Books that made me a better entrepreneur

There is no such thing as the greatest books. As well as books-you-can’t-afford-to-ignore, or books-you-won’t-succeed-without, or particularly books-that-turn-you-into-Steve-Jobs-or-Bill-Gates-(depending-on-what-time-of-a-day-you-read-them).* Reading is an individual process if not to say intimate. Any book that helped you grow or become a better self or simply have awfully joyful time is the best one.

The biggest thing about books, if you ask me, is that each one works. Each one can give you something handy, depending on what you want to get from reading it. «What do I want from this book» is a crucial question for me. And if I dare and try to answer this question, the one valuable thing I’m hunting in each book is new mental models.

says Farnam Street in their article. You see, our brain tends to simplify reality because reality is too complicated for even such a powerful thing as the brain. This chopped simulation that each human sees, feels and understands as «the world» is called a mental model. It’s a simplified representation of how everything works.

Unfortunately (or luckily) you can’t embrace the whole complexity of the reality. Humans are bound to live in a narrow pipe of their sight. However, you can open yourself to new mental models. Actually, you can learn as many of them as you find worthwhile. Each mental model is a lens that gives you a privilege to look at any issue from a unique point of view. The more mental models you have in your toolbox, the more chances that you’ll be making the right decisions.

There are lots of «ready-to-use» mental models to find in the vastness of the internet. But books are a great source of them too as long as they represent points of view or expertise of their authors. So, what I want is to see the world through the eyes of another person.

Here is the list of 13 books that boosted me with mental models and made me a better entrepreneur (links alert!). Oh, and it’s followed by a humble suggestion on what to do with this list.

The very ugly list of books I wish it was me who wrote them

1. The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt.

A tale of a man who had ninety days to save the factory. The story gave me chills, and it’s not merely gripping but useful too. It explains the idea of the Theory of Constraints, a mental model vital for every manager.

2. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

A famous psychologist offers a state of mind called flow and explains how to enter this state. Working in flow means to immerse yourself in the task, feeling deep enjoyment and involvement with it. A great book to learn how to get high on anything you do.

3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

The ultimate insight on how our brains work from the godfather of behavioral economics. Also, it’s a treasure trove of cognitive biases that only can be bitten by knowing how they work.

4. “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” by Richard Feynman.

The winner of the Nobel Prize in physics and unstoppable adventurer lays out stories of his life so unusual that they seem more of the tall tales. A joyful read teaches scientific approach and incredible chutzpah which, I believe, are mandatory for an entrepreneur.

5. Principles by Ray Dalio

The king of hedge funds who, after experiencing a colossal business breakdown, built his empire on the pillows of “idea meritocracy”. It’s a decision-making model where instead of jumping into the fallacy of «I’m right», you force the best ideas to go first and lead to the best decisions.

6. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Timeless classic offers the keys to fruitful communications with people. It won’t tell you how to hustle your way to the person’s heart by tricking, hacking or social engineering. Instead, it encourages the simple efforts to be a better friend, a better listener, a better leader, therefore a better person.

7. Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths.

An acknowledged author and a cognitive scientist show how to use mathematical approach and computer algorithms in daily life dealing with the problems and making efficient decisions. Another stash of ready-to-use mental models.

8. The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

The book is so renowned, its name speaks for itself. It’s always a good idea to be prepared for improbable. This book reveals the high destructive power of the events you least expect. These “one of a hundred” chances that will ruin your company.

9. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

For me, Stephen got it right on the nail. He articulated and streamlined the ideas that I had for a long time but in a rather unshaped and messy pile. This book renders 7 simple habits that put your life on rails.

If your schedule is overloaded, here is the 3-minute listicle on the habits by Blinkist.

10. Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday.

This book had a massive impact on me. I do believe that the ego is the root of most of the human’s problems. It blinds us to our faults driving to disastrous events. Here are some alluring examples of people who shaped history by fighting their egos and putting the higher goals to the fore.

11. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.

Another famous book that needs no introduction. It teaches a good lesson: the obvious is not the truth because correlation does not imply causation. Learning from facts instead of relying on your feelings or intuition can save your life sometimes.

12. On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.

One of the most progressive books on understanding how the human brain works. I have always been fascinated by neuroscience and studies on intelligence. But this book got a tight grip on my… well, it caught me completely. Here, Jeff Hawkins, the creator of the PalmPilot gadgets, set up his theory on why computers are not really intelligent yet and how to go for it.

13. Games of Strategy by Avinash K. Dixit, Susan Skeath.

Well, it’s a book on Game theory. It explains games humanity is playing all the time. Politics, economics, businesses, wars, employment, education, road traffic, and even relations with your loved ones — every part of our life is a playground. Many of the rules you’ve already learned intuitively. Here, the authors help you to streamline this knowledge and use it as a strategic advantage.

So, here are the 13 books that influenced me the most. But, hey, as I said, it’s not a “YOU-MUST-READ-IT” kind of list. Rather modest propositions based on my very personal pursuits.

So, the only suggestion I could dare to give here is — screw this list! Every book is a source of new mental models. Every book that made you tingle all over with joy is the greatest book ever made on this and any other planet.

So never stop reading and, hey, I’m dying to know what books you guys found the most inspiring. Shoot it in comments, I need new stuff to read! :)

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*And of course brand-new updated edition “books-that-turn-you-into-Steve-Jobs-or-Bill-Gates-(depending-on-what-time-of-day-you-read-them)-or-Mark-Zuckerberg-(in-case-you’re-reading-it-in-public)-or-Warren-Buffet-(if-you’re-lucky-enough-to-resell-it-twice-the-price)