Why we like this book:
1. It is an amazing launching pad for further leadership and management development. Although many of the titles were known and studied by us (in fact, several of them are used as base texts for courses we deliver), many were new and provided great opportunities for further growth and development.
2. The books chosen were designed to be read by Managers, not scholars. That is not to say that the works are simple; just that each of the books chosen had to be unique and add value to the practitioners of the genre they were working in. (eg a management book had to be useful for a manager in the field)
3. The synopsis of each book is deftly written; comprehensive enough to give you a real taste of the style of the book, yet short enough to focus on the key points.
Confirmed as Favourites:
1. Team Development – Patrick Lencioni ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’
2. Changing Roles – Michael Watkin ‘The First 90 Days’
3. Brainstorming – Edward de Bono ‘The Six thinking Hats’
4. Leadership – Kouzes and Posner ‘The Leadership Challenge’
5. Change Management – John Kotter ‘Leading Change’
New gems:
1. Management – Peter Drucker ‘The Essential Drucker’
2. Leader Development – Buckingham and Coffman ‘First, Break All The Rules’
3. Leader Development – Buckingham and Coffman ‘Now, Discover Your Strengths’
Oldies that Still Rate as Goodies:
1. Business Excellence – Jim Collins ‘Good to Great’
2. Time Management – Stephen Covey ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’
In the coming months we will be reviewing several of the books listed above, both the old and the new. If you are looking for a guide for self-paced leadership and management development, this book is a fantastic place to start. Have you read any of the titles listed above/ What did you think? What is the business book that has had the greatest impact on you? We would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions for books to review in upcoming editions of Developing Leaders.