Top 10 Influential Business Books of All Time

7. How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)

Although he wrote in an era when the scientific world treated IQ as the only standard of intelligence, Dale Carnegie perceived that lasting happiness and success emerges from relationships rather than ideas or facts. While parts of this book now seem a bit quaint, his basic concept is now a commonplace among business leaders, many of whom now value EQ above IQ in both hiring and promoting.

Fun fact: Dale Carnegie changed his birth name from "Carnagey"  to "Carnegie" in order to create a (false) connection with the multimillionaire Andrew Carnegie.

6. Atlas Shrugged (1957)

Ayn Rand's screed against collectivism utterly transformed how many business leaders perceive their role in society. Prior to Rand, many executives felt apologetic for their success and responsible (at least to some extent) for the welfare of those less fortunate. After Rand, many executives now view themselves as heroic figures, an upper crust of "makers" amidst a herd of "takers."

Fun fact: Ayn Rand, despite her dislike of social welfare programs, was a recipient of both Medicare and Social Security.

5. The Greatest Salesman in the World (1968)

When this classic sales book was written, most people thought of salesmen as slick, fast-talking con-men. While that stereotype still exists, most salespeople now see themselves the way author Og Mandino saw them: as essentially moral people who are striving to make the world better and make other people happy.

Fun fact: Og Mandino flew thirty bombing missions during World War II, some of them piloted by actor James Stewart (of "It's a Wonderful Life" fame.)

 PREV  1 | 2 | 3 | 4  NEXT 

Geoffrey James writes the Sales Source column on Inc.com, the world's most visited sales-oriented blog. His newly published book is Business to Business Selling: Power Words and Strategies From the World's Top Sales Experts. @Sales_Source