1.GREAT BUSINESS BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS WORLDWIDE EDITED BY JIM PENNYPACKER MAVEN HOUSE PRESS

2. 2 W e hope that this compendium of great business books, recommended by your colleagues, can help you discover possible solutions to your complex business problems, enhance your business knowledge to improve your performance, train you to think better, inspire you to personal greatness, or simply entertain you. We started this project because we wanted to know what books business professionals found most useful in their work. So we posted a simple question on 30 business LinkedIn groups: What business books would you recommend to your colleagues? What we got was an overwhelming response that continues even though weve passed the cutoff date to list the recommendations in this e-book. This e-book lists all books that were recommended, except books by authors who recommended their own titles. We list the books in alphabetical order by title and include the recommenders names and their brief descriptions of the book when given. We also list the books by subject (we categorized the books into 15 subjects) and by author. This e-book features extensive hyperlinks to help you navigate and find more information about the books. Click on red text to go to appropriate pages in this e-book. Click on blue text links and book cover graphics go to appropriate pages on the Internet. Most of these links go to the appropriate amazon.com pages (there are a few exceptions, not listed in amazon.com). We chose amazon.com because they generally provide more information about the book than other sites, not because we recommend that you buy the book from them (see our list of online bookstores or visit your local bookstore for sources to buy books). If you are participating in a LinkedIn group book discussion please continue. Well update this e-book in a few months with additional recommendations. If you havent been participating, visit the groups that appeal to you and join the discussions. Theyve been some of the most active and most liked that weve ever seen. Good reading, Jim Pennypacker Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Maven House Press Contents Booklist by Title 3 Booklist by Subject 32 Booklist by Author 47 LinkedIn Groups 71 Maven House Press 72 INTRODUCTION 3. 3 A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y A The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moments Notice by Todd Henry. Teresa Huff, Adeo Development Solutions The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni. Jack Rech, National Gypsum Company The Adventures of an IT Leader by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon ODonnell. Fabio Scarselli, Manpower Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results by Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris, and Robert Morison. Big Data is circling in the Cloud, analytics is also a must read topic. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute. Jacques (Jack) Mailloux, Canadian International Development Agency The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. This is a book thats been used worldwide in organizational team trainings, and I can see why, if you value relationship-building as part of successful team work. I think its a wonderful book that encourages creating opportunities to find new possibilities to challenging career and life situations! Eve Siegel, San Francisco Coaches The Art of War by Sun Tzu. For a different strategic point of view. Charles Petit-Debut, HC&L Solutions; also recommended by Gary Leech, Tandus; and Jayaraj Thangarasu, Tata Consultancy Services Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift by Jerold Panas.This is a quick read that can help engage members of your board and fund-raising committee while dispelling some of the myths and fears associated with fund-raising. Sheryl Soukup, Soukup Strategic Solutions Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Speaks towards individuality, drive, innovation, persistence and other qualities of successful humans and businesses. Anwar Timol, Optimum Lightpath Online Bookstores Amazon.com Alibris Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million BooksOnBoard 800-CEO-READ Powells City of Books Safari Books Online eBookstores Amazon Kindle Store Apple iBooks App Barnes & Noble Nook Bookstore eBooks.com Google Books Kobo Small Business Marketing eBooks Sony Reader Store BOOKLIST BY TITLE 4. 4 B Becoming a Person of Influence by John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan. Outstanding book that anyone in business should read as we all have the power to positively impact the lives of others. Kim Manuel, Agile Business Performance Improvement Beyond HR: The New Science of Human Capital by John W. Boudreau and Peter M. Ramstad. