The best business books of 2020—so far!

image of a book with text The best business books of 2020--so far! typed like the book title

If you are looking for the next great business book to devour...give our list a thorough review. Straight from Gartner, the world's leading research and advisory company, you can trust that the following represent must-reads for business owners.

The Real Business of Blockchain

By David Furlonger & Christophe Uzureau

This engaging and accessible read is not just for IT leaders but for all business leaders, whatever their level of experience with blockchain. This practical guide helps executives assess how blockchain will impact their business, understand its value, and make smart near- and mid-term investments.

The Connector Manager: Why Some Leaders Build Exceptional Talent—and Others Don’t

By Jaime Roca & Sari Wilde

This book offers insight into a multi-year study that included thousands of employees, managers and senior leaders from around the world. It explains why Connector Managers prove to be star performers—on average boosting employee performance by 26 percent. Learn what these managers do differently and why the Connector approach has a significant positive impact on employee performance.

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-A** Boss Without Losing Your Humanity (2nd Edition)

By Kim Scott

The title says it all. Author Kim Brown explains how leaders who adopt the Radical Candor™ management philosophy (caring personally while challenging directly) create a culture of compassionate feedback, build cohesive teams and achieve great results.

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

By Gary Keller & Jay Papasan

This book delves into the value of simplifying your workload by focusing on the one most important task in any given project. The authors explain how to master what matters most, whether it’s boosting sales, elevating customer service, coaching, etc.

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

By Tim Brown

Tim Brown, considered by many to be the father of design thinking, explains how the techniques and strategies of design belong at every level of business. This is not a book by designers for designers, but rather a guide for creative leaders who seek to infuse design thinking into every level of an organization, product or service to drive new alternatives for business.

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

By David Epstein

This book challenges the belief that the world’s most successful people are specialists in their profession of choice (sports, business, technology, science, the arts) and began their pursuit early in life. It’s the generalists who are primed to excel, even those with a late start. The author breaks it all down and shares the stories behind generalist stars such as Duke Ellington, J.K. Rowling and Roger Federer.

Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations

By Dan Ariely

Can giving employees bonuses harm productivity? Why is trust so crucial for successful motivation? What are our misconceptions about how to value our work? This book explores these questions and more in an attempt to understand what truly motivates us in both our professional and personal lives.

Check out these titles to round out your summer reading list, and be sure to recommend those you found valuable to others.

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