Here are 100 books that The Business of Behavior fans have personally recommended if you like
The Business of Behavior.
Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
Every person faces moments that test their strength, their identity, and their belief in what is possible. For me, those moments became the foundation of Mastering Intentions. These five books reflect the power of mindset, discipline, and self-awareness to transform challenge into clarity. They each carry a truth I live by: that you can rebuild from anything when you move with intention. Each of these authors has, in their own way, taught me how to align thought with action, faith with focus, and purpose with power. If you are navigating transition, rebuilding after loss, or simply ready to step into a new chapter, these books will help you rise stronger and more grounded than before.
This book is one of the most effective guides to meaningful, lasting change.
James Clear explains how transformation happens through small adjustments practiced consistently over time. His philosophy aligns with a core belief in my own life and work: growth is created by what you do daily, not occasionally.
Clear breaks down the power of systems, discipline, and identity-based habit building. The book proves that success is rarely about dramatic breakthroughs. It is the result of steady, intentional actions that accumulate into extraordinary impact.
Mastering the next right step is the foundation of personal and professional excellence.
The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 4 million copies sold!
Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the…
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
From a young age, I was captivated by art, music, film, and literature—constantly craving more from these creative mediums. Growing up in a lower-income, working-class home, I was surrounded by blue-collar workers, many of whom couldn’t attend college due to financial limitations. I learned early on that the richest education comes not just from books but from the stories of others and the world around us. Always feeling I had my own story to tell, I transitioned from steel worker to talent agent in Hollywood. But despite my success promoting others, something was missing—my own narrative. After a tragic loss, I reevaluated my path and chose to become a psychotherapist and author.
When I finished this book, I finally felt like a grown-up. It felt like I had just read a business classic—and I had. This book taught me more than any other about the vital role communication plays in relationships and the profound impact it can have.
It was the first time I truly understood how to build rapport and cultivate meaningful connections. I learned that it’s not about manipulating people but about influencing them, resolving conflicts, and earning their trust through kindness, respect, and integrity.
Millions of people around the world have - and continue to - improve their lives based on the teachings of Dale Carnegie. In How to Win Friends and Influence People Carnegie offers practical advice and techniques, in his exuberant and conversational style, for how to get out of a mental rut and make life more rewarding.
His advice has stood the test of time and will teach you how to: - make friends quickly and easily - increase your popularity - win people to your way of thinking - enable you to win new clients and customers - become a…
I’m Mariah Avery, a clinic owner, adjunct professor, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®). When I was a new BCBA I felt like I had been thrown out of the frying pan into the fire. Even worse, the fire kept judging me for not knowing things and telling me I didn’t work quickly enough. These books are, in part, what got me through that time and helped me back on my feet—I hope they do the same for you.
Sometimes, you need someone to yell at you (lovingly) through a book. Knight's no-nonsense guide is like a friend who calls you out and then hands you a to-do list, making life's chaos a lot more manageable—with a side of sass.
This book doesn't teach you how to be a behavior analyst, but it will teach you how to live a little better. I recommend it because it can help you manage your time and tasks effectively, which is crucial in the field of ABA. Please note that, as the title suggests, there is explicit language, and it may not be suitable for everyone.
A New York Times bestseller from the author of the bestselling book everyone is talking about, The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k.
How to stop worrying about what you should do, so you can finish what you need to do and start doing what you want to do.
Ever find yourself snowed under at the office - or even just glued to the sofa - when you really want to get out (for once), get to the gym (at last), and get started on that daunting dream project you're always putting off? Or if you are confined to…
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
I’m Mariah Avery, a clinic owner, adjunct professor, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®). When I was a new BCBA I felt like I had been thrown out of the frying pan into the fire. Even worse, the fire kept judging me for not knowing things and telling me I didn’t work quickly enough. These books are, in part, what got me through that time and helped me back on my feet—I hope they do the same for you.
