The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan on November 29.
1. All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis
by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera. Goes back several decades to weave the hidden history of the financial crisis, exploring the motivations of everyone from famous CEOs, cabinet secretaries, and politicians to anonymous lenders, borrowers, analysts, and Wall Street traders. It delves into the powerful American mythology of homeownership. And it proves that the crisis ultimately wasn’t about finance at all; it was about human nature.
2. Now, Build a Great Business!: 7 Ways to Maximize Your Profits in Any Market
by Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy. Packed with insights from face-to-face interviews with world-class business leaders (Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Virgin Brands’ Richard Branson, Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA, Charles Schwab, and many others), this book distills a wealth of ideas and practices to uncover the core ingredients of successful organizations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
by Tony Hsieh. The visionary CEO of Zappos explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.
6. Debunkery: Learn It, Do It, and Profit from It-Seeing Through Wall Street’s Money-Killing Myths
by Ken Fisher. The author debunks 50 common myths and outlines the most common—and costly—mistakes investors make.
7. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
by Michael Lewis. The sequel to #1 best-selling Liar’s Poker
examines the issue of who understood the risk inherent in the assumption of ever-rising real estate prices, a risk compounded daily by the creation of those arcane, artificial securities loosely based on piles of doubtful mortgages.
8. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
by Dan Heath and Chip Heath. The Heath brothers (coauthors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
) address motivating employees, family members, and ourselves in their analysis of why we too often fear change.
9. 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?”
10. 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.