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Beyond Traditional Marketing: Innovations in Marketing Practice by Kamran Kashani,Jean-Pierre Jeannet,Jacques Horovitz,Sean Meehan,Adrian Ryans,Dominique Turpin,and John Walsh. A great book, easy to read and hands on. Marcel van Enckevort, SABIC Innovative Plastics The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Kenny Madden, Spiceworks Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. While not truly a business book, it provides incredible insight into marketing and even economics. Laura Grieco, Laura Grieco Consulting Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition IrrelevantbyW. Chan Kimand Renee Mauborgne. Creating uncontested markets that delight customers and lack competitors. Bill Wellman, Healthways International; Helps you position yourself in the market, away from the blood wars. Sanghmitra G., Altran Europe; One should always start with this book and complete the reading by a practice learning. Marie-Annabelle Quillon, GDF SUEZ; also recommended by Sean T. Shallis, Weichert Headquarters Sales Office; Isaac Nickell, CPI Solutions; and Ron Hayes, integrated marketing expert The Board Building Cycle: Nine Steps of Finding, Recruiting, and Engaging Nonprofit Board Members by Berit M. Lakey. Sheryl Soukup, Soukup Strategic Solutions The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Jose Santiago, Detecon International GmbH The Book That Changed My Life: 129 Recommendations from Nonprofit Leaders Around the World edited by Nancy Schwartz [free download available]. Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling by Michael Port. Great book, great ideas, and lots of learning tools. Natalie Innella, A Touch of Heaven, Message Therapy A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 5. 5 Born to Win: Transactional Analysis with Gestalt Experiments by Muriel James and Dorothy Jongeward. Ross Kingsland, Inception Business Services Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change by Robert E. Quinn. Deborah Connors, The Health Work & Wellness Group Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras. Anita Shilton, Anita Shilton Coaching & Consulting; and Prasanna Jena, eBay The Business Analyst/Project Manager: A New Partnership for Managing Complexity and Uncertainty by Robert K. Wysocki. Daniel Protopopov, Bakers Delight Business in the Cloud: What Every Business Needs to Know About Cloud Computing byMichael H. Hugos and Derek Hulitzky. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Peigner A practical guide to brainstorming your overall approach to establishing or developing a business. Relevant regardless of the size of the company or the business you are in. Peter Blake, Prudent View; Because every organization, whether not-for-profit or for-profit, has a business model. Roddy Porter, The Royal Over-Seas League C The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance by Adraian Gostick and Chester Elton. Ron Hayes, integrated marketing expert The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation byMatthew DixonandBrent Adamson. Predictable revenue and snap selling. Brad Miller, Fathom Online Marketing; also recommended by Carnot Antonio Romero, Methodicum Change and Conflict Management by B. Hiriyappa. Jose Santiago, Detecon International GmbH The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Todays Best Methods for Engaging Whole SystemsbyPeggy Holman, Tom Devane, and Steven Cady. Steven Bolton, Systemic Solutions A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y Theres no better way to inform and expand your mind on a regular basis than to get into the habit of reading good literature. You can get into the best minds that are now or that have ever been in the world. Stephen Covey 6. 6 The Change Leaders Roadmap: How to Navigate Your Organizations Transformation by Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson. Gail Severini, Conner Partners The Change Monster: The Human Forces That Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change by Jeanie Daniel Duck. Ian Matchett, engagement lead Changing Conversations in Organizations: A Complexity Approach to Change by Patricia Shaw. Pete Burden, SeeStep; and Tricia Lustig, LASA Development UK Ltd. The Choice by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Mark Atkinson, VCSchange Classic Drucker: From the Pages of Harvard Business Review by Peter F. Drucker. A classic. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Clear Leadership: Sustaining Real Collaboration and Partnership at Work by Gervase R. Bushe. Speaks towards individuality, drive, innovation, persistence and other qualities of successful humans and businesses. Anwar Timol, Optimum Lightpath The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger. Kenny Madden, Spiceworks Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning by Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris. A great one since we are interested in the business view, not the technical view. Mahmoud Youssef Ahmed, consultant Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael E. Porter. His theories still stand true today. I love tweaking some of his theories and frameworks to adapt to modern day commerce. If you learn to play with his frameworks, then theres something tangible for almost all business professionals. Jason King, Jason King Consultancy Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life byJohn H. MillerandScott E. Page. Gary Leech, Tandus Confusion of Confusions: An Adaptation of the Classic Masterpiece by Josseph de la Vega on the 17th Century Amsterdam Stock Exchange. A review of market structures that suggests market experts drive market actions helps readers consider a second view of how markets operate. