homeresumeweblogbookstore
You are here: home - kd bookstore - general business
general business

Bolded titles with a photo are books I own and recommend.  Others were found through links or recommendations from other sources,  recommendations from friends, or amazon purchase circles/suggestions.

Books are listed in no particular order.

The Gifted Boss - How to Find, Create and Keep Great Employees
Dale Dauten; hardcover (June 1999)

Machiavelli on Modern Leadership
Michael Arthur Ledeen; sofcover (May 1999)
I always liked The Prince so this book with references to principles and observations contained in The Prince with examples from today of how Machiavelli's principles still apply was interesting for me.  Machiavelli himself used the present day references of his own time to make his observations understandable by readers.  This is an update by an author who is schooled in philosophy.  A great read.

Jack: Straight From The Gut
Jack Welch, John A. Byrne; hardcover (September 2001)
My Dad sent me this last Christmas.  I just finished it after picking it up and putting it down many times.  The stories Jack tells are interesting.  My favorite part is really contained within only 12 pages in Chapter 24 "What This CEO Thing is All About".  These pages are where you get the most concise and valuable nuggets of experience and advice that I was hoping for in the book.
A Book of Five Rings
Miyamoto Musashi, Victor Harris (translator); hardcover (June 1992)
Recommended for Homestore employees when Stuart Wolff was CEO.  I have not read it yet but intend to.  Looks interesting.  Will have to stretch to draw business analogies from it I think after a short glance.
The Art of Innovation
Tom Kelley; hardcover (January 16, 2001)
Also given to me by Michael Tchao, former VP of Customer Experience at move.com.  This one was a parting gift when move.com was shuttered, I joined Homestore, and Michael moved on.  Lots of neat ideas in here about how to think about products, assemble teams, and inspire creativity.  I definitely recommend it.
Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity
John Kao; Paperback (May 1997)
Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million
John Lucht. Hardcover (September 2000)
This is the best career book I have read bar none.  It focuses on how to execute a senior level job search.  It's most valuable content is in the descriptions of executive recruiters, the different types you will encounter, and how to manage your relationship with them.
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Eliyahu Goldratt; paperback (2nd edition 1992)
Recommended to me by the president of Gamma One when I was working there in 1993.  A simply incredible business book for many reasons.  Enables the reader to see a business as a system, doesn't provide solutions but provides a framework for thought (more valuable), and finally... this book blends business book and novel wonderfully so that is a very enjoyable read.
The Death of Distance : How The Communications Revolution Will Change Our Lives
Frances Cairncross (Hardcover - October 1997)
The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management
David Thielen (Paperback - September 2000)
Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People
Bradford D. Smart (Hardcover - January 1999)

Make Success Measurable!: A Mindbook-Workbook for Setting Goals and Taking Action
Douglas K. Smith (Hardcover - February 1999)
This book was given by our COO at Digital Insight, Dale Walker, to Bruce Isaacson former SVP of Products, Marketing, and Alliances.  Bruce left it with me and I plan to read it soon.  I want to finish the two HBR books above first.  I'm digging into the Marketing book now (August 2002).

The Cluetrain Manifesto : The End of Business as Usual
Christopher Locke, et al. Hardcover (February 2000)

The Creative Priority : Putting Innovation to Work in Your Business
Jerry Hirshberg. Paperback (February 1999)

The Elements of Business Writing
Robert W. Bly(Contributor), Gary Blake (Paperback - August 1992)

Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace
Lawrence Lessig (Paperback - June 2000)

Cyberlaw: Text and Cases
Gerald R. Ferrera, et al. Hardcover (August 10, 2000)