What do they read at the world’s top business schools?

Blackwell's Bookshop
Blackwell’s Insight
3 min readMay 22, 2017

What would you be given to read if you enrolled onto an ExecEd programme at a top business school? There is an essential bookshelf, and here are four of the best titles.

  1. Good to Great by Jim Collins

Since its publication in 2001, Good to Great has been a must-read for anyone studying for an MBA. From reams of research, Collins identifies eleven “great companies” and assesses how they became great over comparable companies of a similar type. Seven characteristics in common are pin-pointed, including the Hedgehog Concept — essentially the principle that those who focus on one simple objective will triumph over those trying to focus on many. Paradoxically, some of the companies hailed as great by Collins have since fallen on tougher times, such as Fannie Mae and Circuit City.

Available from Blackwell’s at £21.99

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/bookshop/product/Good-to-Great-by-Jim-Collins/9780712676090

2. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

This collection of insights into the human mind from Nobel prize-winner Daniel Kahneman, the godfather of behavioural economics, has inspired individuals and organisations alike since its publication in 2011. It is impossible to describe in a single bite, but includes some fantastic mind experiments to try on yourself, and will make you think very differently about your own sense of business judgement.

Available from Blackwell’s at £7.69

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/bookshop/product/Thinking-Fast-and-Slow-by-Daniel-Kahneman/9780141033570

3. Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher & William Ury

The bible of principle-based negotiation. Full of good advice for real-world application. The late Roger Fisher’s bestseller is so popular it’s likely that anyone involved in business negotiation day-to-day will only encounter people who are already fully familiar with all the tricks in this book. However, as a starting point, it’s an essential.

Available from Blackwell’s at £9.99

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/bookshop/product/Getting-to-Yes-by-Roger-Fisher-William-Ury/9781847940933

4. Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? by Rob Goffee & Gareth Jones

Peter Drucker once said “management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things”. I haven’t found a better way of explaining the difference between management and leadership. Goffee and Jones argue convincingly that great leaders do not have a list of character traits in common, but are authentic individuals with varying leadership assets. Essentially, good leadership is “being yourself, in context, with skill”.

Available at Blackwell’s for £19.20

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/bookshop/product/Why-Should-Anyone-Be-Led-by-You-by-Rob-Goffee-Gareth-Jones/9781633691087

For bulk order enquiries, please contact tim.kilmartin@Blackwells.co.uk

See the full May 2017 Blackwell’s Insight here: https://www.canva.com/design/DACSfVDQF2k/ComT4uBcXkkjBhs_dgY1QA/view?utm_content=DACSfVDQF2k&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

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