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 7. 7 Conquering An Enemy Called Average by John Mason. Jim Mello, University of Hartford Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values by Fred Kofman. Shows leaders how great business can be if you connect the heart and mind that can transform you and your business world. Nabeela Akhtar, Ericsson Corporate Lifecycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do About It by Ichak Adizes. Sharon Walsh, Innovation Bound Creating Contagious Commitment: Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change by Andrea Shapiro. Judith Hirst, Greenbank Limited Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney by Lee Cockerell. This fast read provides leadership in ten nutshells, with useful and specific action steps provided for implementing each strategy. My most meaningful takeaway from the book: Many people talk about having a business and personal life, but in reality you have only one life, and the best leaders are passionate about everything in it. I have shared this book with many of my customers, and to a person, they endorse it. Phill Domask, The Phill Domask Consultancy Creative Leadership: Skills that Drive Change by Gerard J. Puccio, Mary C. Murdock, and Marie Mance. Sharon Walsh, Innovation Bound Crtitical Chain: A Business Novel by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Written like a novel so reading is real fun. Read in one-two days. Shows the strength of common sense in management. Robert Tulicki-Sypolowski, IT executive Critical Chain Project Management by Lawrence P. Leach. Darren Lunn, Barclays Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore. Doug Kessler, Velocity Partners Ltd; and Mark Jensen, Lampo Group Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Its important for business leaders to understand change and change management, but not before understanding confrontations on the road to change. Rudolfo Jimenez, executive retail manager A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a mans mind can get both provocation and privacy. Edward P. Morgan 8. 8 Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are HighbyKerry Patterson,Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan,and Al Switzler. It was an entertaining read and serves as a how to guide for starting and/or being a part of difficult conversations. Susan Russo, Short Hills Surgery Center; Helps you understand how dialog between colleagues, personal relationships, etc., fail; how to avoid the pitfalls; and ultimately how to achieve successful outcomes. Larry Salomon, CA Technologies Culture Shock: A Handbook For 21st Century Business by Will McInnes. Mike Scialom, Cambridge Newspapers D The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker. A classic. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in a Learning Organization by Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith. Yvonne van Driel, advisor on citizenship, governance, and development Decide and Deliver: Five Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization by Marcia W. Blenko, Michael C. Mankins, and Paul Rogers. Stephen Driggs, PSAV The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschppeler. Nice little concise reminder of some of the great decision making tools. Deirdra Barr, Trolex, Ltd. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hieh. Great ideas for organizational development and, of course, their now world-famous customer-driven approach. Robert Grabel, Teens Run Yonkers; also recommended by Brad Miller, Fathom Online Marketing The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive AdvantagebyRoger L. Martin. Martin is one of the best commentators on modern business that Ive read. It will help you understand the patterns that business follows. Jim Love, IT World Canada; also recommended by Bruce Madole, PricewaterhouseCoopers Designing Dynamic Organizations: A Hands-On Guide for Leaders at All Levels by Jay Galbraith, Diane Downey, and Amy Kates. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 9. 9 Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together: A Pioneering Approach to Communication in Business and in Life by Bill Isaacs. Pete Burden, SeeStep; and Tricia Lustig, LASA Development UK Ltd. The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life by Geshe Michael Roach. This is a wonderful business book regardless of your personal/spiritual slant. Although it is a Buddhist writing (I am not a Buddhist) there are many practical things in it that allow for those seeking balance in genuine ethics with business, stretch your mind, worth a read. Deirdra Barr, Trolex Ltd. The Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, and Richard W. Beatty. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age by Maggie Jackson. Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates Dont Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. Its about web usability but its insanely easy to readand its principles can be applied to any customer interaction. Peter Wilson, Polarisoft; One that clients have actually bought on my recommendation and always make a point of praising. Steve Morris, Seedr Creative Ltd. