Youth Incorporated Magazine

Reading is the best way to learn from people who have stumbled upon greatness. To gain knowledge, you have to read right.  Reading the thoughts, advice, and knowledge of various leaders can help us gain the understanding that could take us further in life.

To grow as an entrepreneur, things like good planning, team building, and disciplined habits are considered imperative to go from good to great. The following 9 books are considered timeless as they impart wisdom no matter how recent the publication date.

Shoe Dog

Nike as a company was not built as an endgame but more like a means to a greater good. That is seen in the writing of Charles Duhigg. This book will kick start your life with good routines that will improve your business experience on the whole. It might make you rethink everything you do, good or bad. Whether it’s your phone habits or reading habits, you can program them to your advantage.

The Power of Habit

Phil Knight has written an inspiring book for anyone, entrepreneur or not. It’s a story of true perseverance from Phil Knight, and it confirms what you might already think, but are afraid to admit: There is no such thing as an overnight success. It teaches a person a lot about resilience and how staying

The Score Takes Care of Itself

The author, Billy Walsh, might be a football coach but this book is much more of a business book than a sports read. Are these two concepts any different when we refer to chess in order to choose our next move to lead a company? The main indication is that a high-performing team is a team first, and a family second, whether it’s in an office or on the field.

Powerful

A short and an easy read, Powerful is written by a woman who helped build a powerful and effective culture at Netflix. Patty McCord has noted down a number of lessons that can be learned for own company. This book points out how HR is the most important team in any company.

The Hard Thing about Hard Things

Containing a series in articles about the renowned entrepreneur Ben Horowitz’s long and successful career, this book shed light on the constant difficult decisions and the thoughts that we take away after witnessing the ordeal faced by the author.

The Advantage

Building a high performing team takes perseverance, especially at a leadership level. At the end of the day, leadership has to be associated with everything. Patrick Lencioni points out that the key to organizational health is when every feature of the business including departments like management, operations, and culture is unified –and that starts with the individuals in charge.  

Principles by Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio’s take on principles at the individual level is a mesmerizing read. He follows something called radical transparency or candor–feedback that is direct and to the point, eschewing (to put it politely) political correctness. Dalio’s general philosophy is a whole different thing but the way he’s outlined the feedback section is constructive and helpful to a chaotic organization.

The Everything Store

The mindset of its founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has bared it all in his book. It’s an excellent and humanizing look into what pushes him. These days, Amazon is perceived as an iconic success, but in hindsight, this book reminds us that the company started in a garage. If your business requires frugality and tough decisions, this is the book to read.

The Innovator’s Dilemma

This book is packed with inspiration and relevance to the general principle that to be successful, you must seize the opportunity. This treasure written by Clayton Christensen is one of the oldest books on this list. Companies like Uber and Google will follow in the footsteps of companies like IBM and Intel which nudges us to keep our eyes in front and look forward to the future.