Learn why bad decisions happen to good managers—and how to make better ones.

If you read nothing else on decision making, read these 10 articles. We’ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you and your organization make better choices and avoid common traps.

Leading experts such as Ram Charan, Michael Mankins, and Thomas Davenport provide the insights and advice you need to:

• Make bold decisions that challenge the status quo
• Support your decisions with diverse data
• Evaluate risks and benefits with equal rigor
• Check for faulty cause-and-effect reasoning
• Test your decisions with experiments
• Foster and address constructive criticism
• Defeat indecisiveness with clear accountability

Become a mindful listener at work.

Listening is a critical skill that leaders and managers often take for granted. By learning to listen mindfully, you can keep your employees more engaged, foster the discovery of new ideas, and hear what you need to hear in a discussion rather than what you expect to hear.

The book will teach you what great listeners do, how to stay fully present in challenging conversations, and how empathic listening can help others learn and grow.

This volume includes the work of:

• Peter Bregman
• Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman
• Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter
• Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins

How to be human at work. The HBR Emotional Intelligence Series features smart, essential reading on the human side of professional life from the pages of Harvard Business Review. Each book in the series offers proven research showing how our emotions impact our work lives, practical advice for managing difficult people and situations, and inspiring essays on what it means to tend to our emotional well-being at work. Uplifting and practical, these books describe the social skills that are critical for ambitious professionals to master.

Become more confident at work.

You need confidence to inspire trust, communicate effectively, and succeed in your organization. But self-doubt and nerves can undermine your ability to act decisively and persuade others. What can you do to push past these insecurities?

This book explains how you can use emotional intelligence to become more confident at work. You'll learn how to correct what is holding you back, how to overcome imposter syndrome, and when feeling too self-assured can actually backfire.

This volume includes the work of:

• Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
• Rosabeth Moss Kanter
• Amy Jen Su
• Peter Bregman

Tackle complex situations with critical thinking.

You're facing a problem at work. There are many ways you can approach the situation, but each comes with its own pros and cons. How do you sort through all the information so that you know you're taking the right path?

The answer is in how you think. The HBR Guide to Critical Thinking will help you navigate your most challenging issues, from difficult problems to tough decisions to complex scenarios. By carefully observing the situation, gathering information, inviting other perspectives, and analyzing what's in front of you, you can move forward with confidence while building this crucial leadership skill.

You'll learn how to:

• Question your assumptions
• Keep an open mind to opposing viewpoints
• Sidestep cognitive biases
• Use data—when appropriate
• Grow comfortable with ambiguity
• Find innovative and creative solutions

Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Does your organization support creativity—or squash it?

If you read nothing else on cultivating creativity at work, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you ignite the creative spark across your organization.

This book will inspire you to:

• Discover the elements of creativity and learn how to influence them
• Harness the creative potential of a diverse team
• Encourage curiosity and experimentation
• Avoid breakdowns in creative collaboration
• Overcome the fear that blocks your innate creativity
• Bring breakthrough ideas to life

This collection of articles includes "Reclaim Your Creative Confidence" by Tom Kelley and David Kelley; "How to Kill Creativity" by Teresa Amabile; "How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity" by Ed Catmull; "Putting Your Company's Whole Brain to Work" by Dorothy Leonard and Susaan Straus; "Find Innovation Where You Least Expect It" by Tony McCaffrey and Jim Pearson; "The Business Case for Curiosity" by Francesca Gino; "Bring Your Breakthrough Ideas to Life" by Cyril Bouquet, Jean-Louis Barsoux, and Michael Wade; "Collaborating with Creative Peers" by Kimberly D. Elsbach, Brooke Brown-Saracino, and Francis J. Flynn; "Creativity Under the Gun" by Teresa Amabile, Constance Noonan Hadley, and Steven J. Kramer; "Strategy Needs Creativity" by Adam Brandenburger; and "How to Build a Culture of Originality" by Adam Grant.

HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

AI is ready for business. Are you ready for AI?

From financial modeling and product design to performance management and hiring decisions, AI and machine learning are becoming everyday tools for managers at businesses of all sizes. But AI systems come with benefits and downsides—and if you can't make sense of them, you're not going to make the right decisions.

Whether you need to get up to speed quickly or need a refresher, or you're working with an AI expert for the first time, the HBR Guide to AI Basics for Managers will give you the information and skills you need to succeed.

You'll learn how to:

• Understand key AI terms and concepts
• Recognize which of your projects would benefit from AI
• Work more effectively with your data team
• Hire the right AI vendors and consultants
• Deal with ethical risks before they arise
• Scale AI across your organization

Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, real-life stories, and concise explanations of research published in Harvard Business Review, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack--whatever your role.

Bring mindfulness into your work.

The benefits of mindfulness include better performance, heightened creativity, deeper self-awareness, and increased charisma—not to mention greater peace of mind.

This book gives you practical steps for building a sense of presence into your daily work routine. It also explains the science behind mindfulness and why it works and gives clear-eyed warnings about the pitfalls of the fad.

This volume includes the work of:

Set yourself on the path to greatness.

If you read nothing else on performing at your highest level, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you learn what successful people do differently, find inspiration in your work, and achieve your full potential.

