Newly Corporate

When I put together a list of readings or books I need to complete I need two things, a budget and a time frame. Without a mechanism to drive me to complete the books I am reading I often fall behind. In my first trip to the Seattle library (that takes care of the budget) after relocating I discovered an automated way to not only obtain the books I wanted to read (wow the library, big discovery right?) but, an electronic system that pushes me to complete each book in a timely fashion when used correctly.

How do you keep up with the reading list?

The Seattle library and many others, have great websites that allow you to put holds on books, then alert you via email when each book is ready and how long you have to pick it up. It will also let you know how many other people have holds on the book you want before you put your hold on it. By looking at the number of holds on each of the books I wanted, I quickly selected the one that was immediately available and then staggered the rest of my books with increasing numbers of holds so that I would have the next book I wanted right about when I should have the current one finished.

Not wanting to leave half of a feast on the table, I am motivated to finish my current book so I can return it to pick up the next one as it comes available. Thus far, this method has helped me save money by avoiding my compulsion to buy a stack of books when I see a large number of holds at the library and, it allows me to harness the holds in order to drive reading list completion.

Why are they for “Rogue Professionals”?

They deviate from mainstream business perspectives on entreprenureship, business education, organizational behavior and other corporate topics. They provide a fresh perspective to augment any college degree. I want to credit selections from BNET’s 10 Underrated Business Books and 10 Overrated Business Books (and What to Read Instead) lists as my starting point to which I added a number of others. They are listed in the manner that is structured according to holds and my desire to read them. So, now that you have a methodology to help motivate you throughout your reading experience , a way to get your books for “free”, and the selection criteria, here are my picks. I will update this post with links to my reviews of each book as I complete them.

The Books

1. “Managers Not MBAs: A hard look at the soft practice of managing and management development” by Henry Mintzberg (Berrett-Koehler, 2005)

2. “The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki

3. “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More” by Chris Anderson (Hyperion, 2006)

4. “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly” by David Meerman Scott (Wiley, 2007)

5. “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It” by Michael E. Gerber (Collins, 1995)

6. “Rules for Revolutionaries” by Guy Kawasaki

7. “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow, 2006)

8. “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich (Holt Paperbacks, 2002)

9. “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini (Collins, 2006)

10. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie (Pocket, 1998)

11. “China, Inc. How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World” by Ted C Fishman

12. “Brazen Careerist The New Rules for Success” by Penelope Trunk

13. “Getting Past No Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation” by William Ury

14. “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferris

15. “A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing” by Burton G. Malkiel (W.W. Norton, 2007)