THE 27 BEST BOOKS FOR NEW MANAGERS ON LEADERSHIP

Whether you have started as a New Manager or desire to be one or have stumbled as a New Manager, the right books can be a great help in your Professional Development Goals as a Leader. 

 

Leadership is an important aspect of your Professional Growth. No matter what role you choose to be in or what position you would love to achieve in your career, you must learn to lead yourself as well as others.

 

You have to handle yourself and your performance and deal with former peers and seniors.

 

There will be tough situations and conversations that you need to handle, keep people motivated, and engaged, and develop a strong cohesive team that will help you achieve the organization’s goals and mission. 

 

You also need to make changes and negotiate.

 

The list is endless……. 

 

Much will be expected out of you. It can be overwhelming!

 

Leading effectively will set you apart from all the other average managers and leaders out there.

 

Succeeding as a Leader, makes you feel more valued, and purposeful. You feel more confident in your abilities and experience more prosperity and fulfillment in your career.

 

When I transitioned into my role as a coordinator, I was advised by my boss to read books on self-development and leadership.

 

I have personally benefited from reading books during my working days.

 

With no one to help you in your new role, it can be overwhelming, and trust me, the journey is full of doubts and difficulties. You need a mentor or a guide to help you in the initial years because you will be making mistakes.

 

But books are like real friends when you are faced with difficulties and challenges for the insights and wisdom they have in them. They are written by someone who has walked the path before.

 

One thing I love about books is that you can refer to them any time you need some help or advice. They save you a fortune from expensive training and courses which are also time taking.

 

That is why I am sharing some of the best books for first-time managers like you so that you can develop your leadership skills and abilities and lead more purposefully, confidently, and successfully.

 

Would you like to Make A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND THRIVE CONFIDENTLY in your New Role ?

 

Get the FREE NEW MANAGERS GUIDE TO THRIVE CONFIDENTLY HERE

 

 

Please Note: I independently select all products and services. If you click through the links I provide, I may earn a commission from Amazon.

 

1 THE FIRST 90 DAYS -MICHAEL WATKINS 

Moving into the new role of a New Manager can be very tough and challenging.

Transitioning time can be difficult for New managers, even though they offer an opportunity for a fresh start. There are greater chances of making mistakes in the first 3 months that can sabotage your success.

Dr. Watkins is a world-renowned expert on leadership transitions and adviser to senior leaders in all types of organizations.

In this book, he offers proven strategies to conquer the challenges of transition at any point in your career by walking you through every aspect of the transition scenario.

In today’s world, Managers are frequently transitioned and expectations from them are also high.

He has identified the most common pitfalls leaders can face and has shared valuable tools and strategies to avoid them. There are tools, checklists, and assessments at the end of each chapter so that you can imbibe the key lesson and use them for your specific situation.

It is the world’s most trusted guide for leaders to successfully manage their transition -whether you are starting a new job, being promoted in your own company, embarking on an overseas assignment, or being tapped as a CEO.

 

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2 DARE TO LEAD -BRENE BROWN 

A New York Times Best Seller, In this Book, Brown encourages Courageous Leadership.

The teachings in the book are based on the research done with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters where she shows how we can put those ideas into practice so that we can step up and lead.

 

 In the words of Brown leadership is “anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who dares to develop that potential.” 

 

Brown outlines Four Important skill sets of courageous leadership in this book –

1 Rumbling with Vulnerability -It is about having tough conversations where you stay vulnerable, generous, and curious. She advises readers to ask people to ‘’say more ‘’, and communicate and record decisions clearly because it shows kindness.

2 The second skill set is “Living into Our Values”. Identifying key values helps in making decisions effectively and being able to say ‘’ No ‘’ to things that don’t align with your values

3.The third skill set is “Braving Trust”. Trust is one of the most essential ingredients in building strong and cohesive organizations. Leaders take years to build trust, but trust can be quickly lost in a minute. 

