Five Workplace Books You Should Read With Your Team


Five Workplace Books You Should Read With Your Team

In a time of dizzying social media and news cycles, there are myriad tools you can use to become a better leader and promote leadership throughout your organization. But classic books will always remain a standard. There are thousands to choose from. Here are five of the all-time best:

 

  1. How to Win Friends & Influence People

Dale Carnegie published How To Win Friends & Influence People in 1936. More than eight decades later, its guiding principles still ring true. The book is divided into four sections:

  • Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
  • 6 Ways to Make People Like You
  • How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
  • Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

Carnegie’s core idea is that it’s possible to change other people’s behavior by changing your own behavior toward them. These are words to live by in both one’s business and personal lives.

 

  1. The Art of War

This classic dates back 2,500 years to when Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu emerged during a bloody civil war. From this event, his book Master Sun’s Military Methods was born. It later became known as The Art of War.

  • The Art of War has 13 chapters, each devoted to one aspect of war and conflict. Its premises have been adopted not only by the military, but also in politics, sports and business over time.
  • Sun Tzu professes that strategy is not so much a matter of list-making as it is preparation to react swiftly and appropriately to any situation. It has inspired countless leaders from Napoleon and General MacArthur to Mark Benioff and Bill Belichick.

 

  1. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

This is the most popular of several books authored by Stephen R. Covey, American educator, author, businessman and speaker. Covey was heavily influenced by the works of Peter Drucker and Carl Rogers.

  • In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey proclaims that values govern people’s behavior, but principles ultimately determine the consequences … great food for thought for every leader.

 

  1. It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy

Readers can learn the secrets of transforming unmotivated teams into confident groups of problem solvers from Capt. D. Michael Abrashoff. He tells the story of having a cutting-edge Navy ship handed over to him, and then finding his own leadership lacking. Among the challenges he faced: high turnover, fear of job loss, and a feeling among staff that they were underappreciated and not being listened to by top brass. Sound familiar?

  1. Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

Liz Wiseman is former Vice President of HR Development at Oracle Corporation, where she also led the creation of Oracle University. In Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, she looks into different forms of leadership and how they can either help or hinder people. She bases her analysis on studying 150 executives across the globe, pinpointing the attributes of leaders who bring out the best in their teams.

Ready for more?

The HR experts at Frontline Source Group can provide a wealth of resources and tools to help optimize your talent acquisition and management strategies, as well as hire and retain a winning team. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.


Tagged Blog
Published on Aug 1, 2018