The Problem with Business and Management Books

Seems like every other week another management book drops. An expert from the business world (or perhaps a psychology-related field) fills 200 pages or so with better ways to communicate with employees, streamline processes, or improve company morale. Some are more helpful than others. Few are particularly well written. Most will give the reader a sense of deja vu. If you’re nodding your head after reading that last point, there’s a good chance you’re a senior-level manager. Because, after years of reading a conga line of similar books, you’ve most likely noticed that they’re usually just the same stories with different covers.

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Management, marketing, sales, and other how-to business books seldom offer anything groundbreakingly new. More often than not, they’re like the Taco Bell menu – the same ingredients you’ll find in all the other management books rearranged just enough to make you think they’re different. And if there is anything new, it’s usually a gimmicky “hook” of some kind. Sometimes it’s a catchy, easy-to-remember acronym that’ll become all the rage in conference rooms everywhere for a few months. Sometimes they’ll plop everything into a snazzy-looking chart or diagram that’s more helpful in padding your slide presentations than it is to your overall business strategy. But normally it’s even lazier than that with many simply relying on a cleverly worded title to differentiate all the gooey derivativeness contained within. Toss a curse word in the title and a best seller is all but guaranteed.

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The popularity of these books among business professionals likely stems from our propensity to constantly seek out more efficient ways to achieve organizational goals and get more from our budgets and human resources. So when we hear there might be a better way of doing things, our ears naturally perk up. The problem is that there are so  many of those “better ways” vying for our book-buying dollars. Business books and their continuously rearranging of known management principles to present different approaches and methodologies are not unlike all those fitness fads that come and go. Jazzercise, Tae Bo, Zumba, P90X, and Crossfit all look and feel different but, no matter which one you choose, you’re just moving your body to get in better shape.

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None of this is to say that business and management books can’t be helpful. And to be fair there are some great ones out there. The best ones can help inspire, refocus, motivate, and introduce new ways of thinking — especially for new entrepreneurs or those just breaking into middle management. And even the most experienced senior-level managers and executives can benefit — even if it’s just as a refresher or for a different point of view. But whether you’re looking to replicate the habits of highly effective people, looking for bluer waters, or trying to figure out the secret, you probably don’t need a library filled with these types of books. Digging through all the redundancy just to find a few unique scraps of somewhat helpful information just isn’t worth the time or effort.

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And then there’s actually finding the books worth reading. Simply browsing will do you no good. Have you ever done a search for management books on Amazon? It’s like trying to find a movie to watch on Netflix: mind numbingly overwhelming. It seems like every business professional wants to write a management book the same way every celebrity wants to write a children’s book (seriously, have you noticed that?). The best bet is probably to ask around, get some recommendations from colleagues, read some reviews, or even just stick to the classics. Because you can’t read them all nor would you want to. Not only because of the aforementioned sameness that permeates most titles, but because you wouldn’t want to be constantly switching gears to chase the shiny new management fad of the moment. (Ever have that manager?) Selecting the best business/management books for you is like picking one of the fitness fads I mentioned earlier. The best ones are the ones you’re mostly likely to stick with. Almost all of them will be filled with solid business advice because almost all of them borrow from tried and true management principles and philosophies. 

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So if you feel pressured or suffer from FOMO because you haven’t read the latest management book buzzing through the halls or being quoted ad nauseam on LinkedIn, relax. The chances of it containing a true epiphany that will have a significant impact on your effectiveness as a manager or the bottom line of your company are close to zero. Not exactly zero, but close to it. On the other hand, if you’ve never read a business management book or haven’t read very many, they can be filled with “ah ha” moments that might help you put things in better perspective or reveal previously unseen paths forward. The problem is that, the more books you read in that genre, you’ll find diminishing returns as those “ah ha” moments will all start to feel remarkably familiar.

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And finally, don’t feel guilty if you find yourself asking, “Who are these people anyway?!” While it’s helpful to hear from those that have already made the mistakes and found those greener pastures of success, don’t blindly assume that, because someone wrote a book, they necessarily know better than you. Business management isn’t one size fits all. Your company culture is unique and the individuals within your organization even more so. Following someone else’s roadmap could have you taking unwanted detours on the way to reach your goals. Cherry pick the good stuff, but ultimately trust in yourself, your abilities, and your experience. Who’s to say that if you had the time and desire that you couldn’t write a better business book?