4 The Fourth and final skill is “Learning to Rise”. We all need to prepare for a hard landing like the parachutists.

 

She concludes the book by reminding the reader to courageously pursue things that give joy and meaning.

 

If you want to be a brave leader, then it is a book worth investing in where Brown encourages the readers to approach leadership out of self-awareness, with courage, whole-heartedness, and growth instead of leading out of hurt and fear.

 

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3 RADICAL CANDOUR 

‘’Make sure that you are seeing each person on your team with fresh eyes every day. People evolve, and so your relationships must evolve with them. Care personally; don’t put people in boxes and leave them there .’’

Kim Malone Scott 

 

Radical Candor is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller for multiple years running* with more than half a million copies sold worldwide* 

 

It is recommended by Shona Brown, Rachel Hollis, Jeff Kinney, Daniel Pink, Sheryl Sandberg, and Gretchen Rubin

 

Kim Scott was a highly successful leader at Google before decamping to Apple, where she developed and taught a management class.

 

The book will shape your perspective on leadership and help you become a better manager of people. It is about caring personally and challenging others directly, soliciting criticism to improve your leadership, and also providing guidance that helps others grow.

 

The 3 most insightful lessons about leadership from the book are :

  1. Create a culture of Compassion. To do so, one must develop openness, by being honest and direct without offending people. It is kind and helpful.

  2. Build a cohesive team -You must know your employee’s real motivations by having honest conversations with him/her.

  3. Achieve results collaboratively. Collaborative leadership is more effective than just giving orders.

 Radical Candour has raised the bar for management practices worldwide.

 

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4 WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT

 

“The ultimate all-in-one guide to becoming a great leader.” —Daniel Pink

When you transition to a Higher role, it is no longer about individual contribution. You may have been a great individual contributor, but becoming an excellent leader requires more.  

 

With the help of stories and case studies and practical action tips, the book helps you to transition from an individual contributor to a Manager with ease and effectiveness.

 

Ryan Hawk has provided a 3 part framework with best practices summed up from his own experience as he transitioned from an individual contributor to a New Leader and from the interviews with 300 of the most forward-thinking leaders from across the globe.

 

The 3 Part framework is :

 

  • lead yourself: build skills and earn credibility. Compliance can be commanded, but commitment cannot. People reserve their full capacity for emotional commitment to leaders they find credible, and credibility must be earned.

  • build your team: develop a healthy and sustainable culture of mutual trust and respect that creates cohesion. This includes effective hiring and firing practices.

  • lead your team: set a clear strategy and vision for your team, communicate effectively, and ultimately drive the results the organization is counting on your team to deliver.

 The strategies that got you promoted are not the tactics that will make you effective in your new role.

 In Welcome to Management, Ryan Hawk provides practical, actionable advice and tools designed to ensure that the transition is a successful one.

 

If you want to be a high performer who is keen to make the leap from individual contributor to manager with greater ease, grace, courage, and effectiveness then I highly recommend you must invest in this book.

 

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5 THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP 

‘’If you think you’re a leader and you turn around and no one is following you, then you’re simply out for a walk.’’

 

The book contains 10 truths about leadership that stem from the stories of thousands of leaders that Kouzes and Posner have interviewed over decades of research, compiled into 10 chapters.

 

Some of them are “You Make a Difference,” “Credibility is the Foundation of Leadership,” and “Challenge is the Crucible for Greatness.”

 

An example of this can be seen in the final chapter of this book “Leadership is an Affair of the Heart,” where he states in this paragraph:

 

Leaders put their hearts in their businesses and their businesses in their hearts. They love what they’re doing and they stay in love with leading, with the people who do the work, with what their organizations produce, and with those who honor them by using their products and services. 

They show they care by paying attention to people, sharing success stories, and making people feel important and special. 

Exemplary leaders are upbeat, generating the emotional energy that enables others to flourish.

The book draws from cases spanning three generations of leaders from around the world. It’s an indispensable resource leaders can use to do their real and necessary work-bringing about the essential changes that will renew organizations and communities.

