Top 10 Books Recommended by Successful People

1) Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Delving into the complexities of human decision-making

Thinking Fast and Slow has been recommended by many of the greats and is considered a masterpiece when it comes to social and general psychology. The book talks about thought processes such as emotional and intuitive. The way these thoughts are formulated and delivered.

Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Laureate and is a professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs. He is an Israeli American citizen and is also known for his works in the realm of economics.

Published Date: 2011

2) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Embrace Uniqueness

One of the top non fiction books recommended by Successful People, the Outliers analyses the tales of many successful people, teams and organizations and examines the factors which made them succeed. It focuses on how various cultural and social segments and factors that affect decision making as well as intelligence. It examines several personas including Bill Gates, Beatles, Oppenheimer, to Canadian Ice Hockey Teams.

Malcolm Gladwell is an English-born Canadian author, journalist and speaker who was a part of the famed New York Times.

Published Date: 1997

3) The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Dressing for Success

The Lean Startup is for the entrepreneurs among you! The book focuses on using scientific principles to achieve success in business, especially in startups. The startup culture is a very confusing and challenging one as you need to constantly battle many hurdles and not lose your innovative side which is the core of the business.

Building an MVP or Minimum Viable Product and addressing the "5 Whys" are two of the core takeaways from the book. One of the top Books Recommended by Successful People.

Eric Ries is a reputed Silicon Valley entrepreneur who had been part of many such startups including founding Catalyst Recruiting. The failure of this and the rest of his journey amongst the many startups in Silicon Valley prompted him to work on the book.

Published Date: 2011

4) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

A Timeless Classic

You can see this great work in almost every bookstall, big or small. The work as the name sounds showcases the habits that make successful people. These core habits are basically the ethics, values and natural laws which he has summed in a series of 7 habits that essentially transcend you from a state of dependence to independence.

Stephen R. Covey is an American born Businessman, educator and author. He has been named one of the 25 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 1996.

Published Date: 1989

5) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

A Guide to Charm and Influence

Another major classic that can be found in every successful person's library, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is a great book to help you navigate and achieve social success. It is both a self help book and social study that teaches you through different anecdotes and lessons on how to be more influential, which is one of the top skills needed for business success as well as networking.

It was written by Dale Carnegie who was an American author, lecturer and academian. This is definitely one of the top books Recommended by Successful People.

Published Date: 1936

6) The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Essence of Now - Carpe Diem!

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is a great book recommended by Successful People. It essentially speaks about being present in the moment. Translated into over 33 languages, it also tackles self-reflection and how people interact with several social situations as well as exercises.

Eckhart Tolle is a well known German spiritual author and teacher.

Published Date: 1997

7) The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Sartorial Wisdom and Best Seller

Don Miguel Ruiz's "The Four Agreements is a self help book that is essentially a code of conduct which again is inspired from the Toltec teachings ( Mesoamerican culture). The book helps people focus on "freedom," "happiness," and "love."

Don Miguel Ruiz was a Mexican author who specialized in Toltec spiritual and neo-shamanistic text and was a main proponent of the New Thought Movement. The book was a favourite among highly successful people and perhaps the biggest fan of the book was Oprah Winfrey. It was a bestseller for over a decade

Published Date: 1997

8)The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen

Innovative Elegance!

Clayton M. Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma" is a manifesto of innovation, and focuses on disruptive technologies. The very term was coined by Clayton M. Christensen. The book speaks about how great companies fall in front of disruptive technologies by not adapting to the current times. I think this is a great reminder for the 2020s, where the AI revolution has just begun.

Clayton M. Christensen is a businessman and a Harvard professor.

Published Date: 1997

PS: It is very curious that many of these books were written in 1997!

9) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

A Cultural Couture

One of the modern classics, Sapiens by Harari as the name sounds is a work that chronicles the journey of Homo Sapiens or Human beings throughout known history and how various philosophies, skills, as well as biological and social elements, impacted the way our civilization was crafted from the scratch.

Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli intellectual, historian and author. He is also a professor in the Department of History at the University of Jerusalem.

Published Date: 2011

10) Drive by Daniel H. Pink

Unveiling the Inner Drive

The last book in our series of amazing Books Recommended by Successful People, Drive written by Daniel H. Pink is all about how humans are motivated by intrinsic aspects. He examines those as mastery, autonomy and purpose. The book was called short and punchy for delivering facts presented in a simple yet powerful way.

Daniel H Pink is an American author and the chief speechwriter for Al Gore

Published Date: 2009

So we are at the end of our article, it was a rather fun experience and some of these books are my personal favourites.

Do you have any more recommendations, do let me know in the comments