In the fast-paced world of business it’s difficult to find time for the pursuit of learning. Learning however, is something successful businesspeople never stop doing. There’s even an urban legend, the source of which remains unknown, that says “most CEOs and executives read four to five books per month.” Whether that’s true or not, the pressure to keep up with colleagues and competitors certainly exists and, for many, an audio book may be the perfect solution.
Make the most of your daily commute or workout time with downloadable audio books to give yourself a leg up on the competition.
Here are five of Audible’s most downloaded books for business in 2019.
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
By Brené Brown
From the publisher: “Brené Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?”
Critical Business Skills for Success
By The Great Courses, Clinton O. Longenecker, Eric Sussman, and others
From the publisher: “What does it take to reach success in business—the kind of success that lasts? How do you set yourself apart from competitors or venture out into different markets? What does it take to develop streamlined processes, become a stronger team leader, and work your way up the corporate ladder?
“It all comes down to a solid grasp of the fundamentals of business taught to MBA students in many of the world’s most prestigious business schools. This fascinating 60-lecture course is designed to give you just that kind of comprehensive, accessible introduction. Here in one place is an authoritative guide to the five key disciplines that everyone, entry-level employees and CEOs alike, needs to master in order to reap rewards in today’s complex 21st-century marketplace.”
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
By Simon Sinek
From the publisher: “Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
“Start with Why shows that the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way—and it’s the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with why.”
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
By Gino Wickman
From the publisher: “All entrepreneurs and business leaders face similar frustrations: personnel conflict, profit woes, and inadequate growth. Decisions never seem to get made, or once made, fail to be properly implemented. But there is a solution. It’s not complicated or theoretical.
“In Traction, you’ll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company that will give you and your leadership team more focus, more growth, and more enjoyment. Successful companies are applying Traction every day to run profitable, frustration-free businesses—and you can too.”
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t
By Jim Collins
From the publisher: “Built to Last, the defining management study of the ’90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.
“But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? … Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the histories of twenty-eight companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don’t.”