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Leadership Book Review
Welcome to the Leadership Books Collection website. Over the past 10 years I have worked with thousands of managers, supporting them to fulfill their potential as corporate leaders. One of the most interesting observations has always been: managers don’t do enough reading!
After most sessions the participating managers and corporate leaders have often asked me to put together a leadership reading list for them, so here it goes: These are some of the best, most helpful books for managers and corporate leaders I have come across over the years.
A Balanced Diet
The list of books I have chosen to review are much like a balanced diet of content, covering from the spiritual to nuts-and-bolts leadership advice encompassing a holistic view of leadership. You may notice that I have omitted some acclaimed ‘must read’ titles you may expect to find on such a list (since some of these titles are so well known you should be able to find the easily and they need no special mention here), instead I have included some less known books that will take you to newer spaces and places at the fringe, allowing you to tap into very powerful thoughts and new distinctions.
I wish you lots of joy and fun reading and discovering new thoughts and distinctions to support you on your leadership journey.
2010 Recommendations
Title: Information Is Beautiful
Author: David McCandless
Why it is a must read: Time is money and a picture will say more than a 1000 words, welcome to the visual information preparation revolution! I picked this book off the shelve while browsing through a book store and was instantly hooked!
Mr. McCandless' approach to taking complex information and turning it into visually compelling, magnetic and attention grabbing visuals is the way of the future. In a time of geometrically increasing information it is essential to capture this vast amount of data in a way that makes creates clarity and actionable ideas, and here is where McCandless approach triumphs. Get this book and se in how many ways you will be able to turbo charge your next presentation to clients, management and the board of directors, creating interest, understanding and buy-in.
Check out the latest visual data interpretations at www.davidmccandless.com
Title: Future Files
Author: Richard Watson
Watson's approach to scanning the horizons of the future is crisp and clear. Of course none of us can truly predict the future, however it pays off to know what new case studies and ideas keep shifting our perceptions and realities. It is here that Watson does a great job and gives hands on indications and case studies that allow the reader to understand what these emerging trends are and where they may lead.
Check out Watson's view on what is next at www.nowandnext.com
Title: Ecological Intelligence
Author: Daniel Goleman
The author of EQ fame takes on a new topic: Ecological Intelligence. Being ecologically aware has moved from the fringes to take center stage in all aspects of our existence. No matter what we do, it will have an impact on the environment, it is here that Goleman's book provides a lucid analysis of how eco-thinking is changing the way we live, see and act in the world, as well as de-bunking some green myths.
The book is a cornerstone read for businesspeople, giving them an insight as to how this new ecological intelligence will influence the way we do business in the future.
More on Ecological Intelligence at: www.danielgoleman.info
Title: Unstuck
Author: Keith Yamashita & Sandra Spataro
Join Keith and Sandra on a fast paced trip to get out of business-as-usual, a field both of them have a lot of say about and the results to prove it. Keith Yamashita is one half of the standard setting Stone-Yamashita consultancy that has created major innovation shifts for IBM, Nike, The Gap, etc. Their refreshingly unconventional approach to becoming unstuck and truly creative starts with the design of the book itself and gives the reader a shot in the arm with bite-sized, actionable advise on how to shift him/herself and the team.
To get totally unglued go to: www.unstuck.com
Title: Microtrends
Author: Mark J Penn
The man behind President Bill Clinton's uncanny ability to spot hot-button issues in the voter's hearts, an ability that secured him 2 terms as president, steps out of the shadows and allows us a glimpse behind the curtain of how trends are spotted.
Microtrends is a brilliant piece of analytical research and case study driven narrative that allows us to see why women are fast becoming the key technology drivers, how older men than ever are becoming fathers and how this will change the next generation, why the elite is easy to impress with simple information.
The book is a treasure trove of ideas for new business ideas, get it and put on your thinking cap, there is money hiding in them pages.
Discover new microtrends at: www.microtrends.com
Title: Delivering Happiness
Author: Tony Hsieh
Undoubtedly Tony Hsieh is a Game Changer. He took the staid business of shoe retailing off the shelf and put it online. A business (Zappos.com) that goes from 0 to be sold for 1.2 billion U$ within 9 years needs to be respected.
Discover the real driving force behind Zappos.com: their unflinching devotion to create a culture of happiness! The book puts the lie to the notion that only 'rich' companies like Google can afford a culture that puts a smile on every employee's face.
Zappos relentless focus on it's values: happiness, passion and purpose has created a company that attracts people devoted to their job, a culture that delivers superior results from the heart. It is a must read for corporate leaders looking for that 'secret formula' to staying at the cutting edge.
