photo: Carito Orellana (flickr)

Edidor-in-chief in WIRED talks on favorite business books

    “Rework” by Jason Fried

– Anderson’s review

Also mentioned in Mark Cuban: 6 Great Books For Entrepreneurs

This book is enthusiastically endorsed as a reading list additive by Tribes author Seth Godin and Diane Danielson of Entrepreneur.com. From the guesswork of business plans, to the need for speed in making priorities, Fried and Hansson have written a book that will appeal to startups and managers alike. Many of the research and development issues are the same, though some business leaders may be surprised by topics on which the authors urge their readers to say no – including third-party investors and business escape plans. If boiled down to a phrase, this book would heavily promote the rejection of multi-tasking and the necessity of focus.

“The 20% Doctrine: HowTinkering, Goofing Off, and Breaking the Rules at Work Drive Success inBusiness” by Ryan Tate

– Chris Anderson

Goofing off has its business virtues, as pointed out by Tate and the Shanghai Daily. Instead of rejecting and marginalizing the young and restless rebels, their creativity should be shaped and allowed to blossom. Letting them spend one-fifth of their time on projects with personal significance is the way to encourage innovation and real progress. As a Gawker gossip blogger, the author has lived his advice. For skeptics who believe in twelve-hour workdays, he provides compelling examples from real industry leaders: Google, Condé Nast, Flickr, Huffington Post, and National Public Radio.

 “Hackers & Painters:Big Ideas from the Computer Age” by Paul Graham

-Chris Anderson

Graham has developed the promotion of unpopular, go-against-the-grain habits of nerds to a fine art. A common pitfall for large companies, he says, is simply imitating and improving on someone else’s innovation, like Hollywood blockbusters that use a tried-and-true formula with a few new plot twists. Startup companies can nip around bureaucracy, please customers, and award those who get things done, joining in the true joy of wealth creation. InSITE, a New York City hub, featured his work on a top 10 reading list for 2012, along with startup job promoter GetWakefield.com.