In these turbulent times, when the very foundations of organizations and societies are shaken, leaders need to move beyond pessimistic predictions, trendy fads, and simplistic solutions. They need to turn to what’s real and what’s proven.

 

It is a great book to refer to when you need to get to the core of the matter during turbulent times or tough situations.

 

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6 FROM BUD TO BOSS 

Written by Kevin Eikenberry, and Guy Harris, expert consultants who work with leaders at all levels, ‘’From Bud To Boss ‘’ is full of Practical advice for making the shift to your first leadership position.

In the next ten years, a new breed of first-time supervisors will take over the workplace as the old ones retire. 

 

Getting promoted for the first time is very challenging because your role changes and you are burdened with many responsibilities. With no experience behind, it is tough to keep going. You need to build skills to deal with changes and uncertainties.

 

The book contains invaluable information from the best leadership and management thinkers. All new supervisors and managers will find solutions to many difficulties faced in the beginning. 

 

It pulls from the best leadership and management thinking and puts the focus on the difficulties that new leaders experience.

 

This much-needed book can help any manager, supervisor, or new leader get beyond the stress and fear to focus on becoming the most effective leader they can be starting right now.

The book

  1. Includes practical information for new managers who must supervise friends and former peers

  1. Helps you in adopting a leader’s mindset and building skills in achieving goals, building, and leading productive teams, coaching employees, giving effective feedback, and communicating change.

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7 TRUE NORTH -BILL GEORGE AND ZACH CLAYTON 

A quote from the book –

 

“Any of us can figure out ways to drive a business for two years and make a boatload of money and move on. That’s not leadership. That’s playing a game. Leadership is leaving something lasting, whether it is how you treat your people or how you deal with a problem.”

 

Bill George states in the book “There is no such thing as an instant leader.” 

 

All successful leaders embodied leadership rather than tried to be one.

 

In True North: Emerging Leaders Edition, renowned leadership expert Bill George and Millennial tech entrepreneur Zach Clayton encourage emerging leaders―from Gen X to Millennials and Gen Z―to lead their organizations authentically by discovering their “True North”―who they are―and then finding their “North Star”―their leadership purpose.

 

 In a world full of complexities, George and Clayton show emerging leaders how to lead with their hearts, not just their heads, with passion, compassion, and moral courage by being true to their values to reach their full potential as they take on great challenges and navigate complex issues.

 

The book is filled with stories from successful leaders such as Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Merck’s Ken Frazier PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi and General Motors’ Mary Barra, and emerging leaders like OneTrust’s Kabir Barday and Kanbrick’s Tracy Britt Cool of how they overcame great challenges to build highly successful organizations.

 

It offers concrete suggestions for:

  • Becoming an authentic leader, equipped to lead inclusively with moral clarity through challenges and crises

  • Cultivating regular introspection to ground yourself with self-awareness, live your values, and use your unique strengths

  • Integrating all aspects of your life―including who you are at home, at work, and in the community

  • Understanding how Millennials are leading more effectively in today’s world

  • Being an inclusive leader prepared to take on fraught issues like stakeholder challenges, racial and sexual equality, and sexual misconduct

  • Knowing when―and how―leaders should speak out on today’s complex public issues

It is the classic guide for every current and aspiring leader to reach their full, authentic potential.

If you want to be a successful leader and embody leadership then it is a must-have book for you.

 

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8 START WITH WHY 

 

’The inspirational bestseller that ignited a movement and asked us to find our WHY’’

 

Over a decade ago, Simon Sinek started a movement that inspired millions to demand purpose at work and to ask what was the WHY of their organization. 

Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, and these ideas remain as relevant and timely as ever.

 

START WITH WHY asks (and answers) the questions: why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

 

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. 

They realized that people won’t truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it. 

 

Simon Sinek gives a very simple framework of Why -How -What in this book.

He proves that one must always start with WHY and work towards HOW and WHAT.

 

To keep your passion alive, be resilient, and prevent burnout, everyone needs to establish the WHY -’’ The burning desire ‘’ for success in a career, business, or any area of interest.