More Zappos happiness at www.deliveringhapinessbook.com
Spiritual Leadership Support
Title: The Power Of NOW
Author: Eckhard Tolle
Why It Is A Must-Read:
Our world seems to measure success with a simple paradigm, how hard do you work and how fast you race up the corporate ladder. Many people around the world have tried this formula and scrambled up the latter of corporate success as fast as they could, only to arrive at the last rung of the ladder to find a sense of emptiness and wonder if that is all there is to life.
Eckhard Tolle’s simple and powerful book takes us back to square one: we are NOT our minds & egos. It is the egoic mind that incessantly drives managers to achieve ‘more’ without creating balance and happiness in their lives, to compete, to never really be satisfied.
Tolle explains how the egoic mind keeps us from being still, from creating the inner space that allows us to observe the real truth of what is happening in our lives, a truth that will allow us to make better choices. He empowers the reader to take control, to stop the endless mind-chatter and start living in the NOW, a space free of problems, where we can find our joy and are able to embrace our true selves.
It has been one of the single most powerful books I have read that made me step back and think about my life, admit some painful mistakes, forgive myself and make brand-new choices. For more on the author please visit his website www.eckhardtolle.com
Title: Still Here – Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying
Author: Ram Dass
Why It Is A Must-Read:
More than thirty years ago, an entire generation sought a new way of life and looked for fulfillment and meaning in a way no one had before. They were led in their quest by one man, Ram Dass, who showed us all how to begin to find peace within ourselves.
His tireless work with the living, and the dying (he runs a hospice in San Francisco) has led him to deep insights about the real meaning of what it means to be alive. Refreshing, witty and immensely compassionate Ram Dass brings us back to a simple reality, we are all bound for the one way-ticket six foot underground and we better start making sense of our life as soon as possible to make it a worthwhile stay on this planet.
A few pages of this book each day before going to the office are a great shot in the arm for any corporate leader, reminding us to see our team members for who they really are: fellow souls traveling on spaceship earth looking for the meaning of life. All of a sudden our ability to listen, to be patient and compassionate ratchets up as if by magic, allowing us to connect with our team members on a totally different and more meaningful plain.
For more on the author please visit his website at www.ramdass.org
Emotional Leadership Support
Title: Power VS Force
Author: Dr. David Hawkins
Why It Is A Must-Read:
After years of looking for a simple system to explain human behavior patterns I stumbled across Dr. Hawkins’ book.
Dr. Hawkins has focused on the study of mental processes which in turn led him to the study of behavioral kinesiology, allowing him to analyze the full spectrum of the levels of human consciousness, developing a fascinating map of the geography of man’s experience. This “anatomy of consciousness” produces a profile of the entire human condition, allowing a comprehensive analysis of the emotional and mental developments of individuals…
The most outstanding feature of his book is his Map Of Consciousness: a map showing the levels of consciousness human beings can live in and take as “reality”. In your role as manager and corporate leader you may often have wondered why some people are stuck in certain behavior patterns (playing victim, not taking responsibility, being pompous…) and are not able to let go, then this book is for you.
Dr. Hawkins explains humanity using consciousness levels from 20 to 1000. Each level of consciousness is inhabited by a specific type of person, who operate based on specific belief systems and behavior patterns. Getting to know these personality types as described by Dr. Hawkins is enlightening and empowers you to become an excellent leader: It allows you to study your team members from a completely different angle, making completely new leadership choices based on your new understanding of how your team members belief systems are wired up.
It is also an indispensable aid for leaders who are looking to transform their teams, the book gives clear guidelines how far one can support individuals to change at any given time. Invaluable and indispensable advise for any transformational leader.
For more on the author please visit his website at www.davidhawkins.info
Title: Emotional Intelligence
Author: Daniel Goleman
Why It Is A Must-Read:
I am not sure if Daniel Goleman’s book needs to be introduced at all, after all it is the seminal book that launched the term EQ into our collective consciousness. The book is a deeply researched analysis of the human brain and re-examines what we have commonly perceived as “intelligence”.
Drawing on groundbreaking brain and behavioral research, Goleman shows the factors at work when people of high IQ flounder and those of modest IQ do surprisingly well. These factors, which include self-awareness, self-discipline, and empathy, add up to a different way of being smart – one he terms “emotional intelligence”. While childhood is a critical time for its development, emotional intelligence is not fixed at birth. It can be nurtured and strengthened throughout adulthood – with immediate benefits to our health, our relationships, and our work.
