“Leaders are readers.”
Yep, if you want to do that leading thing well, you need to read. One challenge is sorting through all the “leadership” and other business books to find good ones. This post should help. Here are some pointers to reviews of and excepts from recent leadership (in the broadest sense) books.
In this post I point you to reviews of Shoe Dog, Eliciting Excellence: Bringing Out the Best in People, Under New Management, and Small Data: The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends
From Allan Brettman: Phil Knight’s memoir emphasizes family, glosses over controversy
“It’s a fascinating story. And while it’s been told in other books and countless news articles, this is the first time the protagonist has truly opened up about his recollections of Nike’s early history. Knight’s personal story sets this book apart from others about Nike’s history. Readers may come away surprised at the importance of family.”
From Kevin Eikenberry: Eliciting Excellence: Bringing Out the Best in People
“This book focuses on helping you bring out the best in other people. And isn’t that a big part of our job as a leader?”
From Harvey Schachter: Put customers second (and other radical ideas)
“As workplaces changed from manual to mental labour, most of the management practices designed for that era have been retained. What was good for pioneering management consultant Frederick Winslow Taylor and his client Bethlehem Iron Co. at the turn of the previous century often remains in place today. David Burkus, a professor of management at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, thinks it’s time for a shift, and his book Under New Management offers 13 provocative ideas for improvement.”
From Theodore Kinni: A Not-So-Elementary Exploration of Brand Insight
“Martin Lindstrom is the Sherlock Holmes of brand consultants. Even as he walks you through the cases in his new book, Small Data: The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends (St. Martin’s Press, 2016), you can’t help but marvel at his powers of observation and deduction.”
Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Check out my Three Star Leadership blog, Michael McKinney’s LeadingBlog, and Bob Morris’ Blogging on Business.