The WHY becomes a connector for everything and helps you bring out your best.

A very helpful framework for success. 

 

The book shows that the leaders who have had the greatest influence in the world all think, act and communicate the same way—and it’s the opposite of what everyone else does. 

 

Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

 

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9 ACT LIKE A LEADER THINK LIKE A LEADER

 

 

The book aims to make the reader understand that the things that helped him become successful so far, may no longer be useful to him as he steps into a new role.

 

They need to change to move ahead.

 

He suggests a new theory for development based on the theory of “Outsight”. 

 

This theory suggests that leadership growth is achieved from the outside in and not inside out.

 

You need to alter your self-identity by making small impactful changes that will transform your perception of personal limitations.

 

And he suggests that the most effective way to do it is “to plunge yourself into new projects and activities, 2 interact with very different kinds of people, and experiment with unfamiliar ways of getting things done”.

 

Herminia Ibarra, an expert on professional leadership and development and a renowned professor at INSEAD, a leading international business school shows how managers and executives at all levels can step up to leadership by making small but crucial changes in their jobs, their networks, and themselves.

 

 In Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, she offers advice to help you:

  • Redefine your job to make more strategic contributions

  • Diversify your network so that you connect to and learn from a bigger range of stakeholders

  • Become more playful with your self-concept, allowing your familiar and possibly outdated leadership style to evolve

She turns the usual “think first and then act” philosophy on its head by arguing that doing these three things will help you learn through action and will increase what she calls your outsight the valuable external perspective you gain from direct experiences and experimentation. 

 

As opposed to insight, outsight will then help change the way you think as a leader: about what kind of work is important; how you should invest your time; why and which relationships matter in informing and supporting your leadership; and, ultimately, who you want to become.

 

It is packed with self-assessments and practical advice to help define your most pressing leadership challenges. 

 

This book will help you devise a plan of action to become a better leader and move your career to the next level. It’s time to learn by doing.

 

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10 HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE 

‘’It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it .’’Dale Carnegie 

 

An 80-year-old book and still relevant in today’s time with over 15 million copies sold. 

It emphasizes one core idea that by changing your behavior you can change other people’s behavior under your influence, be liked more by others, and get them to do more favors for you.

You can go after the job you want—and get it!

You can take the job you have—and improve it!

You can take any situation—and make it work for you!

Dale Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

 

 One of the most groundbreaking and timeless bestsellers of all time, the book will teach you:

-Six ways to make people like you

-Twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking

-Nine ways to change people without arousing resentment

 

If you want to make a great first impression, be interesting to others, and influence people to say yes often to you then you must possess a copy of this book. 

 

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11 GOOD TO GREAT 

“Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.”

Jim Collins

 

The book revolves around how today’s great companies became great from good.

Through his years of research, he has found that all great companies have a few common features and they are -Hiring the right people. firing the wrong people, adapting when needed, and promoting effective leaders. The result is positive momentum that will catapult you and your team toward greatness. 

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, invited Jim Collins to implement this book’s insights into Amazon. 

The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice.

The findings include:

  • Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness.

  • The Hedgehog Concept: (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence.

  • A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology.

  • The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to leap.

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12 THE MAKING OF A MANAGER; WHAT TO DO WHEN EVERYONE LOOKS TO YOU 

 

 

 

After the thrill of the Promotion, the excitement evaporates and you find yourself not knowing what you are doing.

At the age of 25 when Julie Zhuo was prompted as a manager, she went through the same thing.

Get the answers to the most important questions and know how to navigate uncertain situations from this handbook –from hiring to firing, from meeting to messaging, from planning to pitching–and faced a thousand questions and uncertainties. How to spin teamwork into value? How to be a good steward of your reports’ careers? What is the secret to leading with confidence in new and unexpected situations?