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsbyDaniel H. Pink. Laura Grieco, Laura Grieco Consulting; Richard Gambino, University of New Mexico/Central NM Community College; and Lynette Reed, Where Expectations Meet Reality Duct Tape Marketing: The Worlds Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide by John Jantsch. For small businesses, its filled with great tips and offers a systematic approach to marketing. Its one of those books that I have highlighted and pull as a reference source. Mary Donato, Applied Principles E The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Dont Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber. Teresa Huff, Adeo Development Solutions Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. Donald Zeigler, City of Reading A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. P.J. ORourke 10. 10 The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things DonebyPeter F. Drucker. This is one of the best books Ive read about working in IT. Some people seem to think its about management more fool them. Drucker was talking about working in the IT industry of the 21st century he just didnt know it when he wrote it in the 60s. Dave Bremer, Southern District Health Board The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane.For anyone who is involved with Content (intentional capital C). Clear, succinct, and hugely informative. Steve Morris, Seedr Creative Ltd. 11 Rules for Creating Value in the #SocialEra by Nilofer Merchant. Some challenging ideas and interesting perspective on how we engage with our staff/fellow workers. Maggie Forrest, Kallidus Ltd. The 11 Secrets of Highly Influential IT Leaders: The Critical Path to Accessing and Succeeding in the Executive Suite by Marc J. Schiller. Sachin Gopal, Ittiam Systems Emotional Equations: Simple Truths for Creating Happiness + Success by Chip Conley. Great message for all. Douglas H. Wheeler, Summit Performance Group Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman. Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates; and Anita Shilton, Anita Shilton Coaching & Consulting Employees Not Doing What You Expect: Find Out Why, Fix It, Prevent It in the Future, Turn Negative Situations Into Positive Relationships by Greg Schinkel and Irwin Schinkel. Provides an outline of how to deal with all types of employees. David Neal, independent consultant Empowered: Unleash Your Employees, Energize Your Customers, and Transform Your Business by Josh Bernoff and Ted Schadler. If social business is new to you. Gareth Murran, MindLeaders The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution by Brian Solis. Has some great insights into whats changing as a result of the connections we now have online. Gareth Murran, MindLeaders The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team With Positive Energy by Jon Gordon. One of those great business fable books in the mold of a Ken Blanchard and equally applicable to for-profits or nonprofits. Robert Grabel, Teens Run Yonkers A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 11. 11 EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches by Dave Ramsey. Very practical information and told from someone who has been in the trenches leading a team for a number of years. It contains many specifics on the implementation of best practices as well. Dave Bratcher, West Tennessee Healthcare; and Mark Jensen, Lampo Group Entrepreneur Journeys Bootstrapping: Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction by Sramana Mitra. Sachin Gopal, Ittiam Systems Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy. Helps CIOs to become true business strategists and transformational leaders. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation; also recommended by Jim Love, IT World Canada; and Mark Jensen, Lampo Group The Executive Directors Guide: To Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader by Mim Carlson and Margaret Donohoe. Great book for a new executive director. Deb Taylor, Senior Community Services Exploration in Management by Wilfred Brown [free download available]. David Rasmusson, Tierforemen Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay. A review of market bubbles and a review of market participant behaviours that suggests market behaviours are driven by herds that self assemble helps readers consider one view of how markets operate. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons F The Fall of the Human Intellect by A. Parthasarathy. A good read on thought, reason, and judgement and why Intellect and Intelligence are different. These are fundamental to strategy, culture and change. Santosh Kumar Nair, TechnoConstruct Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by Sally Hogshead. A truly fascinating book. Highly recommended for some other angles than the usual change management literature. Kalle Sderman, Nordea The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge. Strong emphasis on learning and change as a team-based process. Mark Alpert, Pegasus Communications; also recommended by Gary Leech, Tandus; Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates; Gail Severini, Conner Partners; Corey King, Unisys; and Vinay Kulkarni, Horizon Moving Systems A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y You can bypass those with more degrees, intelligence, and experience by taking advantage of the knowledge in carefully selected books. Dan Miller 12. 