This book is to improve your "craft," so to speak. Bailey and Burch offer practical, step-by-step strategies for sharpening your professional skills. I especially love how the “just say no” chapter is immediately followed up by a chapter on how to professionally say no.
The structure of the book flows as well as the content. This was mandatory reading for me in graduate school, but I have kept returning to it repeatedly.
This second edition of Bailey and Burch's best-selling 25 Essential Skills for the Successful Behavior Analyst is an invaluable guide to the professional skills required in the rapidly growing field of applied behavior analysis.
The demands on professional behavior analysts, BCBAs and BCBA-Ds, are constantly increasing such that several new skills are required to keep up with new developments. Each chapter has been thoroughly updated and seven new chapters address recognizing the need to understand client advocacy, cultural responsiveness, and the movement toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.
The authors present five basic skills and strategy areas which…
As an autistic person, I know just how critical authentic autism representation is. It was a book that first opened up the possibility for me that I might be autistic—and looking back, I realize that that book may have some problematic portrayals of what it means to be autistic. But I was so hungry for representation that I took what I could get. Because of this, when I see myself in books with autistic protagonists, I can’t help but cheer! I know there are quite a few great books with autistic representation, and there are so many more I’d love to include here, but here are five of my favorites. I hope you enjoy!
This book is particularly compelling in how it portrays the intersection of abuse and neurodivergence.
Maudie’s abuse makes her prone to doubt herself and her place in the world. She sees herself as “a girl with glitches” and has to learn to not mold herself for others but find confidence and joy in her own unique wiring.
This book also does a great job of portraying a nuanced portrayal of the ramifications and trauma of ABA therapy and Autism Mom culture, which we need more of in the media.
Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish. A Schneider Family Book Award winner!
Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life-one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she's…
As a 25-year business coach, I have often assigned clients the task of wandering through a book store and acting like a heat-guided missile, letting themselves notice what topics and books they are naturally drawn to. For me, even as a liberal arts major with no entrepreneurial experience when I started my consulting business 25 years ago, I was always drawn to the business, psychology, and entrepreneur section. The world of work is my playground, and I am fascinated by how to help people build a powerful body of work while sustaining themselves financially and having a deep quality of life.
As the subtitle says, there are few people who have the experience and expertise to write “The time-tested, battle-hardened guide for anyone starting anything.” Guy Kawasaki brings the right blend of easy-to-understand brand and business advice mixed with a foundation of ethics and generosity. If you only want one startup book in your library, this is the one.
THE CLASSIC BESTSELLING GUIDE TO LAUNCHING AND MAKING YOUR NEW PRODUCT, SERVICE OR IDEA A SUCCESS. 'The ultimate entrepreneurship handbook' - Arianna Huffington Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, small-business owner, intrapreneur, or not-for-profit leader, there's no shortage of advice on topics such as innovating, recruiting, fund raising, and branding. In fact, there are so many books, articles, websites, blogs, webinars, and conferences that many startups focus on the wrong priorities and go broke before they succeed. The Art of the Start 2.0 solves that problem by distilling Guy Kawasaki's decades of experience as one of the most hardworking and irreverent…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
For as long I can remember, I’ve been an ideas guy. I even like the idea of ideas…I guess that makes me a meta-idea guy. But not just any ideas. Ideas that achieve the maximum impact with the minimum means. Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, “I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity, but I’d give my life for simplicity on the other side of complexity.” Creative ideas are the main event of the imagination, and the simpler the better. I've written and published several books, hundreds of articles and blogs, and even had dozens of songs published. But by far my favorite creative accomplishment is winning the New Yorker cartoon caption contest in 2008.
Creativity in Business was the book that started it all for me in terms of creativity in business. I had just graduated from The Wharton School with my MBA, and I had no idea that business creativity was even a thing. Or even a possibility. I thought they were entirely different worlds, and never the twain shall meet. In this book, authors Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers made me want to go take their course at Stanford. As soon as they started talking about business as art and silencing the “voice of judgment,” I was hooked.