 

The Making of a Manager is a modern field guide packed with everyday examples and transformative insights, including:

  * How to tell a great manager from an average manager (illustrations included)

  * When you should look past an awkward interview and hire someone anyway

  * How to build trust with your reports by not being a boss

  * Where to look when you lose faith and lack the answers

 

Having managed dozens of teams spanning tens to hundreds of people, Julie knows the most important lesson of all: great managers are made, not born. 

Whether you’re new to the job, a veteran leader, or looking to be promoted, this is the handbook you need to be the kind of manager you wish you had.

 

Do you care enough to be a Great Manager?

If you are nodding ‘’YES ‘’

 

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13 LEADERSHIP STYLES 

 

According to the Author, Paul Thornton, there are three basic leadership styles that managers, project leaders, presidents, and team leaders use every day.

  • Directing

  • Discussing

  • Delegating

When you use the appropriate leadership style, you help people achieve the desired goals. In addition, you help upgrade people’s skills and develop character traits that are needed for success.

To enhance your Leadership, you need to know which style of leadership to use in which situation and navigate seamlessly as a leader.

If you are interested in developing and enhancing your Leadership Style, then it is a good book to have.

 

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14 LEADERSHIP: PERFECTING YOUR APPROACH AND STYLE: ADJUST AS NEEDED!

Paul has been a student and teacher of leadership concepts and principles throughout his career. This book simplifies everything he has learned over the past 30 years.

The nine leadership topics he covers in this book include:

  1. My Definition of Leadership

  2. Understand the Current Situation

  3. Identify Opportunities to Improve

  4. Your Leadership Styles

  5. Provide the Right Amount

  6. Your Leadership Ratios

  7. Required Leadership Skills

  8. Make the Sale

  9. Help People and Organizations Change

Each topic will help you see the big picture and identify several actions you can take to perfect your leadership approach and style.

The book aims at helping leaders to diagnose the current situation and do precisely what’s needed to help improve the current situation.

If you want to Perfect your style–move from good leader to great leader then this book is a must-read for you 

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15.BE THE BOSS EVERYONE WANTS TO WORK FOR -A GUIDE FOR NEW LEADERS. 

 

You’ve been promoted to leadership—congratulations! But it’s nothing like your old job, is it? 

William Gentry says it’s time to flip your script.

 

We all have mental scripts that tell us how the world works. Your old script was all about “me”: standing out as an individual. But as a new leader, you need to flip your script from “me” to “we” and help the group you lead succeed. 

 

In this book, Gentry supports and coaches you to flip your script in six key areas. He offers actionable, practical, evidence-based advice and examples drawn from his research, his work with leaders, and his failures and triumphs in becoming a new leader. 

Get started flipping your script and become the kind of boss everyone wants to work for.

If you want to FLIP YOUR SCRIPT

 

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16. BRINGING UP THE BOSS: PRACTICAL LESSONS FOR NEW MANAGERS 

 

Managing is hard. Managing for the first time is even harder.

 

First-timers want to quickly learn what it takes to be a successful manager—like they learned how to code, how to design, how to sell—and put those learnings into practice.

But what does it mean to manage, and how do you teach someone to be a good manager?

In Bringing Up the Boss: Practical Lessons for New Managers, you’ll learn how to give effective feedback, how to motivate your team members, and how to hire and fire well, among many other critical management skills.

You’ll also learn what it means to manage yourself in this new role, and how to navigate the often awkward and sometimes challenging situations that arise in this new position.

 

Pacheco shares what makes a manager great, along with anecdotes, research, tools, and how-to’s that help overwhelmed employees become expert managers fast.

 

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17. FROM SUPERVISOR TO SUPER LEADER: HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM STRESS AND BUILD A THRIVING TEAM THAT GETS RESULTS 

Are you a new supervisor or an experienced manager assigned to a new team? Are you experiencing overwhelm or self-doubt? Are you uncertain of where to begin?

 

Shanda K. Miller’s book will teach you the lessons she learned in her 20+ years of experience as a team leader. Lessons that will transform your work life.

 

By reading From Supervisor to Super Leader, you’ll know how to be a great team leader.

  •  A leader that knows how to build a high-performing team.