If you haven’t read this book you just plain don’t have the basic background to understand the mechanics of the brain and of human emotions, you are literally flying blind when dealing with people in leadership situations! My recommendation: this book is non-negotiable when you are in the people leadership business, like every good mechanic you need to be able to pop the hood of the car (your team member’s brain) and know where to start working.
For more on the author please visit his website at www.danielgoleman.info/blog
Mental
Title: The Human Mind – And How To Make Most Of It
Author: Robert Winston
Why It Is A Must-Read:
Here it is: the book of our brain, where it came from, how it came to be, why it works the way it does and how it gave rise to what we call the human mind, the way we operate and think: how the brain falls in love, dreams, makes decisions…
Robert Winston is himself a highly accomplished scientist, Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London who has made a series of breakthrough BBC TV documentaries on the human body. He is a consummate story-teller who makes the most complex subjects easily understandable.
Discover how we can boost our intelligence, tap into creative powers we never knew we had, break old habits and keep our brains fit and active as we enter old age.
As leaders we are all confronted with the brain (ours and our team members), thinking, making decisions, assessing situations, planning scenarios, guiding people, yet too few managers and corporate leaders have a real understanding of why the brain works the way it does. This fascinating trip through the brain’s history will give you a solid foundation in understanding what is truly going on between our ears and how to become a better leader of other people’s brains.
I have not been able to find a personal website on Dr. Winston, however, if you Google him you will find a wealth of information and material on him and his cutting edge work in the medical field.
Emotional
Title: The Disease To Please
Author: Harriet B. Braiker PhD
Why It Is A Must Read:
The title pretty much says it all! This book is a MUST READ for all managers and corporate leaders: it addresses one of the biggest psychological ‘dirty secrets’ about People Pleasers.
People Pleasers are not just nice people who go overboard trying to make everyone happy. Those who suffer from the Disease to Please are people who say “Yes” when they really want to say “No”. For them, the uncontrollable need for the elusive approval of others is an addiction. Their debilitating fears of anger and confrontation force them to use “niceness” and people-pleasing” as self-defense camouflage.
Every company and leadership team I have worked with has harbored a number of People Pleasers, individuals who are not able to live their full potential based on the fears described above. The damage People Pleasers can inflict on themselves and a company by going not speaking up, by holding back from speaking their true mind and fully contributing their total knowledge can be massive.
This book is an eye opener and will allow you as a leader to support many people to overcome their inner fears and transcend, becoming powerful, outspoken individuals who stop being “silent killers” who are “nice” all the time and bring their best game to the table. This book put in action will deliver massive measurable improvements to your team’s results.
For more on the author please visit his website at www.thediseasetoplease.com
Corporate Culture & Values
Title: Nuts!
Author: Kevin & Jackie Freiberg
Why It Is A Must Read:
Over the years most US airlines have made headlines for all the wrong reasons: bad service, insolvencies, bankruptcies…
Enter Herb Kelleher and his Southwest Airlines. A lawyer fed up with the perennially lousy price-to-service ratio of the existing airline players Herb decided to solve the problem for good by starting his own airline.
Southwest was to be fast, cheap, friendly and it would pay lower salaries than the competition!
Find out how Herb created this amazing success story by focusing on 2 values: Love & Fun…
Herb’s life and success is my all time favorite case study of a corporate leaders who truly lived his values and made a smoking-hot success of his company. Sidestepping such classic management-speak staples as “reingeneering” & “total quality management” Herb focused on his people, hiring people with good humor and a smiling attitude looking for a mission, these are the people who took care of growing the company from the heart.
Read it, read it, read it is all I can say, you will enjoy it, it will totally re-energize you and have you chewing at the bits to create your own magnetic corporate culture!
For more on Herb Kelleher please visit the company’s website at www.southwest.com
Title: Wikinomics – How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
Author: Don Tapscott & Anthony D Williams
Why It Is A Must Read:
Have you heard of Wikipedia, MySpace, Linux, Second Life, The Human Genome Project? Quite possibly, but what do these websites have to do with your current position and challenges as a manager and corporate leader?
How about this: these websites have a simple message for all corporate leaders à the future just happened!
It is not the content of the websites that matters, it is how this content came to be: Voluntary Mass Collaboration within a non-hierarchial structure!
Simply put: the book Wikinomics describes the changes to come in a vast swathe of companies that are looking to attract the Best & Brightest to work for them. Instead of fearing the loss of direct control they used to possess through tightly run hierarchies cutting edge corporate leaders are embracing this opportunity to harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth and success.
A brilliant guide to one of the most profound changes of our time, Wikinomics challenges the most deeply rooted paradigms about business and leadership.
