Chapters Indigo MBA
Reading through the Chapters Indogo MBA list has been one of the best things I've done in the last five years. I've really loved the books, and so many people that I've told about this have been fascinated about how it works. Put simply, there are 20 (or so) books that Chapters / Indigo has put forth as sample courseware for an MBA program. Business literature fascinates me, and so I found this idea irresistible.
Essentially, what Chapters says is that if you read through this list, you'll more or less come away with the same head-knowledge that a typical MBA student would have (without the student loans, or the hoops to jump through).
Check out the Chapters / Indigo MBA site here.
Reading this material has really helped
I by no means feel like this reading list is as valuable as a classroom MBA - but I do feel that it's allowed me to up my game professionally.
When people talk to me about this list, and the books I've read, they usually ask me what books I'd recommend. My answer is "All of them!"
That said, if I had to recommend three books, I would tell you to read:
1) Getting Things Done - David Allen - This book will revolutionize your life if you take what David Allen says seriously. It is an absolute masterpiece of un-common sense in learning how to organize your daily life.
2) Made to Stick - Dan and Chip Heath - I've never looked at telling a story the same after reading this book. The Heath's give a very simple and memorable checklist for how to write a scintillating testimonial... make it a Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Story.
3) The Four Hour Work Week - Tim Ferriss - I actually added this to the list based on a recommendation from a colleague of mine. This is one of those books that leaves you with your head spinning. The basic premise of this book is to use different strategies to improve the quality of your life, and give you more freedom to do the things you like.
Other books I've read off this list:
Moneyball - Charles Lewis
Jack - Jack Welch
Why We Buy - Paco Underhill
Strengths Finder 2.0 - Tom Rath
Good to Great - Jim Collins
Getting to Yes - Roger Fisher
The Big Short - Michael Lewis
The Opposable Mind
The Blue Ocean Strategy
If this really piques your interest, and you'd like to talk to me about it, JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING
