2013 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards: Personal Development

The entries were submitted, the books were read, the shortlists determined, and we are now ready to announce the category winners of the 2013 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards! In the Personal Development category... G. Richard Shell's Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success from Portfolio takes the top spot.

"There is no 'secret' you need to discover. And you do not have 'one true purpose' for your life that is your duty to find or die trying. The raw materials for success are tucked away inside you and your next big goal is probably within arm's reach—if only you have the clarity of mind to see it" Springboard, page 10-11

Success is an oft-tackled subject in business literature, so it's easy to be cynical about there being any new angle to take on the matter. But G. Richard Shell, author of the classic Bargaining for Advantage and The Art of Woo achieves it in Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success by presenting us with a book that doesn't define success as much as it provides readers with tools to define it accurately and authentically for themselves. Shell, who literally teaches the course on success at Wharton, opens his book with a retelling of his own circuitous path to success, written with great humility and insight, and the entire book is told in a voice that is both instructive and generous. "What is Success?" and "How Will I Achieve It?" are questions you will be able to answer for yourself once you close the covers of this book.

To revisit the runners-up, check out our Personal Development shortlist announced last week.

(Our top award for The Best Business Book of 2013 will be announced in early January. Stay tuned!)