Here is a series of business books that have greatly influenced and enriched our understanding across various facets of the business landscape, including management, strategy, strategic marketing, innovation, creativity, brand management, customer loyalty, marketing communications and marketing metrics. We love these books because in one or other way, they have played a role in shaping our professional journey, offering invaluable insights and ideas.
While this list is by no means exhaustive, it reflects some personal preferences and recommendations. Some titles are widely recognized, while others may be hidden gems waiting to be discovered. The selection spans the spectrum from theoretical to highly practical, encompassing books that inspire as well as those that prompt reflection on why they weren’t explored earlier.
We trust you will find them as enriching and enlightening as we have. Enjoy the journey!
Management & Strategy
The Myth of Excellence
Why great companies never try to be the best at everything
(Fred Crawford & Ryan Mathews)
Built to Last
Successful habits of visionary companies
(Jim Collins & Jerry L. Porras)
All the Right Moves
A guide to crafting breakthrough strategy
(Constantinos C. Markides)
Fast Second
How smart companies bypass radical innovation to enter and dominate new markets
(Constantinos C. Markides & Paul A. Geroski)
The Undercover Economist
(Tim Harford)
The Cluetrain Manifesto
The end of business as usual
(Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger)
Competitive Advantage
Creating and sustaining superior performance
(Michael E. Porter)
The Apple Way
12 Management lessons from the world’s most innovative company
(Jeffrey L. Cruikshank)
The Southwest Airlines Way
Using the power of relationships to achieve high performance
(Jody Hoffer Gittell)
Jack Welch and the GE Way
Management insights and leadership secrets of the legendary CEO
(Robert Slater)
Power Plays
Shakespeare’s lessons in Leadership and Management
(John Whitney & Tina Packer)
Elilzabeth I, CEO
Strategic lessons from the leader who built an empire
(Alan Axelrod)
Strategic Marketing
Marketing as Strategy
Understanding the CEO’s agenda for driving growth and innovation
(Nirmalya Kumar)
Marketing Management, de essentie
(Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Keller, Henry Robben en Maggie Geuens)
Simply Better
Winning and keeping customers by delivering what matters most
(Patrick Barwise & Séan Meehan)
Authenticity
What customers really want
(James H. Gilmore & B. Joseph Pine II)
Buy.ology
How everything we believe about why we buy is wrong
(Martin Lindstrom)
Permission Marketing
Turning strangers into friends and friends into customers
(Seth Godin)
Purple Cow
Transform your business by being remarkable
(Seth Godin)
Innovation and creativity
Leading the Revolution
How to thrive in turbulent times by making innovation a way of life
(Gary Hamel)
The Innovator’s Dilemma
When new technologies cause great firms to fail
(Clayton M. Christensen)
Lessons in Radical Innovation
Out of the box – Straight to the bottom line
(Wolfgang Grulke & Gus Silber)
The Medici Effect
Breakthrough insights at the intersection of ideas, concepts & cultures
(Frans Johansson)
Lateral Thinking
(Edward de Bono)
Customer Loyalty
Customer Satisfaction is Worthless. Customer Loyalty is Priceless
How to make customers love you, keep them coming back and tell everyone they know
(Jeffrey Gitomer)
The Loyalty Effect
The hidden force behind growth, profits, and lasting value
(Frederick. F. Reichheld)
Loyalty Rules
How today’s leaders build lasting relationships
(Frederick. F. Reichheld)
Key Account Management and Planning
The comprehensive handbook for managing your company’s most important strategic asset
(Noel Capon)
Managing Global Accounts
Nine critical factors for a world-class program
(Capon, Potter & Schindler)
Return on Customer
Creating maximum value from your scarcest resource
(Don Peppers & Martha Rogers)
Brand Management
Strategic Brand Management
Building, measuring and managing brand equity
(Kevin Lane Keller)
Measuring Brand Equity
Capitalizing on the value of a brand name
(David A. Aaker)
Building Strong Brands
(David A. Aaker)
Brand Portfolio Strategy
(David A. Aaker)
Positioning
The battle for your mind. How to be seen and heard in the overcrowded marketplace
(Al Ries & Jack Trout)
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
How to build a product or service into a world-class brand
(Al Ries & Laura Ries)
Emotional Branding
The new paradigm for connecting brands to people
(Marc Gobé)
Marketing Communications
Marketing Communications, a European Perspective
(Patrick De Pelsmacker, Maggie Geuens and Joeri van den Bergh)
Marketing Metrics
Marketing and the Bottom Line
The marketing metrics to pump up the cash flow
(Tim Ambler)
Marketing by the Dashboard Light
How to get more insight, foresight and accountability from your marketing investments
(Patrick LaPointe)