10 Books for Every MBA Student’s Reading List

If you want to succeed in business, we have some advice: Open a book.

Business books offer unparalleled access to the insights of world-renowned experts in vital areas like marketing, strategy, ethics, and more—fields essential to MBA programs. Reading these books can expand and deepen the knowledge you gain in business school.

But with thousands of business books published every year, how do you decide which books are worth your time? How do you curate an MBA reading list that will help polish your professional skills and advance your career? Start here with our update of a list originally published in August 2020. To keep you ahead, we’ve expanded our coverage for 2024 to include emerging business trends and highlighting some noteworthy books addressing them.

We’ve combed through the MBA reading lists of top business school programs to discover that many of the classic titles and newer releases on the best-seller lists are also consistently recommended by CEOs.

Ben Horowitz is a rap fan and co-founder of one of Silicon Valley’s most successful venture capital firms, Andreeson Horowitz. He’s had different seats around the table—founder, buyer, investor—for some of the tech world’s most famous success stories. This book was immediately hailed as a classic among business books and has stayed on MBA students' must-read lists for over a decade. In it, Horowitz asserts that there is no formula for dealing with crises and setbacks and offers lessons from his career about navigating hard situations when things don’t go as planned.

In “Scaling Up Excellence,” two Stanford Organizational Behavior professors investigate a question that repeatedly arose while researching other topics. What they learned about building a corporate culture that nourishes excellence rather than stifling it is widely applicable and well-supported with research and case studies.

The late Clayton M. Christensen was a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and a consultant who developed the theory of disruptive innovation. He first published this book, the third entry on our MBA reading list and widely regarded as a business classic, in 1997. Most recently reprinted in 2016 and available in electronic formats, "The Innovator’s Dilemma” explores why success is difficult to sustain and whether successful innovation can be systematized.

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his synthesis of research and theories about economics and decision-making. He went on to become a bestselling author with the publication of “Thinking Fast and Slow” in 2011. This landmark book is available in over 35 languages. "Thinking Fast and Slow" belongs on any MBA reading list for the highly readable and elegant distillation of research about human nature and thought processes relevant to any aspect of business.

This research-based book, reissued with expanded information in 2015, has become a bestselling business classic available in 44 languages. Management experts Kim and Mauborgne provide industry-agnostic tools and frameworks for managers seeking to break free of the competition in crowded markets.

First published in 1936, this business classic has had 998 editions. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is among the legions of fans of Carnegie’s timeless lessons for understanding human motivation. Carnegie could have had every MBA-seeking student in mind when he wrote: “…the person who has technical knowledge plus the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people—that person is headed for higher earning power.”

Entrepreneurs—in start-ups or established companies of all sizes—can adopt the author’s scientific approach to adapt, adjust, and innovate. Ries, an entrepreneur, uses his experiences to explain this approach. Praised by CEOs and business faculty at top business schools, "The Lean Startup" is available in several languages worldwide and belongs on your MBA reading list.

Nike founder Phil Knight shares the inside story of his early days building a business around shoes and details Nike’s evolution into one of the world’s most powerful brands. Blurbed by marquee business leaders Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, the engagingly written business book offers insights into entrepreneurship and leadership, offering inspiration for your MBA journey.

The co-founders of Basecamp, an intentionally small and consistently profitable software company, share their contrarian thoughts about building and running a healthy business. Their business history spans two recessions and myriad other disruptions. Throughout their journey, Fried and Heinemeier Hansson have rejected much of standard business wisdom, and gained many influential fans, including Jeff Bezos, who not only called their approach "as successful as it is counter-intuitive," but also invested in their company 37signals.¹

“Moneyball” is a pleasantly surprising entry on MBA reading lists. It’s the story of how statistical insights helped the underfunded underdog Oakland As become one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. Lewis specializes in financial journalism, and “Moneyball” is just one of his books combining business insights and entertainment.

Although these titles have been replaced by others on our current MBA reading list, they still offer valuable information for your leadership journey. These classic business books offer foundational strategies and timeless insights that can enrich your understanding and enhance your impact in today's complex business environment.

• “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.
• “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham
• “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth
• “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek
• “The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success” by William N. Thorndike, Jr.
• “See Sooner, Act Faster: How Vigilant Leaders Thrive in the Era of Digital Turbulence” by George S. Day and Paul J.H. Schoemaker
• “First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Three current trends in business publications can provide MBA students with valuable insights into contemporary challenges. The trends include sustainability and ESG, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and mental health and well-being in the workplace. Understanding the key concepts and staying abreast of these trends will help you rise to the challenges of the modern business world.

Businesses and consumers are increasingly prioritizing environmental stewardship. Understanding the relationship between sustainability and long-term profitability can give organizations significant business advantages.

"Green Giants" by E. Williams explores how sustainable practices can lead to substantial growth, demonstrating the synergy between prosperity and responsibility.

"Net Positive" by Paul Polman and Andrew Winston offers a model for building enterprises that contribute more to the world than they consume, based on Unilever's pioneering strategies and global success.

Amid growing awareness of employee well-being's business value as a driver of innovation, fostering a supportive work environment is a key management initiative. "The Fearless Organization" by Amy Edmondson emphasizes creating psychologically safe workplaces that promote learning and creativity, highlighting management techniques for supporting peak employee performance and well-being

In the age of digital transformation, mastering AI is vital for strategic decision-making. "Prediction Machines" by Ajay Agrawal et al. offers an economic perspective on AI as a predictive tool, essential for executives and entrepreneurs aiming to optimize strategies and operations. "AI 2041" by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan combines science fiction and analysis to envision future scenarios shaped by AI advancements. Recommended by business titans including Marc Benioff, Mark Cuban and Satya Nadella, "AI 2041" can serve as a strategic resource for envisioning the future of business.²

While adding extracurricular reading to your business school studies can be challenging, the effort can yield rich rewards. Consider these strategies for integrating important business books that aren't part of the curriculum with your personal MBA. Select business books that align with your current coursework and professional interests, and consider using the academic breaks to dive deeper into these topics. Collaborate with classmates to apply the concepts from your reading to Seattle University's Leadership Challenges to synthesize your learning from business books and coursework. The Leadership Challenges are embedded throughout the curriculum and are designed to equip you with the skills needed for real-world problem-solving, effective decision-making, and business success.

Reading to increase your business knowledge is an indispensable part of the learning process, but it doesn’t have to end there. Earning your Online MBA from the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University will help you apply what you learn in books to the real world. Guided by expert faculty, students engage in real-time interaction and collaboration as they develop ethical and people-centered business skills and a problem-solving mindset. Contact an admissions outreach advisor to learn how Seattle U can help you reach your career goals.