  • Enjoys a high level of trust… and loves showing up for work

  • Achieves extraordinary results

  • Consistently meets deadlines and goals

In this book you will discover :

  • Simple strategies for building strong relationships with your team members

  • Step-by-step guidance on how to delegate and hold staff accountable

  • How to set high expectations for your team but also provide high support

  • Ways to engage, coach, and develop your staff

  • How to manage smarter

 Meet your boss’s expectations and leave work on time…so you can be there for your kids and have a life outside of work.

 

Gain the confidence and skills to become a great team leader—a Super Leader.

 

In From Supervisor to Super Leader, you’ll discover easy strategies for managing your time and increasing your productivity. If you want concise and easy-to-follow practices that can be implemented right away, then you will love From Supervisor to Super Leader.

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18.THE COACHING HABIT : SAY LESS, ASK MORE

&AND CHANGE THE WAY YOU LEAD FOREVER  

 

 

In Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.

 

Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your people’s potential. 

 

He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how–by saying less and asking more–you can develop coaching methods that produce great results.

  • Get straight to the point in any conversation with The Kickstart Question.

  • Stay on track during any interaction with The Awe Question.

  • Save hours for yourself with The Lazy Question, and hours for others with The Strategic Question.

  • Get to the heart of any interpersonal or external challenge with The Focus Question and The Foundation Question.

  • Finally, ensure others find your coaching as beneficial as you do with The Learning Question.

A fresh innovative take on the traditional how-to manual, the book combines insider information with research based on neuroscience and behavioral economics, together with interactive training tools to turn practical advice into practiced habits.

 

Witty and conversational, The Coaching Habit takes your work–and your workplace–from good to great.

 

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19 FRIEND OF A FRIEND 

What if all the advice we’ve heard about networking is wrong?

 

What if the best way to grow your network isn’t by introducing yourself to strangers at cocktail parties, handing out business cards, or signing up for the latest online tool, but by developing a better understanding of the existing network that’s already around you?

 

  We know that it’s essential to reach out and build a network.

 

 But did you know that it’s your distant or former contacts who will be the most helpful to you? Or that many of our best efforts at meeting new people simply serve up the same old opportunities we already have?

 

  In this startling new look at the art and science of networking, business school professor David Burkus digs deep to find the unexpected secrets that reveal the best ways to grow your career.

  Based on entertaining case studies and scientific research, this practical and revelatory guide shares what the best networkers do. Forget the outdated advice you’ve already heard. Learn how to make use of the hidden networks you already have.

 

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20 BACK TO HUMAN 

 

Back to Human explains how a more socially connected workforce creates greater fulfillment, productivity, and engagement while preventing burnout and turnover.

 

The next generation of leaders must create a workplace where teammates feel genuinely connected, engaged, and empowered — without relying on technology. 

 

Based on Dan Schawbel’s exclusive research studies — featuring the perspectives of over 2,000 managers and employees across different age groups — Back to Human reveals why virtual communication, though vital and useful, actually contributes to a stronger sense of isolation at work than ever before.

How can we change this culture?

 

Schawbel offers a self-assessment called the “Work Connectivity Index” that measures the strength of team relationships. He also shares exercises, examples, and activities that readers can work on individually or as a team, which will help them increase personal productivity, be more collaborative, and become more fulfilled at work.

 

Back to Human ultimately helps you decide when and how to use technology to build better connections in your work life. It is a call to action for leaders across the world to make the workplace a better experience for all of us.

 

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21 SUPER CONNECTOR

Abandon the networking-for-networking’s-sake mentality in favor of a more powerful and effective approach to creating and enhancing connections.

 

Stop networking. Seriously, stop doing it. Now. It is time to ditch the old networking for networking’s sake mentality in favor of a more powerful and effective approach to creating and enhancing connections. 

 

In Super Connector, Scott Gerber and Ryan Paugh reveal a new category of professionals born out of the social media era: highly valuable community builders who make things happen through their keen understanding and utilization of social capital. 

