Each month, I receive dozens of inquiries from those who request recommended readings for leadership development. I now offer these:
The Right Values
The Executive’s Compass by James O’Toole
The Highest Goal by Michael Ray
The Heart Aroused by David Whyte
True North by Bill George and Peter Sims
The Right Strategy
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Enterprise Architecture as Strategy by Jeanne Ross et al
The Opposable Mind by Roger L. Martin
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish
Effective Leadership
Fierce Leadership by Susan Scott
Encouraging the Heart by James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Maestro by Roger Nierenberg
True North by Bill George and Peter Sims
Effective Communication
The Back of the Napkin and Unfolding the Napkin by Dan Roam
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
Influence by Robert Cialdini
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Words that Work by Frank Luntz
Functional & Effective Teamwork
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Organizing Genius by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman
Collaboration by Morten Hansen
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Cultivating Creativity and Innovation
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
Freedom, Inc. by Brian M. Carney and Isaac Getz
Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono
Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind and Thinkering by Guy Claxton
The Idea of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation by Thomas Kelley
Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson
Successful Execution
Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki
Open Innovation and Open Business Models by Henry Chesbrough
The Other Side of Innovation by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
What Matters Now by Gary Hamel
Leadershoip Development (General)
The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development co-edited by Ellen Van Velsor, Cynthia D. McCauley, and Marian N. Ruderman
Extraordinary Leadership co-edited by Kerry Bunker, Douglas T. Hall, and Kathy E. Kram
Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice co-edited by Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana
The Talent Masters by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan
Employee Engagement & Talent Management
The Art of Engagement by Jim Haudan
Engaging the Hearts and Minds of All Your Employees by Lee J. Colan
Growing Great Employees by Erika Andersen
A Sense of Urgency and Buy-In by John Kotter
* * *
I also highly recommend using all or pirtions from these films:
Elizabeth (1998, Starring Cate Blanchett)
Fort Apache
Lawrence of Arabia
A Man for All Seasons
Norma Rae
Paths of Glory
To Kill a Mockingbird
12 Angry Men
Twelve O’clock High
Tunes of Glory
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