(via @smukt)

Remember those summer reading lists your school and library used to give to you? This is sort of like that, but way better. We’ve curated a list of top titles to help you take your company to the next level. We’ve included a range of topics: everything from motivation and psychology, to making big decisions strategically and innovating, to exploring the day to day grind of operating a business starting from scratch. Forge ahead:

  1. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Main idea: Get a minimum viable product to the market, Pay attention to customer feedback, Tweak the product to improve it, Pivot if necessary
  2. The Innovator’s DNA by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, Clayton M. Christensen Main idea: Associate, Question, Observe, Network, and Experiment (These are habits that can be learned and mastered through practice.)
  3. Little Bets by Peter Sims Main idea: At the core of this experimental approach, little bets are concrete actions taken to discover, test, and develop ideas that are achievable and affordable.
  4. Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath Main idea: The challenge is to direct the Rider (our rational side), motivate the Elephant (our emotional and instinctive side), and shape the Path (he surrounding environment in which change initiatives will be conducted) to make change more likely.
  5. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh Main idea: Make customer service the entire company, not just a department. Focus on company culture as the #1 priority.
  6. (Extra Credit: The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk)

Knowledge is power!