Happy New Year! - Top 40

As we launch strongly into 2020 (can you believe it's 2020?) I wondered what could really be useful to our community of entrepreneurs?

I recently was talking with with a former boss/friend, who I always considered more of a mentor, with a door that was open to all, and an infectious laugh that was accented by his Tennessee drawl. He even pushed a lemonade cart down the halls of our department just so he could hear how people were doing and what he could do to help them in their jobs. He knew the importance of strong working relationships and how loyalty was developed in a company.   If Norman was getting a cup of coffee in the kitchen he'd be the first to greet you with a huge smile and say, "what great things are in store for you today?"

To say Norman is a prolific learner and reader would be an understatement. He reads more than any person I know - and the perfect person to ask "what book would you recommend on this subject?" Over the course of almost a year, Norman set a goal for himself to deliver the very best article, every business day, and finish with a weekly review of the best books he'd read. The culmination of this work lead to his list of The 40 Best Books of Striving Strategically. Found at his blog Striving Strategically, the list is his way of providing, "the most useful thing you’ll read on any given day based on what I curate from my own research." I don't know about you, but I have very little time to sit down and read a 200 page (or 20 page) book on leadership, efficiencies or performance measures. Hence Norman's expertise - his ability to read and unpack the essence of what an author is trying to convey in a manner that is understandable. He has written hundreds of book reports, chock full of condensed knowledge - knowledge that he gladly shares with others searching for answers. 

So, I now share this amazing list "The 40 Best Books of Striving Strategically" with you - because sharing and spreading knowledge is important at The Lightning Jar - it's what builds and supports an entrepreneurial ecosystem filled with creative people wanting to learn, create and build.

Here are the first 20, but all 40 provide amazing insights. Hope they prove helpful in making your business dreams come true - Happy 2020!: 
 
The Best Book On Strategy: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy ;
The Best Book For Decision-Making: Sources of Power;
The Best Book To Cure “Busy”: Essentialism;
The Best Book For Self-Improvement: How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big;
The Best Book To Understand Data: Naked Statistics;
The Best Book For Lean Management: The Lean Startup;
The Best Books For Understanding Purpose: Man’s Search For Meaning + Bad Blood ;
The Best Book For Second-Year Managers: First, Break All The Rules; 
The Best Book For Fixing Your Worldview: Factfulness; and
The Best Book For Confronting Issues: Difficult Conversations
​The Best Book For Introducing Business Strategy: Playing To Win
The Best Book For Creating Change: Switch;
The Best Book To Introduce Behavioral Economics: Nudge;
The Best Book For Making Change Successful: Transitions;
The Best Book for Examining Our Motivations: On Desire;
The Best Book To Know What To Say: Words That Work;
The Best Book To Understand Uncertainty: The Black Swan: 
The Best Book For Organizational Development: Work Rules! ;
The Best Book For Negotiation: Never Split The Difference; and
The Best Book For Starting A Data-Driven Practice: Lean Analytics