Driven by case studies the book allows you to immerse yourself and get a real glimpse at the enormous opportunities your company will tap by working the Wiki-way building global master mind networks!
For more on the book and how you can lead a Wiki-team www.wikinomics.com
Title: Maverick!
Author: Ricardo Semler
Why It Is A Must Read:
Ricardo Semler is one of the most unusual corporate leaders who has foreshadowed the changes that will happen to most companies with the ever increasing technological empowerment of the individual.
Taking over his father’s rigidly top-down run business in his early twenties Ricardo soon realized that this structure was not the key to the future. He decided to do the unthinkable: to dismantle the “classic management structure” and introduce a totally empowered networked way of working where:
- Workers make the decisions previously made by their bosses
- Managerial staff set their own salaries and bonuses
- Everyone has access to the company books
- No formality – a minimum of meetings, memos and approvals
- Shop-floor workers set their own productivity targets and schedules
This fast, empowering, energizing work culture at Semco has made it one of Latin America’s fastest growing companies with a waiting list of thousands of applicants waiting to join it.
It is one of the most inspiring, hands-on corporate leadership books I have read. Ricardo gives a full description of the whole transformational process, the pitfalls, the lessons and the specific solutions that got them where they are now. This is excellent value for money!
I have not been able to find a personal website on Ricardo Semler, however, if you Google him you will find further information and material on him.
Title: Swim With The Sharks
Author: Harvey Mackay
Why It Is A Must Read:
A very hands-on book for sales leaders. Harvey Mackay created a fortune by purchasing a failing envelope manufacturing company at age 26. Envelopes are not exactly on anyone’s mind when big money and personal fortunes are mentioned, but this is exactly hat makes his book so important.
His success formula was in HOW he decided to sell his envelopes. He turned his company into a fact-finding and research machine that ended up knowing more about the individual client’s life and habits than they did themselves. Leading his sales team to full understand the power of information he installed a 66 question fact-finding sheet every single sales team member must be able to answer on their clients.
Based on this information Harvey’s company established a client service experience that set completely new standards in the industry!
This book is a non-negotiable must-read for all sales leaders and managers involved in creating long-term relationships with key customers, it will rattle your cage and totally make you re-think the way your team has been approaching the market.
For more on Harvey Mackay please visit the company’s website at www.harveymackay.com
Title: Good To Great
Author: Jim Collins
Why It Is A Must Read:
This 2001 book is already a classic in it’s own right and the recommendation for all managers and corporate leaders is: don’t leave home without it!
The information the book contains is deeply and exhaustively researched and it’s implications are explosive!
It dismantles some long-cherished misconceptions about what it truly means to be a world-class corporate leader who creates long lasting corporate success, and it has little to do with the testosterone-driven louder-than-thou posturing of a “Chainsaw” Al Dunlap or the indefatigable self promotion of Donald Trump.
The Good to Great leader who emerges from the pages of Jim Collins’ book is someone called a Level 5 Leader whose character traits and characteristics ‘shocked’ the author and his research team for their straight-forwardness and simplicity
A Level 5 Leader (Executive) builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will
This book will change the way you look at yourself as a leader, how you look at your business and, most important: how to plan your own leadership strategy and execution by:
- Asking First WHO… Then WHAT (how to choose the right people for the mission)
- Confronting The Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)
- Using The Hedgehog Principle (Simplicity within the Three Circles)
- Creating a Culture of Discipline
- Using Technology Accelerators
Buy this book, read this book, then buy it for all your leadership team and get them moving from Good to Great.
For more on Jim Collins please visit his website at www.jimcollins.com
Leadership Case Studies & History
Title: In The Heart Of The Sea
Author: Nathaniel Philbrick
Why It Is A Must Read:
Have you ever heard of Moby Dick? Did you know that this fanciful story of Captain Ahab and the white whale is based on real life? And that the real story is far more dramatic and powerful than Herman Melville’s masterwork?
I stumbled across Nathaniel Philbrick’s superb historical page turner while browsing through the history section at a book store. The story that gave birth to the Moby Dick myth does involve a whale deliberately attacking the Nantucket whaleship Essex in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in November of 1820.
Having been sunk by an enraged bull sperm whale 20 crewmen make for the 3 small whaleboats that become their home for the 3 months to come.
Torn apart by storms each small boat becomes a microcosm ruled by one chosen leader and the results of their individual leadership capacities are startling: The whaleboat led by the incapable captain of the Essex deteriorates into a charnel house where sailors resort to murder and cannibalism. By contrast the crew in the boat led by the first mate Owen Chase survives their extreme ordeal, he achieves the unthinkable: coaching, mentoring, coaxing his people through interminable days of thirst, hunger and storms, making him in my eyes one of the most under-exposed inspirational leaders and an outstanding leadership case study.
