Book recommendations for business leaders: 5/10/18

May 10, 2018 | Reading Lists

Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, there are two things you must do: read a lot and write a lot. This is about the “read a lot” part. I include reading lists and book reviews that will help you do business more effectively and write better for business.

In this post, I point you to reviews of The CEO Next Door, That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) about Working Together, Get Better: Fifteen Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work, The Essentials of Theory U, and The Leader Habit: Master the Skills You Need to Lead in Just Minutes a Day.

From Bob Morris: The CEO Next Door

“The best business books are evidence-driven and that is certainly true of this one. The information, insights, and counsel that Elena Botelho and Kim Powell provide in abundance were generated by wide and deep research that involved about 17,000 leaders with 2,600 examined in much greater depth. Also, more than 9,000 executives at all levels of seniority have taken Seniority, a self-assessment on CEO Genome Behaviors and the current total has been increased to 17,000 and counting.”

Wally’s Comment: See my review of this book here.

From Deborah Unger: Minding the Gender Gap

“In her book on gender disparity in the workplace, journalist Joanne Lipman challenges men and women to overcome unconscious bias.”

From Wharton: The Workplace Culture Chasm: Why So Many Get It Wrong

“One of the biggest challenges in the business world today is developing a collaborative and productive workplace culture that can than boost performance. Organizations are beginning to discover that interpersonal relationships are key to a harmonious office where employees feel good about each other and their work. Todd Davis, whose title is chief people officer for FranklinCovey, has poured more than 30 years of experience in human resources and talent development into his new book, Get Better: Fifteen Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work.”

From Michael McKinney: The Essentials of Theory U

“WE LIVE IN A TIME of massive disruptions. It is a common reaction to this change to organize, reward, and promote, selfishness. Leaders and other change makers feel stuck—unable to redirect the course of events in any significant and constructive way. We are, in Otto Scharmer’s words, ‘collectively creating results that (almost) nobody wants.’”

From Skip Prichard: Develop the Leader Habit

“Martin Lanik is an organizational psychologist and the CEO of Pinsight®, a global leadership software-as-service company known for its disruptive HR technology. His new book, THE LEADER HABIT: Master the Skills You Need to Lead in Just Minutes a Day, shares the science behind how people develop habits and shows you how to develop key leadership skills through simple, daily exercises.”

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 Skip Prichard’s Leadership Insights.