This exploration of innovative thinking in companies of all kinds "shows us how creativity in business can enrich us, and those who work with us." -- Spencer Johnson, co-author, The One Minute Manager
I’m the founder of Purposeful Group, an author, and a multi-award-winning entrepreneur who has started multiple businesses from scratch. I believe that when you have the right mindset, positive things will flow from this. As the designer of programmes for entrepreneurs and digital learners, I have recommended books that I hope will give readers a great foundation to build on to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. From a personal perspective, they have kept me on track, and helped me build a framework of “success behaviours.”
Key Person of Influence (KPI) is a system which helps entrepreneurs to develop their businesses through 5 key principles, or methods - Pitch, Publish, Product, Profile and Partner.
Priestley talks about the importance of a number of business activities, including developing your entrepreneurial pitch and refining the way that you position your business in order to make an impact. Visibility and credibility are also critical for building trust with prospective customers, and through partnering and building relationships with other business owners, an organisation can accelerate its results.
At Purposeful Group, we have our own system, the App Map 2.0 model designed to help aspiring tech startup founders to create digital products from scratch via our Tech Startup Academy programme.
Every industry revolves around Key People of Influence. Their names come up in conversation. They attract opportunities. They earn more money. Many people think it takes decades of hard work, academic qualifications and a generous measure of good luck to become a Key Person of Influence.
This audiobook shows you that there is a five-step strategy for fast-tracking your way to the inner circle of the industry you love. Your ability to succeed depends on your ability to influence. Start now by listening to this audiobook.
Having built multiple profitable businesses in multiple states, I’ve learned that success comes from thinking outside the box and at times comically questioning authority. Flexibility, nimbleness, and comfort with change are bedrocks of a strong entrepreneurial foundation. However, even though there may be no standard blueprint to success, winning in business still requires some basic tenants, like a strong level of determination and efficiency. Every year, my team and I work with hundreds of home buyers and sellers to fulfill their dreams, and a huge reason for this lies in the lessons we’ve learned in the books listed here. I hope you learn from them as much as I have.
This book is an absolute blueprint from one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. I could share hundreds of examples you could use daily, but one of my favorites is his creation of personal virtues that he practiced and tracked over and over until perfection. Success leaves clues, and Franklin gives a road map to how he went from printing assistant to founding father, inventor, businessman, and visionary.
You are holding the only modern adaptation of Benjamin Franklin's 18th century autobiography. It is at its heart one of the greatest business stories ever told. The most versatile Founding Father was a husband, a father, a writer, an inventor, a statesman, a fundraiser and a military leader. But in his mind, he was first and foremost a businessman.
Franklin's captivating adventures include his almost single-handed responsibility for establishing the first media empire, the first public library, the first fire brigade, the University of Pennsylvania, the first book club and the first franchise--all of which are detailed within these pages…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I’m Heather Smith and I love writing. I love Accounting and AccounTech. I gratefully sit at the Ikigai inflection point, where my profession, passion, vocation, and mission intersect, and I can use my explanation skills to empower others in the accounting industry. Ikigai is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living. Believing Accountants don't save lives, Accountants save livelihoods; I use my superpower of explanation to educate the accounting profession about accounting technology and modern accounting practices. I do this through many channels including my latest book Xero for Dummies, 5th edition.
Alex has a really deep understanding of running a modern business, and operating as a digital nomad living across the world. She has written an inspirational companion guide to give you the motivation and resources you need to start your own entrepreneurial journey. This stuff is not taught in universities, but truly unlocks the power to lead the life that you want to lead.
Once you start a business you'll wonder why the hell you didn't do it before! And so the journey starts, but what should every young entrepreneur know about having and being in business so it has the best chance of being a success? This rich, original and motivating resource shares the secrets that can make you more and better prepared for life as a business owner, boss and entrepreneur. Written to be your companion, guide, inspiration and resource - it's great to know that there are many others that have been on the journey before you, and have words of…