All of us, regardless of where we work or what position we hold, could benefit from spending time with a few good books. Some of the best advice in the world is buried in their glue-bound pages, just waiting for us to dig through them. If you’re a leader or manager, we think you’ll discover plenty of inspiration in the following books, accompanied by a healthy dose of wisdom from the authors’ lived experiences.
Please enjoy this Brightspot list of five books every leader should read!
What’s your “why”? According to Simon Sinek, your why should be what gets you out of bed in the morning—the reason you and your business exist. All good leaders should have a compelling reason for doing what they do, and successful companies know their why inside out and backwards and have a strategy for how they’re going to achieve it.
Your team will never succeed if something is fundamentally broken within it. Presented like a pyramid where one element builds on the next, Patrick Lencioni takes readers on a journey into the deepest roots of the common dysfunctions teams face (whether corporate or recreational), and offers a healthy alternative to each of the five dysfunctions. Along the way, we see how each mended dysfunction builds on top of another to support a team that works well together, grows together, and ultimately, accomplishes its goals.
Another book that takes a look at how teamwork makes the dream work is Daniel Coyle’s Culture Code. Coyle’s philosophy of teamwork is ultimately about trust and vulnerability on a team that, when accompanied by a shared vision, leads to powerful results. This book will challenge leaders to build meaningful relationships with their team members in order to achieve more together.
Written by a former Facebook exec, Making of a Manager is part autobiography, part business advice and well worth the read. In it, Julie Zhuo describes how focusing on purpose, people, and process can help teams work together beautifully to achieve business objectives. Zhuo also tackles the idea of leadership vs. management and how to coach your team to greatness.
If you haven’t read her books, you’ve probably heard her name; Brené Brown is a powerhouse in the world of business and Dare to Lead one of her most popular books. In it, Brown delves into how vulnerability, courage, and resilience figure into leadership and workplace culture. Dare to Lead will challenge leaders to think and act differently to become a leader that people want to follow.
You’ll likely notice these books touch on some common themes (trust, relationship, purpose, to name a few). These themes pop up so much because they are truisms; principles that stand the test of time and are fundamental to success in business because they are fundamental to our existence as humans. We simply can’t get on without them. There’s no expiry date on good values, and good values build great teams, which in turn build great businesses.
We hope these books serve as a good jumping-off point for you to further your career as a leader and build your own values into your workplace culture. This list is just a sample of all the literature that’s out there, so feel free to explore further reading on all of the subjects mentioned in our top five picks. Good luck!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
All of us, regardless of where we work or what position we hold, could benefit from spending time with a few good books. Some of the best advice in the world is buried in their glue-bound pages, just waiting for us to dig through them. If you’re a leader or manager, we think you’ll discover plenty of inspiration in the following books, accompanied by a healthy dose of wisdom from the authors’ lived experiences.
Please enjoy this Brightspot list of five books every leader should read!
What’s your “why”? According to Simon Sinek, your why should be what gets you out of bed in the morning—the reason you and your business exist. All good leaders should have a compelling reason for doing what they do, and successful companies know their why inside out and backwards and have a strategy for how they’re going to achieve it.
Your team will never succeed if something is fundamentally broken within it. Presented like a pyramid where one element builds on the next, Patrick Lencioni takes readers on a journey into the deepest roots of the common dysfunctions teams face (whether corporate or recreational), and offers a healthy alternative to each of the five dysfunctions. Along the way, we see how each mended dysfunction builds on top of another to support a team that works well together, grows together, and ultimately, accomplishes its goals.
Another book that takes a look at how teamwork makes the dream work is Daniel Coyle’s Culture Code. Coyle’s philosophy of teamwork is ultimately about trust and vulnerability on a team that, when accompanied by a shared vision, leads to powerful results. This book will challenge leaders to build meaningful relationships with their team members in order to achieve more together.
Written by a former Facebook exec, Making of a Manager is part autobiography, part business advice and well worth the read. In it, Julie Zhuo describes how focusing on purpose, people, and process can help teams work together beautifully to achieve business objectives. Zhuo also tackles the idea of leadership vs. management and how to coach your team to greatness.
If you haven’t read her books, you’ve probably heard her name; Brené Brown is a powerhouse in the world of business and Dare to Lead one of her most popular books. In it, Brown delves into how vulnerability, courage, and resilience figure into leadership and workplace culture. Dare to Lead will challenge leaders to think and act differently to become a leader that people want to follow.
You’ll likely notice these books touch on some common themes (trust, relationship, purpose, to name a few). These themes pop up so much because they are truisms; principles that stand the test of time and are fundamental to success in business because they are fundamental to our existence as humans. We simply can’t get on without them. There’s no expiry date on good values, and good values build great teams, which in turn build great businesses.
We hope these books serve as a good jumping-off point for you to further your career as a leader and build your own values into your workplace culture. This list is just a sample of all the literature that’s out there, so feel free to explore further reading on all of the subjects mentioned in our top five picks. Good luck!
