Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, it’s time to get the summer reading
lined up. If you want to multitask and combine your reading with an opportunity
to glean some great management wisdom, here are five books you should put on the
top of your summer reading list:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Have you ever been told you should "surround yourself with great people"? Here’s
a lesson in how it’s done. Not only did Lincoln persuade three former political
rivals to join his Cabinet, but he skillfully managed these accomplished opponents
and turned them into allies who worked successfully for the greater good of the
country. This is one of the best examples of managing difficult yet talented people
that you will ever find.
Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, by
Howard Schultz. Although a bit self-serving at times, Howard Schultz’s personal
account of how he built
Starbucks into a global company is interesting in its own
right. The real reason to read this book, however, is for the insight he brings
into managing and engaging a workforce to go above and beyond the call of duty to
drive the company ahead. If you have ever wondered what employee engagement is all
about, you should read this book.
DisneyWar, by James B. Stewart. There’s no doubt that former Walt Disney Co.
CEO Michael Eisner was a brilliant executive, but the thing that struck me after
reading this book is the litany of mistakes and missteps Eisner committed during
his last 10 years as chief executive at Disney. He was terrible and shortsighted
with people, too. As the synopsis on Amazon.com puts it, "a withering portrait of
Eisner as a grasping, self-centered, manipulative, and ultimately self-destructive
executive." In other words, a great real-world lesson in how NOT to manage people.
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t,
by Robert I. Sutton. I’ve touted this
book before, but I’ll say it again: Sutton
makes a great case for why jerks and assholes are so disruptive, destructive and
generally toxic in the workplace. This is a thin book that is packed with must-have
insight and wisdom.
The Essential Drucker: The Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker’s Essential Writings
on Management, by
Peter F. Drucker. What would a business book list be without something
by the father of modern management? This book is a nice distillation of Drucker’s
many years of management wisdom. Two other possibilities: Drucker’s classic The
Practice of Management or Managing in Turbulent Times. Even if you just thumb through
these books, you’ll pick up a lot of the same ideas and principles that MBA candidates
get exposed to.
Got a good management book I didn’t mention, or a comment about one of my blog
posts? I love to hear what you have to say. Until we get the comment posting function
on this blog operational, send me comments at
jhollon@workforce.com. I will publish
as many of them as I can.
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