12 Finance for the Arts in Canada by Heather Young. Has the ability to take the fear out of numbers for those of us who suffer that way. Jerry Smith, First Stage The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All LevelsbyMichael Watkins. A must have for any career transition. Daniel Lamb, Singtel Optus; also recommended by R. Bruce Buchanan, Exelis; Anita Shilton, Anita Shilton Coaching & Consulting; and Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions First Time Manager by Loren B. Belker, Jim McCormick, and Gary S. Topchik. Great for the transition from a technical job to a managerial job. Mahmoud Youssef Ahmed, consultant Fish! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen. A very quick read about one persons experience at Seattles famous fish market. The take away is Why are you doing what youre doing if youre not happy? There is a way for you to find a way to be happy and fulfilled. Finding something or somewhere that you can be happy and have true joy at work makes all the difference to you and your customers. Darci Larsen, Lowes Home Improvement Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni. To make sure you can handle business and understand why you cannot get things done with your team. Rich Fierson, DTS Consulting; And the other six or so books in his series, especially The Advantage. We have just used these principles to transform the culture of our department, achieving great results. Jack Rech, National Gypsum Company; Story about how teams function helps readers frame and prepare for better teams. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons; also recommended by Jason Little, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Fixing the Problem: Making Changes in How You Deal With Challenges by G.L. Reed. Lynette Reed, Where Expectations Meet Reality Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Kenny Madden, Spiceworks Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything bySteven D. LevittandStephen J. Dubner. Thomas Cooper, Global Wealth Consultants FREE: How Todays Smartest Businesses Profit by Giving Something for Nothing by Chris Anderson. Shows you how to make money in the world of freemium. Sanghmitra G., Altran Europe A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 13. 13 The Future is Fluid Form: Practical Steps for Designing Flat, Flexible Organizations by Ord Elliott. Charlotte (Charlee) Hanna, Confluence Experience The Future of Management by Gary Hamel. Advantages and insights of management beyond command and control. How to build a dynamic organization of contributors. Steve Giese, small business consultant G Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World by Stuart Diamond. Practical advice with real world applications in business and personal life. Danna Zacharek, Calmra Getting Naked: A Business Fable about Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick Lencioni. Jason Little, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Getting the Right Things Done: A Leaders Guide to Planning and ExecutionbyPascal Dennisand Jim Womack. Gary Leech, Tandus Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. If you liked Tipping Point, you should then consider this book. Very useful for personal productivity and getting organized. Mahmoud Youssef Ahmed, consultant Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving Inby Roger Fisher, William L. Ury and Bruce Patton. Treatise on negotiation that focuses on value maximization rather than winning or losing helps readers frame their negotiation goals. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons; also recommended by Dave Bremer, Southern District Health Board; The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox. Its a novel about Theory of Constraints and how to engage bottlenecks in organisations. It is very easy to read, message is clear, and it has quite a few examples on innovative organisational changes. Vaidotas Paradauskas, quality engineer; Written like a novel so reading is real fun. Read in one-two days. Shows the strength of common sense in management. Robert Tulicki-Sypolowski, IT executive; Provides an idea of how to identify bottlenecks in your company and how to address them. David Neal, Independent Consultant; Story about theory of constraints helps readers understand how to view changing processes practically. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons; also recommended by Gary Leech, Tandus; Darren Lunn, Barclays; Jose Santiago, Detecon International GmbH; Sachin Gopal, Ittiam Systems; and Mark Atkinson, VCSchange A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. Thomas Carlyle 14. 14 The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Donna Krech, Thin & Healthys Total Solutions The Gold Mine: A Novel of Lean Turnaround by Freddy Ball and Michael Ball. Gary Leech, Tandus Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Mattersby Richard Rumelt. Helps CIOs to become true business strategists and transformational leaders. