Favorite Books
Below are my favorite books on managing and leading others and organizations. They will give you excellent information that will help you improve your skills. Like many, I have formed affiliate marketing partnerships -- each link takes you to Amazon Marketplace, and I will receive a small commission on the sale. Thank you for your support!
The Science of Things
- How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan (2015)
- Wired to Grow: Harness the Power of Brain Science to Master Any Skill by Britt Andreatta (2015)
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal (2013)
Leadership
- A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Seabury Books
- The Leadership Challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations by Kouzes and Posner (5th edition, 2012)
- Leading at a Higher Level: Creating high performing organizations by Ken Blanchard (2009)
- Leading with Soul: An uncommon journey of spirit by Bolman and Deal (3rd edition, 2011)
- Servant Leadership: A journey in to the nature of legitimate power and greatness by Robert Greenleaf (25th edition, 2002)
- The 8th Habit: From effectiveness to greatness by Stephen Covey (2005)
- Leader Effectiveness Training (LET): The proven people skills for today’s leaders tomorrow by Thomas Gordon (2001)
- Leadership: Theory and practice by Peter Northouse (6th edition, 2012)
- The Extraordinary Coach: How the best leaders help others grow by John Zenger and Kathleen Stinnett (2010)
Wisdom + Success
- Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg (2016)
- When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink (2014)
- Thrive: The 3rd metric to redefining success and creating a life of well-being, wisdom, and wonder by Arianna Huffington (2014)
- Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: find and sustain your life's work by Kevin Caroll (2005)
- Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being by Martin Seligman (2012)
Change + Innovation
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
- Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A corporate fool's guide to surviving with grace by Gordon MacKenzie (1998)
- Kill the Company: end the status quo, start at innovation revolution by Lisa Bodell (2012)
- The Four Disciplines of Execution: Achieving your wildly important goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling (2012)
- Start with Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action by Simon Sinek (2011)
- Managing Transitions: Making the most of change by William Bridges (2009)
- The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business by Charles Duhigg (2012)
- Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead by Brené Brown (2013)
- The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world by Heifetz, Linsky, and Grashow (2009)
- Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap and others don’t by Jim Collins (2001)
- Change by Design: How design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation by Tim Brown (2009)
- The Change Monster: The human forces that fuel or foil corporate transformation and change by Jeanie Duck (2002)
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (2002)
Motivation + Engagement
- Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us by Daniel Pink (2011)
- The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to recognize the subtle signs and act before it’s too late by Leigh Branham (2012)
- The Power of Full Engagement: Managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance and personal renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (2004)
- Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead by Brené Brown (2013)
- The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni (2007)
- Einstein's Business: Engaging soul, imagination, and excellence in the Workplace by Dawson Church (2007)
- Transformational Life Coaching by Cherie Carter-Scott (2007)
- The Happiness Advantage: The 7 principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work by Shawn Achor (2010)
- Wisdom 2.0: The new movement toward purposeful engagement in business and life by Soren Gordhamer (2009)
- David and Goliath: Underdogs, misfits, and the art of battling giants by Malcolm Gladwell (2013)
Collaboration + Teams
- The Power of Eight: Harnessing the Miraculous Energies of a Small Group to Heal Others, Your Life, and the World by Lynne McTaggart (2017)
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (2002)
- Tribal Leadership: Leveraging natural groups to build a thriving organization by Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright (2011)
- Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath (2007)
Gender + Generation
- What if I Say the Wrong Thing?: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People by Verna A. Myers (2010)
- Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation by Derald Wing Sue (2010)
- Lean In: Women, work and the will to lead by Sheryl Sandberg (2013)
- Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead by Brené Brown (2013)
- Dare, Dream, Do by Whitney Johnson (2012)
- Her Place at the Table: A woman's guide to negotiating five key challenges for leadership success by Kolb, Williams and Frohlinger (2010)
- How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and LifeHow Remarkable Women Lead by Barsh and Cranston (2009)
- The M Factor: How the Millennial generation is rocking the workplace by Lancaster and Stillman (2010)
- The 2020 Workplace: How innovative companies attract, develop, and keep tomorrow's employees today by Meister and Willyerd (2010)
Conscious Capitalism + Sustainable Business
- Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the heroic spirit of business by John Mackey (2013)
- Firms of Endearment: How world-class companies profit from passion and purpose by Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth (2013)
- Conscious Business: How to build through values by Fred Kofman (2013)
- Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoksie (2012)
- Delivering Happiness: A path to profits, passion and purpose by Tony Hsieh (2010)
Communication
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high by Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler (2011)
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in by Fisher, Ury and Patton (2011)
- Fierce Conversations: Achieving success at work and in life one conversation at a time by Susan Scott (2004)
Career + Calling
- Get Clear on Your Career by Lily Maestas (2009)
- A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Thomas Moore (2009)
- Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer (1999)
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (2011)