MBA-Not for You?

If you decide for one reason or another that going the MBA route is not for you, however, you really want to gain the knowledge that an MBA provides, Josh Kaufman has a suggestion for you. His recommends what he refers to as a PMBA Personal MBA)which involves reading a series of 42 books that he feels will provide the basic knowledge that an MBA provides.

What is the Personal MBA?
In Josh's words, the Personal MBA (PMBA) is an experiment in educational entrepreneurism. Josh wrote a manifesto that will show you how to substantially increase your knowledge of business on your own time and with little cost, all without setting foot inside a classroom.

The PMBA is more flexible than a traditional MBA program, doesn’t involve going into massive debt, and won’t interrupt your income stream for two years. Just set aside some dedicated reading time, pick up a good book, learn as much as you can, and go out and make great things happen.

It’s All About the Books
“If I read a book that cost me $20 and I get one good idea, I’ve gotten one of the greatest bargains of all time.” – Tom Peters

“The difference between where you are today and where you’ll be five years from now will be found in the quality of books you’ve read.” – Jim Rohn

At the core of the PMBA is a list of 42 books and periodicals. By investing time and effort in using these resources, you will progressively develop a greater understanding of business and increase your effectiveness at work. Even if you only read a few, you’ll get a substantial return on your investment.


Here are the first four books he recommends.

The first set of books is targeted to help you Master Yourself



Mastery
by George Leonard

Mastery is not a business book – it’s a book about the learning process and what you can expect from a project like the Personal MBA. Leonard explains that mastery of any skill is a life-long process involving a series of plateaus, punctuated by short spurts of visible growth. True mastery is about embracing the plateau and learning to love practice for its own sake. It’s a short, inspiring read, and it’s the perfect book for starting down the path of becoming a self-taught “master of business.”



Now, Discover Your Strengths
by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

According to Buckingham and Clifton, you are at your most effective when you’re capitalizing on your strengths instead of spending time and effort trying to improve your weaknesses. Now, Discover Your Strengths is the summation of a wide body of research conducted by the Gallup Organization on the subject of human talent. Gallup has identified 34 statistically-significant areas where people naturally tend to exhibit consistent, near flawless performance. Each copy comes with an access code for Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment, an online tool that helps you identify and understand your own unique combination of strengths. (Be sure to get a new copy in order to get access to the assessment: used or library copies probably won’t work.)

In addition to explaining how we develop our individual talents, this book has a lot to say about diversity and why it is so important in business. Because everyone has a different combination of strengths, we all approach the world from a slightly different perspective. By working with people who possess a wide variety of skills and backgrounds, our chances of success increase.

The second set teaches you how to Manage Your Life and Work



Getting Things Done
by David Allen

Simply put, Getting Things Done is the best book on day-to-day, functional time management that has ever been written. (That is not an exaggeration.) Allen takes a “bottom up” approach to managing your life, focusing on helping you create a system of organization your mind learns to trust over time. By capturing everything floating around in your head, honing in on the physical actions you need to do, and creating a system where your next actions are easily stored and referenced, you’ll be free to focus on completing the tasks at hand and will experience less stress.



The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen Covey

In contrast to Getting Things Done, Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People takes a “top down” approach to managing your life. What do you really want for yourself? What is important to you? When you have considered questions like these, you’ll have a better understanding of how to identify non-productive uses of time and create opportunities to accomplish the things that are really important to you.

Covey also discusses working with others productively. By learning simple principles like looking for win-win situations, seeking to fully understand the perspectives of the people you’re working with, and identifying new ways to cooperate, you’ll be better equipped to deal with the complexities of working with others.