How to Create Your Personal MBA Program

Learning is an endless process. It should be our endeavour to keep updating our knowledge. MBA (Master of Business Administration) is a popular course among professionals. There are multiple ways one can choose from to learn. Going to college, enrolling in an online course, executive courses and many more. Given the rigour of the course, working professionals do find it hard to manage the schedule given their work commitments or find reading the conventional text not to their liking.

Fortunately, one can overcome these constraints by being innovative and open to alternatives like creating a customised personal MBA program. There are plenty of books that one can read to gain knowledge on subjects like business management, leadership, strategy, and management.

Here are some recommendations for the books that you can consider:

1.   Marketing

1.   Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age by Jonah Berger: Talks about the factors that make things go viral and provides valuable insights into creating contagious content.

2.   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by AI Ries and Jack Trout: Explore basic principles that govern successful marketing strategies. Common issues faced and how to tackle them.

3.   Digital Marketing for Dummies by Rein Weiss and Russ Henneberry: An in-depth guide to digital marketing. Covers topics integral to new-age marketing such as social media, SEO, and content marketing.

2.   Sales

1.   SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham: The Book focuses on the consultative approach to selling. It talks about the SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff) technique. The book provides insights into asking the right questions and understanding customer needs.

2.   Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert C. Cialdini: The book is about the principles of influence and persuasion, concepts important for sales professionals for effective communication and persuasion of customers.

3.   To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink: The book argues that everyone is involved in sales whether they realise it or not. It also talks about the evolving nature of sales.

3.   Leadership

1.   The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner: The book provides a hands-on practical framework for individuals aspiring to become better leaders. It postulates five practices and ten commitments essential for leaders.

2.   Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sink: The book explores the concept of leaders prioritising others' well-being and delves into the qualities of great leaders. It emphasises the importance of creating a supportive and trusting organisational culture.

3.   Multipliers by Liz Wisemen and Greg McKeown: The book focuses on exploring ideas and reasons that some leaders drain capability and intelligence from team members and why other leaders amplify it to produce great results.

4. Management

1.   Good to Great By Jim Collins: Identifies the common traits that differentiate great companies from others. Reasons that some companies achieve greatness and sustain success over a long time.

2.   The Practice of Management by Peter F. Drucker:  A classic that covers the fundamental principles of management and the role of leadership. It provides insights into effective organisational practices.

3.   Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: It explores behavioural economics and talks about the two systems of thinking (fast and slow) to offer valuable insights into the decision-making process.

5. Strategy

1.   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne: It provides insights on how companies can create uncontested spaces and render the competition irrelevant. Concepts of ‘Red Ocean’ and ‘Blue Ocean’ are introduced and explained efficiently.

2.   The Art of Strategy by Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff: It covers game theory concepts and applies them to the strategic decision-making process. It explores how to navigate strategic situations.

3.   Playing to Win by A. G. Leafley and Roger L. Martin: The book recommends a framework for developing and implementing effective business strategy.

6. Entrepreneurship

1.   The Lean Entrepreneur by Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits: The book builds on lean thinking and provides practical advice on creating successful products, fostering innovation, and disrupting markets.

2.   Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters: The book explores the concept of ‘ Zero to One’ by creating new and innovative businesses. It explores the unconventional wisdom of building successful new ventures.

3.   The Lean Start-Up by Eric Ries: A must-read for entrepreneurs looking to build or scale their business. The book covers the lean methodology and emphasises the importance of validated learning, iterative experimentation, and efficient product development.

7. Human Resources

1.   The Best Place to Work by Ron Friedman: It provides insights into strategies that can help create a positive work environment, better employee engagement, and enhanced productivity, cornerstones of successful HR management.

2.   The New HR Leader’s First 100 Days by Alan Collins: A playbook for HR professionals taking up leadership roles. The book is focused on the first 100 days in the new HR position and offers action insights.

3.   First Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman: It challenges the traditional HR approaches while advocating to focus on individual strengths and talent development.

8. Organisational Behaviour

1.   Organisational Behaviour by Jason A. Colquitt, Jeffrey A. LePine, and Michael J. Wesson: Provides a complete overview of organisational behaviour. It offers valuable insights and advice covering a broad range of topics like organisational culture, the role of leadership, and team dynamics.

2.   The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge: The book introduces the concept of learning organisations and how organisations can foster an environment of continuous learning and improvement. It also dwells upon the role of leadership in creating a learning organisation.

3.   Drive by Daniel H. Pink: The book explores the science of motivation. It provides insights into factors that drive human behaviour, offering valuable inputs on how organisations can create environments that promote autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

9. Finance

1.   Corporate Finance by Michelle R. Clayman, Martin S. Fridson and George H. Troughton: It provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of the basic concepts of corporate finance. The book offers an applied approach to topics like risk management, valuation, and capital budgeting.

2.   Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs by Karen Berman and Joe Knight: This book is for entrepreneurs and business professionals with no or little finance background. It provides practical insights into understanding financial statements, managing cash flow, and making informed business decisions.

3.   How Finance Works by Mihir A. Desai: The book explains the fundamental principles of finance, investments, and managing money. It simplifies complex topics in a concise, well-organised manner with real-life examples.

10. Accounting

1.   Accounting Made Simple by Mike Piper: A great starting point for beginners. It provides a concise overview of accounting principles, financial statements, and concepts without technical jargon.

2.   Accounting for Non Accountants by Wayne Label: Ideal for non-financial professionals with a user-friendly introduction to accounting. It covers topics such as financial statements, budgeting, and managerial accounting in a clear and accessible manner.

3.   Accounting For Dummies by Kenneth W. Boyd and Kate Mooney: The book is designed for individuals with little or no accounting background. It covers fundamental topics such as financial statements, budgeting, and interpretation of financial data.

11. Operations

1.   The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt: The book is in the form of a novel. It introduces the Theory of Constraints and offers insights into improving processes and overall organisational performance. It's a foundational work in the field of operations management.

2.   Operations Management by Jay Heizer and Barry Render: The book covers fundamental concepts in operations management, including process design, quality management, supply chain management, and more. It provides comprehensive coverage and practical examples.

3.   The Toyota Way by Jeffrey K. Liker: The book explores the management principles that contribute to Toyota's success in lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.

12. Communication and Negotiation

1.   Simply Said by Jay Sullivan: The book focuses on effective communication, providing practical insights and strategies to communicate more clearly, confidently, and persuasively.

2.   Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo: This book analyses the techniques used by TED speakers to deliver compelling talks. It offers practical tips for enhancing communication skills and public speaking.

3.   Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss: The book offers negotiation techniques that can be applied to various communication scenarios. It provides practical strategies for achieving successful outcomes in negotiations.

Recommended books cover business-related topics and provide valuable insights into leadership, strategy, innovation, and decision-making. These books can serve as a solid foundation, and can be supplemented with additional readings and real-world experiences. And do remember that practical application, networking, and continuous learning are crucial components of any business education, whether formal or self-directed.