The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan on February 15.
1. On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
by Henry M. Paulson Jr. The book contains all the decisive moments in the economic crisis, including the pivotal meetings with mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as Paulson’s personal recollections of and conversations with President Bush, President Obama, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and current Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. As well as detailing the major decisions taken during the height of the crisis, Paulson will also put forth the policies he believes need to be implemented to take us securely into the future.
2. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths
by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel that you are both a person who gets things done and someone who offers penetrating analysis? Well, you can discover whether you are truly an “achiever” or an “analytical” by completing the online quiz. Then, the book will give you “ideas for action” and tips for how best you can work with others. More of a patiencetester than Strengthsfinder, the quiz/book is probably best for those who have lots of time on their hands.
3. Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It
by Marshall Goldsmith. In his follow-up to the New York Times bestseller What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
, executive coach Goldsmith shares the ways in which to get–and keep–our Mojo. Our professional and personal Mojo is impacted by four key factors: identity (who do you think you are?), achievement (what have you done lately?), reputation (who do other people think you are–and what have you’ve done lately?), and acceptance (what can you change–and when do you need to just “let it go”?). Goldsmith outlines the positive actions leaders must take, with their teams or themselves, to initiate winning streaks and keep them coming.
4. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance
by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. By examining how people respond to incentives, the authors of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.)
show the world for what it really is – good, bad, ugly, and, in the final analysis, super freaky.
5. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel H. Pink. The author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
says everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong. He pits the latest scientific discoveries about the mind against the outmoded wisdom that claims people can only be motivated by the hope of gain and the fear of loss. Instead, Pink argues that what motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential.
6. SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times
by Gary Keller. Based on years of research, the book taps into a wealth of proven tactics to help readers thrive in the midst of one of the most challenging real estate markets ever.
7. The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It
by Scott Patterson. The author tells the inside story of what the kings of Wall Street thought and felt in the days and weeks when they helplessly watched much of their net worth vaporize – and wondered just how their mind-bending formulas and genius-level IQ’s had led them so wrong, so fast.
8. Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves
by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The 2008 financial implosion on Wall Street and in Washington, by a New York Times reporter and columnist.
9. The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
by Dave Ramsey. Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host.
10. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
by Seth Godin. The author of bestsellers such as Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable–Includes new bonus chapter
and Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
argues that there used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there’s a third team, the linchpins. He says Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. Like the small piece of hardware that keeps a wheel from falling off its axle, they may not be famous but they’re indispensable. And in today’s world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom.
11. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
by Patrick Lencioni. The author targets group behavior in the final entry of his trilogy of corporate fables. When the instructional tale is over, Lencioni discusses the “five dysfunctions” (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results) and provides a questionnaire for readers to use in evaluating their own teams and specifics to help them understand and overcome these common shortcomings.
12. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
by Timothy Ferriss. Ferriss isn’t shy about tooting his own horn: He says he “speaks six languages, runs a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, and has been a world-record holder in tango, a national champion in kickboxing, and an actor in a hit television series in Hong Kong.” Is this the sort of person you really want to be taking advice from? Anyway, Ferris offers recommendations and resources for everything from eliminating wasted time to oursourcing your job and getting cheap airfare.
13. Get Motivated!: Overcome Any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal and Accelerate Your Success with Motivational DNA
by Tamara Lowe. Decode your “motivational DNA,” says business-seminar leader Lowe, and you will be able to overcome any obstacle. But is it true that we are all hardwired differently when it comes to finding inspiration and getting revved up? Lowe’s lessons draw upon the life experiences of such high achievers as Colin Powell, Joe Montana and…Mother Teresa?
14. Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy
by Joseph Stiglitz. An incisive look at the global economic crisis, our flawed response, and the implications for the world’s future prosperity.
15. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
by Jim Collins. The author of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
examines the question “How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?”