Super Connectors understand the power of relationship-building, and problem-solving by connecting the dots at high levels, and purposefully causing different worlds and communities to interact to create mutual value.

 

How can you become a Superconductor?

 

Gerber and Paugh share instructive anecdotes from a who’s who roster of high achievers, revealing how to systematically manage a professional community and maximize its value.

 

 Of utmost importance is practising Habitual Generosity, acting on the knowledge that your greatest returns come when you least expect them and that by putting others’ needs first good karma will flow back to you tenfold. Gerber and Paugh also explore winning strategies such as The Art of Selectivity, a well-honed ability to define which relationships matter most for you and decide how you will maintain them over time. 

 

Full of helpful advice on how to communicate with anyone about anything, Google-proof your reputation, and much more, Super Connector is a must-hear for those seeking personal and business success.

 

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22 THE SENSATIONAL LEADER 

At some point in each of our lives, we will most certainly find ourselves in a leadership position. You may not be given a title, but you will be responsible for the well-being of others.

 

 The Sensational Leader serves as a must-have manual to prepare you to perform well in those moments and be a leader worth following when called upon. 

 

This is the story of Thomas Frickle, an accomplished salesman, whose life takes an abrupt turn, thrusting him into a leadership role. 

 

Thomas rises to the occasion thanks to the help of mentors who teach him priceless lessons. It is entertaining and easy to follow.

 

 With lessons on topics such as awareness, communication, fearlessness, and cultural mastery, this story will provide you with a step-by-step blueprint for how to become an effective leader in any situation. 

 

Whether you are striving to be a better leader in your family, or dream of becoming the greatest CEO in history, the wisdom in these pages will help you achieve the success you desire and deserve.

 

 Each chapter reveals a new lesson, building on the previous one and utilizing real-world examples that you can begin applying immediately.

 

 This is a timeless story filled with valuable knowledge that will serve you well, regardless of where you are on your leadership journey.

 

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23 THE LIFE GIVING LEADER: LEARNING TO LEAD FROM YOUR TRUEST SELF 

The president of Catalyst Leader believes that the most impactful and influential leaders are the ones who lead from who they truly are, not who they pretend or wish to be.

 

With clear biblical teaching and personal accounts, Tyler Reagin not only demonstrates the necessity of life-giving leadership but also provides the steps you’ll need to begin knowing and leading from your truest self. 

 

From his experiences in high-impact leadership roles at some of our nation’s largest churches and ministries, Reagin has learned firsthand the importance of identity-based leadership.

 

 He desires to help each reader become an empowered, confident leader that brings life and vibrancy to every room they enter. 

 

Whether you’ve got the corner office or you’re just getting started, Reagin gives you the tools you need to become an impactful and unique influencer right where you are!

 

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24 EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY: THE MAGIC WORDS FOR INFLUENCE AND IMPACT 

Often the decision between a customer choosing you over someone like you is your ability to know exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to make it count.

 

Learn practical and instantly applicable skills in this book from Phil M. Jones, who has trained more than two million people across five continents and over fifty countries in the lost art of spoken communication.

 

 In Exactly What to Say, he delivers the tactics you need to get more of what you want.

 

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25 GREAT LEADERS: HAVE NO RULES: CONTRARIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO TRANSFORM YOUR TEAM AND YOUR BUSINESS

Kevin Kruse knows two things about leadership that most people do not believe:

 

First, leadership is a superpower.

Second, almost everything we’ve been taught about leadership is wrong.

 

In Great Leaders Have No Rules, New York Times bestselling author and highly successful entrepreneur Kevin Kruse debunks popular wisdom with ten contrarian principles for better, faster, easier leadership. 

 

Grounded in solid research and three decades of entrepreneurial experience, this book has one purpose: to teach you how to be both the boss everyone wants to work for and the high achiever every CEO wants to hire—all without drama, stress, or endless hours in the office.