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Good to Great and the Social Sectors: Why Business Thinking is Not the AnswerbyJim Collins. A very stimulating and short read. It accompanies his much wider work Good to Great. Roddy Porter, The Royal Over-Seas League; also recommended by C. T. ODonnell, ODonnells Strategy & Results; Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates; and Frank Hamilton, Eckerd College Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Dontby Jim Collins. Old school, however all relevant. Lee Morgan, Oakwood Media Group; Youre right Lee Jim Collins may be old school, but the book has been a constant source of inspiration for me personally, particularly his point about finding the key denominators behind a companys economic engine the magic model that enables the business to start on a strong growth path. My own company has recently found its economic engine and the results are a broad spectrum of pluses from the bottom line to cultural energy. Jonathan Winch, Branded Mails ApS and Eye For Image ApS; To be well rounded read the infamous, or famous (depending where you sit), Good to Great. Rich Fierson, DTS Consulting; I appreciated that it dealt honestly with the difficulty of transitioning a business from good to great. There are no silver bullets and it is hard work but the study does reveal common criterion of these great companies and compares them against less successful counterparts. Isaac Nickell, CPI Solutions; Should be on everyones reading list regarding growing a business. Mike Newman, Michael Newman Consulting; Gives you an idea of what great companies do. David Neal, independent consultant; Goes beyond the typical notion of a successful company built on a basis of a master strategy. Must read for everyone. Prasanna Jena, eBay; Based on vast research, the book is relevant regardless of the size of the company or the business you are in. Peter Blake, Prudent View; Collinss hedgehog strategy is brilliant and workable. Jim Love, IT World Canada; A well-defended review study on sustainable corporate economic success helps readers embed historically successful strategies in plans. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons; also recommended by Corey King, Unisys; Ganesh Arunachala, management consultant; Mark Jensen, Lampo Group; Frank Hamilton, Eckerd College; and Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 15. 15 Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck Why Some Thrive Despite Them AllbyJim CollinsandMorten T. Hansen. Ive been so impressed with Collinss writing style the books in the Good to Great series are all truly page turners demonstrating that some of the most compelling narratives are as common to business as they are to human nature. Laura Grieco, Laura Grieco Consulting; Pure gold contained within. Stephen Johnston, The Co-operators; also recommended by Ken Thiessen, Gazelles International Growing Pains: Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm by Eric G. Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle. A valuable resource providing a framework and a practical approach for dealing with what matters most to the success of any growing organization. Vladimir Kuryakov, York Strategies Consulting Guide to Organisation Design: Creating High-Performing and Adaptable Enterprises by Naomi Stanford. Recommend for the summary of theory, but more importantly for the practical application. Jo Alexander-Jones, BG Group; also recommended by Tricia Lustig, LASA Development UK Ltd. Guts: 8 Laws of Business from One of the Most Innovative Business Leaders of Our Time by Robert A. Lutz. Donald Price, VCU Health System H Handbook of Business-to-Business Marketing edited by Gary Lilien and Rajdeep Grewal. There are 38 chapters written by internationally renowned scholars. The book is targeted for marketing academics and more forward- thinking B2B practitioners. In other words, its a little deeper reading so you have to be really into the subject of marketing. Mary Donato, Applied Principles Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help by Edgar H. Schein. While its obviously not only about helping in an organisational development context I often recommend it to practitioners because I think its about the fundamental positions we need to take when helping others, including groups and even large organisations, to change. Pete Burden, SeeStep The Heretics Guide To Best Practices: The Reality of Managing Complex Problems in Organisations by Paul Culmsee. Daniel Protopopov, Bakers Delight The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives by Shankar Vedantam. Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. Margaret Fuller 16. 16 Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy and Innovation and Others Dont by Lynda Gratton. Very enjoyable and interesting reading. Elizabeth Wade, Department of Justice- Victoria, Australia How Brands Grow: What Marketers Dont Know by Byron Sharp. Everyone should read at least one business interpretation of Sun Tsu. Isabel Myburgh, Family Care Health Services How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins. Be cautiously optimistic, learning failure before doing business strategic planning for success. