by Scott Orr

Created on: February 19, 2008

"The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page."
- Anonymous

You: How do I weed through the enormous section of business books to find culture-defining books and to avoid the ones that will waste my valuable time?

Younomics: Glad you asked! Other than the obvious, (Friday's Best of Books feature here at Younomics.net) we have complied a few important tips to keep in mind while shopping for a stimulating, erudite and relevant book.

Tip #1: Avoid business biographies that were authored by the founder or CEO of the company. Founders will generally spend unnecessary amount of time discussing elements of their business that rarely address general business issues. Their previous situations are often particularly difficult to apply to a broad faction of situations. There is also the constant wariness that the author might omit their personal and professional trials and tribulations in order to maintain a superior public image.

Tip #2: Amazon.com provides a brilliant resource of real customer reviews. Simply search for your title of interest and at the bottom of the title description you will find several, sometimes hundreds of casual and honest reviews of the book. A broad scope of reviewers will analyze writing styles, content, the author's present thesis and/or recommend supplementary reading on the subject.

Tip #3: When reading a business biography, there is a tendency to mirror the company or leader's particular strategies. Such high ambitions can lead to disheartening, sub par results. Stay grounded while you read. Observe the authors often-hyperbolic strategies and extract the intentions and ambitions without attempting to impersonate; while anticipating their exact results.

Tip #4: Often non-business books may hold more inspiration/information than business books. True stories of personal survival, gallantry, courage, teamwork, will inspire and equip you with attributes that have previously lead to personal success.

Tip #5: Select a book topic that covers a facet of the business world that you are unfamiliar with. Do not limit yourself by pursuing books in your direct field of work, sample foreign subjects that will broaden your intellectual capacity.

Tip #5.5: There are great strengths in being consistent. You can confidently read books by well-known authors that you or a peer has prior experienced with. Reputable publishers of business books often have a consistent collection. Also, be conscious of endorsements from recognizable review outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Publisher's Weekly or your favorite personal business strategies journal.

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