Leadership Toolbox: Reading List PART 2
A Reading List for Leaders, Part 2, from the Alloy Solutions Team
This is Part 2 in our Reading List series. Click Here for Part 1!
Perhaps the best part of being in the business of developing people is that you come across some truly outstanding resources for personal development. Scratch that - the best part is sharing those resources with others and watching their growth.
With that in mind, the Solutions Team has compiled the following list of our favorite books on personal growth and professional development. You can see the list for yourself, and if anything catches your eye, grab a copy for yourself on Amazon (links included below).
The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek
As Simon Sinek explains, most of us approach business goals like a series of finite games: short, defined periods with expressed goals and a clear endpoint. We chase quarterly sales goals and annual quotas. We know the rules and we know who else is playing, and we do anything we need to do to win THIS game. Then we're left to pick up the pieces and start over in the next quarter or the next year. However, business - and life - is an infinite game, with no finish line and the players come and go. How do we play an infinite game? (Amazon)
The Motive - Patrick Lencioni
Most of Patrick Lencioni's books are focused on helping leaders build teams and create organizational culture. This book, however, helps leaders think about why they lead, and how they can ensure their leadership style benefits their people. (Amazon)
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter - Liz Wiseman
What separates a leader from a boss? What qualities differentiate the leaders who amplify the talents of their team from those who stifle and micromanage their team members? Liz Wiseman explores that and more in this bestseller. (Amazon)
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk - Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
You probably didn't expect us to recommend a parenting book, did you? Well, this is no ordinary parenting book. As is true with so many things, what works with little kids also works with adults. Faber and Mazlish buried powerful communication lessons that equip leaders to improve their communication style and connect with their team members. (Amazon)
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead - Sheryl Sandberg
Sandberg, COO of a little company called Facebook, wrote Lean In as a follow-up to her groundbreaking 2010 TED Talk. This book is a challenge and an invitation for women to chase their goals and own their careers. If you want practical advice on negotiation tactics, mentorship, and career-planning, you will love this book. (Amazon)
DISCover Your Team's Potential - Jamie Hansen and More
Hey look, it's our book! Yes, we included our own book on this list, because we believe in it! Jamie co-wrote this book with 20 other experienced trainers in the DISC model of human behavior. This Amazon best-seller serves as an insider's guide to understanding communication preferences and personality styles at home and at work. Get ready to unleash your full potential as you realize better communication and improved efficiency with the people around you! (Amazon)
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact - Chip & Dan Heath
I love this section from the book's cover: "What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember twenty years later? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?" This book explores the power of experience and teaches you how to capture that power to maximize experiences for yourself, your family, and your business. (Amazon)
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Life - Marilee Adams
We love our fellow consultants, and Marilee Adams has used her experience to teach us how the questions that run through our minds are impacting the results we see in our lives. Learn how Question Thinking leads to better communication, more collaboration, and improved problem-solving for individuals and work groups. (Amazon)
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Dan Pink
Get this: Dan Pink wrote this book to examine the difference between what science knows and what business does. How powerful is that sentence? Pink is a behavioral economist who provides brilliant insight into the science of true motivation. If you manage anyone - anyone at all - you will benefit from learning the three elements: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. (Amazon)
Building Bounce: How to Grow Emotional Resilience - Stefanie Hinman and Marcus Warner
What if you could wire your brain to bounce back faster? As Hinman and Warner explain, it comes down to building habits that create resilience. With this book, you will learn the science behind emotional resilience and find practical tools to apply to your own life. (Amazon)
We hope you find this list helpful, and even inspirational, as you head into the second half of 2020. Questions or comments for the Alloy team? Send us a note at [email protected]!
Some of the links posted above are affiliate links, and Alloy may earn a commission if you purchase through them. This does not affect the price you pay. Keep in mind that our team recommended these books because of their quality, not because of a commission. The decision is yours, and the choice to buy something is completely up to you.