This book is a page turner and will have you riveted from the first moment, enjoy!
For more on Nathaniel Philbrick please visit his website at www.nathanielphilbrick.com
Title: Blink: The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Why It Is A Must Read:
Have you ever wondered how some leaders develop something called ‘gut instinct’ about people? Assessing a person’s character in the blink of an eye, taking uncannily accurate reading of situations during discussions and boardroom battles? If you would ask them how they had made some of these accurate split second decisions most of these individuals would put it down to ‘gut feeling’, that intangible quality that makes a good leader a great interpreter of human actions.
In comes Blink! Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent study on how humans actually process information and how we can train our mind to make split second decisions, the ability to think without thinking, or in other words using instinct.
The author describes this phenomenon as "thin-slicing": our ability to gauge what is really important from a very narrow period of experience. In other words, spontaneous decisions are often as good as—or even better than—carefully planned and considered ones. Gladwell draws on examples from science, advertising, sales, medicine, and popular music to reinforce his ideas.
This is an indispensable book for leaders, giving them hands-on information on how to observe their own mind and how they will know what emotions a person is feeling just by looking at his or her face. These are indispensable tools for a leader who depends on choosing the right people for the job and his/her ability to read correctly what is truly going on when faced with differing opinions, agendas and fears while working with his her team.
Title: The Extreme Future
Author: James Canton Ph.D.
Why It Is A Must Read:
Think you know all the parameters that will keep your business going the next ten years? Think again! James Canton’s book is a powerful eye-opener on the trends that will wash away the realities of the markets as we know them.
While no one can claim to know what the future holds, Canton’s clear analysis of the major trends that will shape our markets is startling. It will help you re-focus your thinking process, defining with great clarity where you currently stand with your company and which questions you need to address, like:
Are you part of the Innovation Economy?
How are you preparing today to attract the workforce necessary to handle the future? (we will move from having ‘employees’ to working with co-creators)
How will the following trends influence your business:
- Nanotechnology
- Biotechnology
- Sustainability
Why/how will the changing weather change the way we do business?
These are just some sample questions of what is addressed in this book. Canton writes in a hands-on style, sprinkled with case studies that makes the book a valuable think resource that will help you glimpse into the future and make better decisions now.
For more on Mr. Canton’s work please visit www.globalfuturist.com
Title: A Whole New Mind
Author: Daniel H Pink
Why It Is A Must Read:
Have you ever wondered why so many people became lawyers, doctors and accountants? Because they followed mom and dad's advice... and they were wrong! These seeminlgy 'safe' careers that would generate a 'good income' will do nothing of the sort. Largely commoditized and outsourced these left-brain activities have become a dime a dozen.
So what is the key to the future?
The key to the future belongs to designers, inventors, teachers, healers, storytellers... in a word, the future belongs to creative 'right-brain thinkers'!
Dive into this fascinating study that explains how our current culture has been built on logical, linear left brain thinking and how this thinking has come to it's very limits. Get ready for the real changes to come, deliciously disruptive this book gets you thinking ahead of the curve.
Website to visit www.www.danpink.com
Title: The Pirate's Dilemma
Author: Matt Mason
Why It Is A Must Read:
Another nice disruptive head-spinner challenging 'conventional wisdom' about what is 'right' and 'wrong' in business: is it 'right' to let people steal your music and IP? Does it make sense to let people 'pirate' your ideas? Why shoul you even bother to build protective walls around your trade marks, copyrights, etc...
A provocative, well researched book that will allow you to actively re-think your business and marketing strategies in the face of the inevitable: If they can get your stuff for free they will find a way
Mason explores interesting case studies of organizations who have turned this drive to 'piracy' into highly successful strategies for their own goals!
Have a look at more piratical ideas (Monty Python competing with pirates!) at www.thepiratesdilemma.com
Title: The Stuff Of Thought
Author: Steven Pinker
Why It Is A Must Read:
Time after time I am amazed, if not appaled, how losely people, let alone top corporate leaders, use language. Words are not just words, they are the software that runs our life, create our reality and open new realms of thought. This is why I find Steven Pinker's such a gift. It deeply delves into the importance of language, what it truly means, how we have the choice between our language running us or us taking a totally new level of control by takeing control of our language.
This book will give you a insights and tools to listen with unprecedented depth and incisiveness as well as creating new, specific messages to achieve your intentions with great predictability.
Hear Steven speak at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/steven_pinker_on_language_and_thought.html
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