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 Being Human: A User Guide: Why we do what we do, What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence, The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World, What About the Future?: New Perspectives on Planning, Forecasting and Complexity, and Leading from the Roots: Nature-Inspired Leadership Lessons for Today’s World. Plus Michael McKinney’s look at new leadership releases for October 2019.
From Skip Prichard: A User Guide to Being Human
“Working as an accountant in industry for over twenty years provided Anne Burton with many examples of how difficult people find it to manage the challenges of business change processes and a first-hand experience of the stress that can result from trying to achieve more and more with less and less. It also left her with a long-term fascination and passion for why people do what they do. In over a decade of study she began to notice that some important aspects of being human have been largely ignored and that these aspects of us need to be in balance if we are to experience our lives at their best and retain our true humanity. She brought her findings together in her first book, Being Human – A User Guide: Why we do what we do.”
From the Economist: The lessons of Stephen Schwarzman
“AS A CHILD growing up in Philadelphia, Stephen Schwarzman had a part-time job selling handkerchiefs to old ladies at his father’s shop, Schwarzman’s Curtains and Linens. He hated it. His main consolation was imagining how the firm could expand across post-war America, like Sears. But his father was not interested. He was happy with a house, two cars and some money. He was no entrepreneur. The younger Mr Schwarzman, who went on to co-found Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative-asset manager, and become an Olympian of modern-day capitalism worth $18bn, recounts that story at the start of his memoir, ‘What It Takes’. It is one of the few times a mere mortal appears in his account—only to be swiftly shunted aside.”
From Marcella Bremer: The Healing Organization
“Would you like to work at a healing organization that alleviates suffering and elevates joy? Raj Sisodia’s latest book describes a positive culture, with positive leadership – and offers organizations a calling: to contribute to healing. But should organizations heal – and what, who, and how? Aren’t organizations meant to make money, instead of healing employees, society, and the environment? That’s a narrow and selfish view of business, says Conscious Capitalism’s co-founder Raj Sisodia. His book, The Healing Organization, written with Michael Gelb, invites us to develop healing organizations that alleviate suffering and elevate joy.”
From Jeffrey Phillips: What about the Future?
“The book I’m reviewing today is entitled What about the Future? It was written by Fred Phillips, who is a professor and also the editor of the journal Technological Forecasting and Societal Change. In full disclosure Fred was also one of my favorite professors when I took his course on technology adoption at UT-Austin’s MBA program.”
From thoughtLEADERS: Four Lessons in Employee Engagement We Can Learn from Nature
“Today’s post is by Dr. Kathleen E. Allen, author of Leading from the Roots.”
From Michael McKinney: First Look: Leadership Books for October 2019
“Here’s a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in October 2019.”
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.