We are beginning to  see lists of the best books, and separate lists for the best business books, of 2013.  Let me enter this discussion.

My list is short.  I am including, at the end of this post, the complete list of business books I selected this year for my synopses at the First Friday book Synopsis – 12 titles in all.  (My colleague, Karl Krayer, also presented 12 books).  All but one title was published in either 2012 or 2013.  (Managing Transitions is an older book, with an updated version released in 2009).

Yes, of course, there are other business books that would make it into any “best of” list for the year.  Some, my colleague presented at our monthly event.  Others, Bob Morris reviewed on our blog.  But, for this article, I will only reflect on the titles I presented.

First observation:  there is not a bad book in the list — not one that I felt like, after I read it and presented it, “well, that was a waste of time.”  And, if you were to read all 12 of these books, you would gain much to help you lead within your organization more effectively, and to help you develop your own thinking and skills.

Second, choosing the “best” is almost impossible.  How does one even decide how to approach this question?  Here’s a way to think about these selections:

• Which book did I enjoy reading the most?  David and Goliath is the choice.

• Which book created the most important “national” conversation?  Lean In is the choice.

• Which book may be the most substantive “think about this in a big picture kind of way” selection?  It’s a tie:  Antifragile and Present Shock.

• Which book is the “must read” for leaders?  Eleven Rings is my choice.  This may sound like an unexpected choice, but Phil Jackson qualifies as a genuinely successful leader, and his book is filled with valuable insight.  A close second goes to Decisive, a book on how to make better decisions by the always valuable Heath brothers.

• Which book is the best choice to help me think about all the ways I need to structure my business – you know, strategic thinking; execution?  The Everything Store is the choice.

• Which book is the best choice for those in sales, or marketing?  Another tie:  To Sell is Human, and Contagious.  (Although, as Daniel Pink would tell us, we are all in sales now.  Yes, we are!).

• Which book does the best job of helping me just think about slowing down enough to be human in the midst of this frantic-pace-of-change era?  Managing Transitions is the choice.

But every title is valuable.  Leapfrogging will help you think again about innovation.  Give and Take will help you think about this difficult question:  are you primarily a taker? a matcher? a giver?  (Note:  it is better to be a giver!).

So, here are my twelve titles for the year – in the order I presented them at our monthly event.  Think about what you most need to focus on, and tackle some of these books to help you reach your goals for effectiveness and success.

Leapfrogging: Harness the Power of Surprise for Business Breakthroughs
 by Soren Kaplan. 
 (2012)

To Sell is Human:  The Surprising Truth about Moving Others by Daniel Pink.  (2012)

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2012)

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg (2013).

Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (2013).

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success by Adam M. Grant Ph.D.  (2013).

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty.  (2013)

Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger.  (2013).

Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now by Douglas Rushkoff. (2013).

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell.   (2013).

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone. (2013)

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges and Susan Bridges. (2009).

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Note:  my synopsis for all of these titles either are available, or will be soon, on our companion site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.  Each synopsis comes with a multi-page, comprehensive handout plus the audio recording of my presentation.  And, each synopsis includes my takeaways from the book.  I think you would find these to be a valuable resource.