This book will inspire you to:

• Identify the patterns that are holding you back
• Turn weaknesses into strengths and strengths into success
• Form the right habits to reach your goals
• Focus on the work that matters most
• Avoid the pitfalls of being a star performer
• Set the stage for others to excel

This collection of articles includes "The Making of an Expert," by K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T. Cokely; "Managing Oneself," by Peter F. Drucker; "Are You a High Potential?," by Douglas A. Ready, Jay A. Conger, and Linda A. Hill, "Making Yourself Indispensable," by John H. Zenger, Joseph R. Folkman, and Scott K. Edinger; "How to Play to Your Strengths," by Laura Morgan Roberts, Gretchen Spreitzer, Jane Dutton, Robert Quinn, Emily Heaphy, and Brianna Barker Caza; "The Power of Small Wins," by Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer; "Nine Things Successful People Do Differently," by Heidi Grant; "Make Time for the Work That Matters," by Julian Birkinshaw and Jordan Cohen; "Don't Be Blinded by Your Own Expertise," by Sydney Finkelstein; "Mindfulness in the Age of Complexity," by Ellen Langer and Alison Beard; "Primal Leadership," by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee; and "The Right Way to Form New Habits," by James Clear and Alison Beard.

HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

Business success begins with trust.

Trust is the basis for all that we do as leaders and as organizations. Employees who trust their employers are more productive and creative. Businesses that earn their customers' trust maintain better relationships and reap better results. Meanwhile, breaches of trust between companies and the public are becoming more frequent—and more costly.

If you read nothing else on trust, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you build, maintain, and repair trust, both as a leader and as a company.

This book will inspire you to:

• Develop trust through competence, legitimacy, and impact
• Understand the neuroscience of trust
• Follow through on your commitments to stakeholders
• Negotiate better with an untrustworthy counterpart
• See your company through the eyes of your customers
• Rebuild relationships after a breakdown of trust

This collection of articles includes "Begin with Trust," by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss; "The Neuroscience of Trust," by Paul J. Zak; "Dig, Bridge, Collectively Act," by Tina Opie and Beth A. Livingston; "Rethinking Trust," by Roderick M. Kramer; "How to Negotiate with a Liar," by Leslie K. John; "The Enemies of Trust," by Robert M. Galford and Anne Seibold Drapeau; "Don't Let Cynicism Undermine Your Workplace," by Jamil Zaki; "The Trust Crisis," by Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta; "Customer Data: Designing for Transparency and Trust," by Timothy Morey, Theodore "Theo" Forbath, and Allison Schoop; "Operational Transparency," by Ryan W. Buell; and "The Organizational Apology," by Maurice E. Schweitzer, Alison Wood Brooks, and Adam D. Galinsky.

HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

The one primer you need to develop your entrepreneurial skills.

Whether you're imagining your new business to be the next big thing in Silicon Valley, a pivotal B2B provider, or an anchor in your local community, the HBR Entrepreneur's Handbook is your essential resource for getting your company off the ground.

Starting an independent new business is rife with both opportunity and risk. And as an entrepreneur, you're the one in charge: your actions can make or break your business. You need to know the tried-and-true fundamentals--from writing a business plan to getting your first loan. You also need to know the latest thinking on how to create an irresistible pitch deck, mitigate risk through experimentation, and develop unique opportunities through business model innovation.

The HBR Entrepreneur's Handbook addresses these challenges and more with practical advice and wisdom from Harvard Business Review's archive. Keep this comprehensive guide with you throughout your startup's life--and increase your business's odds for success.

In the HBR Entrepreneur's Handbook you'll find:

• Step-by-step guidance through the entrepreneurial process
• Concise explanations of the latest research and thinking on entrepreneurship from Harvard Business Review contributors such as Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman
• Time-honed best practices
• Stories of real companies, from Airbnb to eBay

You'll learn:

• Which skills and characteristics make for the best entrepreneurs
• How to gauge potential opportunities
• The basics of business models and competitive strategy
• How to test your assumptions--before you build a whole business
• How to select the right legal structure for your company
• How to navigate funding options, from venture capital and angel investors to accelerators and crowdfunding
• How to develop sales and marketing programs for your venture
• What entrepreneurial leaders must do to build culture and set direction as the business keeps growing

HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, real-life stories, and concise explanations of research published in Harvard Business Review, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack--whatever your role.

Rethink how your organization creates, delivers, and captures value--or risk becoming irrelevant.

If you read nothing else on business model innovation, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you reach new customers and stay ahead of your competitors by reinventing your business model.

This book will inspire you to:

• Assess whether your core business model is going strong or running out of gas
• Fend off free and discount entrants to your market
• Reinvigorate growth by adding a second business model
• Adopt the practices of lean startups
• Develop a platform around your key products
• Make business model innovation an ongoing discipline within your organization

This collection of articles includes "Why Business Models Matter," by Joan Magretta; "Reinventing Your Business Model," by Mark W. Johnson, Clayton M. Christensen, and Henning Kagermann; "When Your Business Model Is in Trouble," an interview with Rita Gunther McGrath by Sarah Cliffe; "Four Paths to Business Model Innovation," by Karan Girotra and Serguei Netessine; "The Transformative Business Model," by Stelios Kavadias, Kostas Ladas, and Christoph Loch; "Competing Against Free," by David J. Bryce, Jeffrey H. Dyer, and Nile W. Hatch; "Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything," by Steve Blank; "Finding the Platform in Your Product," by Andrei Hagiu and Elizabeth J. Altman; "Pipelines, Platforms, and the New Rules of Strategy," by Marshall W. Van Alstyne, Geoffrey G. Parker, and Sangeet Paul Choudary; "When One Business Model Isn't Enough," by Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Jorge Tarzijan; and "Reaching the Rich World's Poorest Consumers," by Muhammad Yunus, Frederic Dalsace, David Menasce, and Benedicte Faivre-Tavignot.

HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further.

HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.