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation; also recommended by Vivek Tuljapurkar, management consultant; and Mark Jensen, Lampo Group How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Lessons and stories on aligning objectives helps readers share the goals of others and help them share theirs. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons; also recommended by Stephen Driggs, PSAV; and Greg Burns, Scotiabank I Imagine: How Creativity WorksbyJonah Lehrer. Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey. Pete Burden, SeeStep Influence: Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini. Getting anything accomplished in the business world (or life, for that matter) is about persuasion and politics, and this book teaches you how to be compelling in any situation. Jason Myrowitz, University of Wyoming Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. A truly easy to remember framework with the six sources of influence and a great way of presenting them in the book. Kalle Sderman, Nordea Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy by Karl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian. Doug Kessler, Velocity Partners Ltd. The Innovators Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen. This book has been around a long time and most people associate it with product development. However, the books focus on disruptive technology and that technologys A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 17. 17 impact on organizations, markets, and societies is immediately relevant and applicable to organizational change management issues. Corey King, Unisys; Keeping vigilance of a continual innovation priority. Being blinded by success. Steve Giese, small business consultant; Opens you to the concept of Disruptive Innovation and how just listening to customers isnt enough. Sanghmitra G., Altran Europe; A classic. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation; also recommended by Angela J. Penteado, Stakeholder Engagement; and Doug Kessler, Velocity Partners Ltd. Inside Change: Transforming Your Organization with Emotional Intelligence by Joshua Freedman and Massimiliano Ghini. A different look at organisational change and a great roadmap. Kimberly Kniveton, Ascent Coaching & Consulting The Intention Economy: When Customers Take Charge by Doc Searls. Kenny Madden, Spiceworks Isnt It Obvious by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Mark Atkinson, VCSchange IT Savvy: What Top Executives Must Know to Go From Pain to Gain by Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross. Discusses various levels of strategic maturity in IT organizations; how transitions are made along the maturity curve; and the effect those transitions have made on other, world-class organizations. Larry Salomon, CA Technologies It Starts with One: Changing Individuals Changes Organizations by J. Stewart Black and Hal B. Gregersen. Gail Severini, Conner Partners Its Not Luckby Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Written like a novel so reading is real fun. Read in one-two days. Shows a strength of common sense in management. Robert Tulicki-Sypolowski, IT executive; also recommended by Darren Lunn, Barclays; and Mark Atkinson, VCSchange Its Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. This book describes Capt. Abrashoffs transforming the USS Benfold from a ship with a mediocre record at best into the leading ship in the U.S. Navy. An enjoyable read with good takeaways. Michael McCann, program manager J John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do by John P. Kotter. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Jurans Quality Handbook: The Complete Guide to Performance ExcellencebyJoseph M. Juran and Joseph A. De Feo. Gary Leech, Tandus A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled This could change your life. Helen Exley 18. 18 L Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing UpbyJohn Baldoni. David Egan, Synopsys The Leaders Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Centuryby Stephen Denning. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute. Companies can have the best business strategy in place, the best processes, even the most skilled staff, but still fall short of expectations. This book focuses on human behavior and the things we do even with the best intentions that often undermine what we are ultimately trying to achieve. Its written in a way that you will enjoy and appreciate, and when youre done reading it you might ask rhetorically, why didnt I read this sooner? Scott P. Bennett; also recommended by Richard Gambino, University of New Mexico/ Central NM Community College; Gary Vant, public safety professional; and Jacques (Jack) Mailloux, Canadian International Development Agency Leadership Brand: Developing Customer-Focused Leaders to Drive Performance and Build Lasting Value by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions The Leadership Machine: Architecture to Develop Leaders for Any Future by Robert W. Eichinger and Michael M. Lombardo. