TOP 20

BOOKS FOR
2020
BY
AJ&SMART
 TOP 20 BOOKS
FOR 2020

If you are anything like us, you have probably

started 2020 with a bunch of New Year’s
resolutions and you're determined to get them
done! If you want to fuel your ambitions, learn
new things and get inspired, then these 20
books are for you!

An eclectic mix of books for anybody, at any

level who wants to progress personally and
professionally. So enjoy and remember to let
us know what you think!
 STRATEGY

Good Strategy Bad

Strategy: The
Difference and Why It
1 Matters - Richard
Rumelt 

The author Richard Rumelt goes in depth in

differentiating between “bad” strategies (think
motivation slogans and catchy buzzwords) and actual,
specific and powerful strategies.

2
The Hard Thing About
Hard Things: Building a
Business When There Are
No Easy Answers - Ben
Horowitz

Ben Horowitz gives practical advice and insider tips

on how to handle some of the most common
challenges founders face every day.
 STRATEGY

Built to Sell: Creating a

Business That Can
3 Thrive Without You - 
John Warrillow

Learn how entrepreneurs, no matter the industry or

the development stage of the company, can take
specific action steps to create a business which can
be successful independently and in the long run.

Essentialism: The
Disciplined Pursuit
4 of Less -  Greg
McKeown

“Essentialism” is not just another time management

book, it is a way of thinking and discerning what is
essential and worthy of our time!
 GROWTH

Hacking Growth: How

Today's Fastest-Growing

5 Companies Drive
Breakout Success - Sean
Ellis and Morgan Brown

Learn how Paypal, Airbnb and Facebook use data

driven processes and growth teams to spur innovation
in their products, while harnessing the power of quick
testing and feedback to find out what users *really*
want.

Made to Stick: Why

Some Ideas Survive and
6 Others Die - Chip and
Dan Heath

Thought-provoking and entertaining, "Made to Stick"

describes the fundamentals of winning ideas and
shows us how to apply these concepts to make our
own messages "stick".
 MARKETING

Obviously Awesome:
How to Nail Product

7 Positioning so
Customers Get It, Buy
It, Love It - April
Dunford

This book would be helpful to any entrepreneur, as

well as anybody working in marketing or sales who
is trying to bring a product to market and position it
in a crowded marketplace.

8
Ultra Learning -
Scott H. Young

No matter if you want to learn new skills so that you

can advance your career or you simply want to stay
relevant in your industry, you need to become an
Ultralearner!
 DESIGN

Aesthetic Intelligence:
How to Boost It and
9 Use It in Business and
Beyond - Pauline
Brown

This is the perfect book for any business owner,

product designer, entrepreneur or executive who
wants to apply Aesthetic Intelligence to create
authentic and unique products.

Universal Principles of
Design - William
10 Lidwell, Kristina
Holden and Jill Butler

No matter if you are working in marketing, product

design, or engineering, you can easily expand your
design knowledge by reading “Universal Principles
of Design”.
 RECRUITING

Grit: The Power of

Passion and
Perseverance-
11 Angela Duckworth

In her New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth

expands on the idea that the secret recipe for
success is in fact a combination of passion and
persistence, not God-given genius.

Recruit Rockstars: The

10 Step Playbook to

12 Find the Winners and

Ignite Your Business -
Jeff Hyman

In this groundbreaking book, Jeff Hyman gives a well

thought out, 10-step method for finding, hiring and
retaining the best employees.
 CLEAN WORK

The Checklist
Manifesto: How to
13 get things right -
Atul Gawande

The Checklist methodology boasts a strong

community of entrepreneurs, managers, founders,
investors and many others avid followers of the
principles outlined in the book.

Black Box Thinking:

The Surprising Truth
14 About Success -
Matthew Syed

Black Box Thinking has been successfully applied by

big companies such as Dropbox, as well as
individuals like David Beckham and teams such as the
Mercedes F1 team. If they can do it, why not you?
 LEADERSHIP

Make Time: How to

Focus on What Matters
Every Day - Jake Knapp
15 and John Zeratsky

We have all fallen victims to never-ending "busyness"!

“Make Time” provides a simple 4-step system for
increasing your concentration, making your work
enjoyable, and squeezing more out of every day.

The Chimp Paradox: The

Mind Management
Program to Help You
16 Achieve Success,
Confidence, and
Happiness - Dr. Steve
Peters

Recognizing the workings of your mind can help you

detect patterns and use your "internal chimp" for
good, so that you can become more confident and
achieve success.
 LEADERSHIP

The Secret Thoughts of

Successful Women: Why
Capable People Suffer from
17 the Impostor Syndrome and
How to Thrive in Spite of It
- Valerie Young

Author Valerie Young combines her in-depth

research on the reasons behind the self-doubt
women experience on a daily basis with insightful
advice and practical tips on how to deal with it.

Ego Is The Enemy -

18 Ryan Holiday

Use the tactics mentioned in the book to feel the

freedom of achieving your best work without having
your ego in the way.
SPRINTS & WORKSHOPS

Sprint: How to Solve Big

Problems and Test New
19 Ideas in Just Five Days -
Jake Knapp

Hundreds of companies have tried and tested the

Design Sprint for solving demanding challenges and
swiftly bringing products to the market.

How to Run a Great

Workshop: The Complete
Guide to Designing and
20 Running Brilliant
Workshops and Meetings -
Nikki Highmore Sims

“How To Run a Great Workshop” provides a valuable,

step-by-step guide for preoccupied, pressed-for-time
managers who want to run engaging and effective
workshops!
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