:

• PeopleSERVE Inc. [3]
• Softworld [3]
  

Suggested Strategy

There are no televised awards ceremonies for technical recruiting performance.  There is no single measure we can all agree on to decide which recruiter or recruiting firm might work best for you as a candidate or as a hiring manager.

However, there is one place to start your search.  It is the same place many of us start when buying a car, or looking for a plumber or finding a dentist.  That place is personal recommendations.  LinkedIn provides personal recommendations.

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then consider working with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service in the form of personal recommendations.

The List of Boston's Rockstar Recruiters is made available exclusively to the 400+ Web Design and Web Development alumni of CDIA, some of the most talented designers and developers I have had the pleasure to teach, mentor and collaborate with.  You will hear more about the CDIA Alumni in the very near future.  Until then, rock on!

[ NOTE: You can follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook. ]

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q3 2015

Of the more than 11,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 24 percent anticipate increasing staff levels in the third quarter of 2015, the highest percentage of employers adding staff since the third quarter of 2008!  Beantown Web's Boston Web Tech Job Market analysis for the third quarter confirms the results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the third quarter. It appears in the right-hand column and below.  This list is based on keyword searches in job postings at Indeed.com. The most in-demand keywords are listed more frequently than less in-demand keywords.

Indeed.com is a meta-search engine that offers a maximum number of search possibilities.  All searches encompass a 25-mile radius of Boston.  Search parameters can be adjusted to fit your personal needs.

Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 25 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [  or  from early April ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

July, 2015

1. SQL | 6,566 3%
2. Java | 4,080 3%
3. agile *** | 3,538 8%
4. Oracle | 2,967 2%
5. JavaScript | 2,944 0%
6. Python | 2,280 6%
7. social media | 2,086  14%
8. Web Services | 1,634 7%
9. SaaS | 1,560 5%
10. C# | 1,534 9%
11. SQL Server | 1,396 3%
12. HTML + CSS | 1,322 7%
13. UI | 1,314  11%
14. XML | 1,281 6%
15. scrum *** | 1,159 8%
16. iOS | 1,114 53%
17. jQuery | 1,079 7%
18. Ruby | 1,054  12%
19. Perl | 1,047 4%
20. MySQL | 1,039 0%
21. PHP | 923  3%
22. AWS | 882 35%
23. UX | 863 7%
24. SharePoint | 825  2%
25. Photoshop | 814 5%

*** Note: While "agile" and "scrum" are not technologies, they are methodologies used in technology development.  These two  keywords appear in many web development job descriptions.  Experience with "agile" and "scrum" is often preferred, if not required, in many web development jobs.

Recommended Strategy

Select five technical skills in the Top 25 and focus on becoming proficient -- if not expert -- in each technology.  What are your top five technology skills?  What projects can you link to that demonstrate expertise in these technologies?  For example, you can view a Smarterer Scorecard of my top technical and business skills.  You can also access information about the projects I am currently working on at Web Apprentices.

Guard against being distracted by "shiny new object" skills that are not listed in the Top 25.  Without having solid core skills in high-demand technologies, you may not experience an optimum return-on-investment in terms of time and energy invested in becoming proficient at lower-demand technical skills.

Boston's Top 100 Web Technologies

An expanded version of this list -- Boston's Top 100 Web Technologies -- is being counted down for the next three months @webapprentices.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook today. ]