5 Books to Challenge Your Thinking

With summer slowly starting to turn to fall, people begin to tune their minds back to business. This time of the year always reminds me of the excitement of starting school as a kid. Do you remember that feeling?

It is almost as if this excitement was built in and every time August is approaching, somehow it wakes up my brain to thinking “Hey, it’s that time of the year again – to start learning“. Autumn is very much like New Year, it’s like a new beginning. People have had a chance to relax and charge their batteries over the summer holidays. With all the new energy, you feel like you can conquer the world. This is a perfect timing for learning and finding new ideas and to take steps towards a better you.

For many this means gym memberships and community college classes. People also make “autumn resolutions” regarding their jobs and their professional development. This happens also on an organizational level. Many organizations hold fall season kick-off events for their staff, which offer a great place to set some common goals and share the excitement of a fresh new season.

Autumn serves as a great timing for Nordic Business Forum as well. Many of you are probably looking forward to the 2015 NBForum and ready to gain new ideas and to see some familiar and new faces at the event. So are we!

Here’s one of our pro tips to get the maximum experience out of the seminar – remember to prepare well. And what a better way to do that than to check out some of the work the speakers have done. This also fits perfectly with my autumn resolution – I want to challenge my thinking more. The NBForum 2015 speakers definitely provide us with just that.

Pick your favorites from the list below and feel free to suggest your own reading recommendations as well. Enjoy the fleeing summer days and have a great start to the new season!

11 Rules for Creating Value in the #SocialEra – Nilofer Merchant

Merchant’s core message is that social is much more than media, it’s about connections: “If the industrial era was about building things, the social era is about connecting things, people, and ideas,” she writes. This book was named as one of the Best Business Books of 2012 by Fast Company, so it’s a definite must-read.

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life – Arianna Huffington

How do you define success? In her book the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post reveals how she discovered through her own challenges that the way success is defined in today’s world doesn’t seem to work anymore. This topic is no longer just the title of the book, but Huffington has turned into a phenomenon – you surely don’t want to miss this.

Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek

This is a follow-up to Sinek’s bestseller Start With Why (a must read as well!). Leaders Eat Last will be the topic of Sinek’s presentation at Nordic Business Forum 2015, so if you want to be on top of the topic, check out this piece.

The Art of the Start 2.0 – Guy Kawasaki

Kawasaki’s new version of ultimate entrepreneurship handbook (the first one came out 2004) had received great feedback. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of Shark Tank has said that “This is a must-read book for every entrepreneur.”

Keys to the Vault: Lessons from the Pros on Raising Money and Igniting Your Business – Keith Cunningham

Cunningham is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on business mastery. His work focuses on helping companies become profitable. Keys to the Vault is a blueprint for any entrepreneur looking to make a break with their idea. “If you have a great idea for a business but don’t know what to do next, this book was written for you.“

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