Book recommendations for business leaders: 9/12/19

Sep 12, 2019 | 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 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell, It’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach, The Culture Question: How to Create a Workplace Where People Like to Work, and The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes. Plus Micael McKinney’s look at leadership books scheduled for release this month.

From Bob Morris: The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell

“Albert Einstein once suggested that if you cannot explain your ‘great idea’ to a six-year-old, you really don’t understand it. I was again reminded of that as I began to read this brief but brilliant book in which Paul Smith explains why — with rare exception — great leaders tell great stories. (Einstein used stories to explain his major theories.) They know which stories to tell and how to tell them. Their basic strategy is to anchor ideas in human experience with which others can readily associate.”

From Michael McKinney: It’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach

“Jim Clifton and Jim Harter of Gallup explain how to build a strengths-based culture that attracts the best employees and maximizes their potential in It’s the Manager. They cover five major topic areas—Strategy, Culture, Employment Brand, Boss to Coach, and Future of Work—an offer 52 discoveries from Gallup’s largest study of the future of work. The most important sections for me are Employment Brand and Boss to Coach.”

From Skip Prichard: 6 Key Elements of a Healthy Culture

“The authors of The Culture Question: How to Create a Workplace Where People Like to Work believe that everyone should be able to like where they work. This is a compelling vision, and after reading the book I reached out to two of the four authors, ACHIEVE CEO, Randy Grieser, and ACHIEVE Managing Director, Eric Stutzman, to learn more about their thoughts.”

From Daniel Akst: Smart and dumber

“In his new book, The Intelligence Trap, David Robson explains why intelligent people engage in unintelligent behavior.”

From Michael McKinney: First Look: Leadership Books for September 2019

“Here’s a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in September 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.