The 15 Best Business Books Of 2016

The time has come. What have you been reading?

From my side of the bookmark, 2016 saw a slew of new and interesting business books for us to devour. Here are my personal top fifteen business books of 2016… in alphabetical order….

1. The Age of Discovery - Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance by Ian Golden and Chris Kutarna. Welcome to the second big Renaissance of our existence. It’s a great time to be alive, but it comes with challenges. Look for my conversation with Chris in the coming weeks on Six Pixels of Separation – The Mirum Podcast.
2. The Attention Merchants – The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu. Brands don’t want to just capture your attention, now they’re also in the business of re-selling it. Welcome to the new world of messaging.  
3. Blockchain Revolution - How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World by Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott. A new and disruptive technology explained by one of the industries Godfathers (and his brilliant son). You can also listen to my conversation with Alex and Done about the book, right here: SPOS #512 – Blockchain Revolution With Alex And Don Tapscott.
4. Deep Work – Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. Can you focus without distraction and get your important work done? Few can. Here’s why… and how to fix it.
5. Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday. Conquer your ego… this is where true “success” will lie for you. You can also listen to my conversation with Ryan about the book, right here: SPOS #525 – Ego Is The Enemy With Ryan Holiday.
6. Hug Your Haters – How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers by Jay Baer. Eighty percent of companies say they deliver out­standing customer service, but only 8 percent of their customers agree. This book is how you close that gap. You can slo listen to my conversation with Jay about the book, right here: SPOS #507 – Jay Baer Wants You To Hug Your Haters.
7. Illuminate - Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. If you want to move people to embrace bold changes, you have to understand how to illuminate them with persuasive communication. You can also listen to my conversation with Nancy and Pattie about the book, right here: SPOS #520 – Illuminate With Nancy Duarte And Patti Sanchez.
8. The Inevitable - Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future by Kevin Kelly. If you ask me which one book can put your ahead of the competition, in terms of where technology is going to take us, I would say, “this one!” You can also listen to my conversation with Kevin about the book, right here: SPOS #526 – Kevin Kelly On The Promise And Future Of Technology.
9. Invisible Influence - The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior by Jonah Berger. There are subtle, secret influences that affect the decisions that we make. Do you know what they are? You can also listen to my conversation with Jonah about the book, right here: SPOS #519 – Invisible Influence With Jonah Berger.
10. Originals - How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant. What is the best way to champion new ideas, go against the grain, battle conformity and drive it to market? This book is about original ideas and how to get allies behind it. 
11. Simply Brilliant – How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways by William C. Taylor. Fast Company co-founder looks at game-chasing innovations from companies and industries that will surprise and inspire you. It’s not who you think! You can also listen to my conversation with Bill about the book, right here: SPOS #535 – Simply Brilliant With William C. Taylor.   
12. TED Talks - The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson. A book that deconstructs what makes a great TED Talk, while, at the same time helping to make all of your presentations ideas worth spreading.   
13. Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus – How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity by Douglas Rushkoff. Just because companies like Facebook, Google and Uber are worth billions of dollars, it does not mean that prosperity is abound for all of us. Brilliant writing from my favorite media theorist. You can also listen to my conversation with Douglas about the book, right here: SPOS #504 – The Modern Economy With Douglas Rushkoff.
14. Under New Management – How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business As Usual by David Burkus. Do open floor plans really work? Are there companies that put their employees’ welfare first, and their clients second? Are annual performance reviews necessary? Welcome to the latest thinking on business management. You can also listen to my conversation with David about the book, right here: SPOS #505 – Under New Management With David Burkus.
15. Utopia Is Creepy – And Other Provocations by Nicholas Carr. Maybe we shouldn’t be all that cheery about Silicon Valley and everything that it is has done to our culture, brains, education and work. Here’s a different perspective via compiled blog posts and articles. Look for my conversation with Nicholas in the coming weeks on Six Pixels of Separation – The Mirum Podcast.

What does your list of best business books for 2016 look like?