 

Inspired by Kruse’s viral article “Why Successful Leaders Don’t Have an Open Door Policy,” this contrarian approach to leadership reveals why you should throw out the rulebook and instead play favorites, crowd your calendar, tell employees everything (even salaries), stay out of meetings, hide your phone, and more.

 

Kruse makes the case for these principles with engaging real-world stories and case studies and shows how to use this wisdom to buck the trend and become more effective.

 

He also shares applications beyond the office—at home, in sales, in sports, and more. 

Ultimately, his advice empowers you to focus on what matters, which is the key to success for you, your employees, and your company.

 

GET IT HERE 

 

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26 NOW DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham, and Donald O. Clifton is based on a massive Gallup study of 2 million people.

 

This book shows :

1) individuals how to cultivate their career strengths and strengths

 2) managers how to capitalize on the talents of their people, and 

3) executives how to build an entire organization around the talents of each employee. 

 

By the principal author of the national bestseller First, Break All the Rules. “Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer.” With this remark last year, Peter Drucker captured an enduring and unfortunate truth: most of us fail to build our lives around our strengths and talents.

 Instead, guided by our parents, our teachers, our managers, and psychology’s fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to paper over these cracks.

 

 Our talents remain in the background, like sundials in the shade. 

 

This book will right your skewed perspective. It will throw light on each person’s unique set of strengths and talents and show him how to focus on and perfect these strengths.

 

 At the heart of the book is the Strength Finder Profile, the product of a twenty-five-year, multimillion-dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human talents. Gallup has conducted psychological profiles with over 2 million individuals—from the world’s best teachers to the world’s best hockey players, from great nurses to great insurance salespeople. 

 

 In this book he introduces these thirty-four themes and, using the StrengthsFinder Profile reveals to each reader which of the thirty-four represents his or her most dominant.

 

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27 HBR’S 10 MUST READS FOR NEW MANAGERS 

Develop the mindset and presence to successfully manage others for the first time.

If you read nothing else on becoming a new manager, read these 10 articles. After combing through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles 10 most important ones have been selected to help you transition from being an outstanding individual contributor to becoming a great manager of others.

 

This book will inspire you to:

  • Develop your emotional intelligence

  • Influence your colleagues through the science of persuasion

  • Assess your team and enhance its performance

  • Network effectively to achieve business goals and for personal advancement

  • Navigate relationships with employees, bosses, and peers

  • Get support from above

  • View the big picture in your decision making

  • Balance your team’s work and personal life in a high-intensity workplace

This collection of articles includes “Becoming the Boss,” by Linda A. Hill; “Leading the Team You Inherit,” by Michael D. Watkins; “Saving Your Rookie Managers from Themselves,” by Carol A. Walker; “Managing the High-Intensity Workplace,” by Erin Reid and Lakshmi Ramarajan; “Harnessing the Science of Persuasion,” Robert B. Cialdini; “What Makes a Leader?” by Daniel Goleman; “The Authenticity Paradox,” by Herminia Ibarra; “Managing Your Boss,” by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter; “How Leaders Create and Use Networks,” by Herminia Ibarra and Mark Lee Hunter; “Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?” by William Oncken, Jr., and Donald L. Wass; and BONUS ARTICLE: “How Managers Become Leaders,” by Michael D. Watkins.

 

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CONCLUSION

 

‘’Books are the training weights of the mind”

Epictetus 

The right book can teach you essential skills you can apply every day, and gain insights and lessons that would take you hours or days to learn on your own.

Read the description and summary beside each book and decide for yourself which is the right book for you 

As I conclude this post, I would like to mention that leadership is a lone journey. At some point in your career, you will find yourself in a Leadership role. 

Having a mentor, coach or guide is very essential to navigate through the complexities of ever-changing workplaces. 

The journey is difficult but not impossible. And if you are armed with good books, you have a mentor or guide you can take help from 24x 7 .

I hope you have found the books helpful . Which book do you desire to read the most ? Share your thoughts below .

 

Babita Sharma 

Leadership Coach 

www.leadwithpassion.co.in

 

P.S- Please Share the post and help someone today !

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