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leadingby Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky. Ken Thiessen, Gazelles International; and Deb Taylor, Senior Community Services Leadership Secrets of Attila the HunbyWess Roberts. Great for scholars and practitioners. Lawrence Houston, Penn State University; also recommended by Sean T. Shallis, Weichert Headquarters Sales Office Leading Change by John P. Kotter. He examines the efforts of more than 100 companies to remake themselves into better competitors. He identifies the most common mistakes leaders and managers make in their attempt to create change and shows how to overcome the obstacles and carry out the firms agenda: establishing a greater sense of urgency, creating the guiding coalition, developing a vision and strategy, communicating the change vision, empowering others to act, creating short-term wins, consolidating gains and producing even more change, and institutionalizing new approaches in the future. Pamela Y. Bodley, Nepperhan Community Center; The fundamental purpose of management is to keep the current systems functioning. The fundamental purpose of leadership is to produce useful A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 19. 19 change. Rich Fierson, DTS Consulting; This book provides a practical, eight-stage roadmap for strategic plan implementation. The sections on why major change efforts fail are spot on. The sections on complacency and vision communication are especially valuable. Phill Domask, The Phill Domask Consultancy; Highly readable for a busy business audience. Anita Shilton, Anita Shilton Coaching & Consulting; also recommended by David Scurlock, Direct Professional Services; and Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask byMichael Marquardt. Darren Lunn, Barclays The Lean Startup: How Todays Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses byEric Ries. If youre working in a start-up environment, lots of insight on listening to customers, adjusting products accordingly and simply getting stuff done. Marie Steinthaler, SocialGO; I guess that the title already says why this is a great book. Sorin Mustaca, Avira GmbH Learning as a Way of Being: Strategies for Survival in a World of Permanent White Water by Peter B. Vaill. He has insight into the heart of most organizational matters and of course, given the subtitle, it speaks of change not as an event but a way of life. Youll get a real measure of the quality of the man if you read the preface. Sandy Bennetts, Key Performance Consulting Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDA by Mike Rother and John Shook. Russ Toman, IS&R Services Lets Get Real or Lets Not Play: The Demise of Dysfunctional Selling and the Advent of Helping Clients Succeed by Mahan Khalsa. Papias Hawlader, LEADS Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin. It will make you feel like a superhero. What can you do with your powers? Stephen Johnston, The Co- operators M Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Very good book on delivering a message to a target audience. Cherish Nelson, Marinated Media and Marketing; also recommended by Jason Little, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board; and Lynette Reed, Where Expectations Meet Reality Management in 10 Words: Practical Advice from the Man Who Created One of the Worlds Largest Retailersby Terry Leahy. Darren Lunn, Barclays A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting. Henry David Thoreau 20. 20 Management of the Absurd: Paradoxes in Leadership by Richard Farson. My all-time favorite management book. In Management of the Absurd, Richard Farson zeros in on the paradoxes of communication, the politics of management, and the dilemmas of change, exploring relationships within organizations and offering a unique perspective on the challenges managers face. Steve Jennings, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Managing by Henry Mintzberg. One of the worlds gurus on management, Henry gets to the essence of what managers really do and discusses making the small, practical changes to improve how we do things leading to organizational change. Warren Cohen, CoachingOurselves International Managing at the Speed of Change: How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where Others Fail by Daryl R. Conner. Gail Severini, Conner Partners Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges. I have used this book more than any other when working with leadership teams who want to be effective in moving their organizations through change. It is very practical as well as simple, honest, and real. Dorie Ellzey Blesoff, independent consultant; also recommended by Gail Severini, Conner Partners; and David Scurlock, Direct Professional Services Market Segmentation: How to Do It and How to Profit By It by Malcolm McDonald and Ian Dunbar. Rob Faulkner, Comparison Creator Marketing Strategy & Organization: Building Sustainable Business by Rudy Moenaert, Henry Robben, and Peter Gouw. A very practical roadmap and based on solid, long-term research. Marcel van Enckevort, SABIC Innovative Plastics The Maxwell Daily Reader: 365 Days of Insight to Develop the Leader Within You and Influence Those Around You by John C. Maxwell. All about the TEAM: Together, Everyone, Accomplishes, More. Leadership is the core to any organization no matter how small or big the company. I begin each morning with A Minute from Maxwell and the word of the day! He is working on his 73rd book. Shelly Rufin, EDFIN Cash for College The Measurement Nightmare: How the Theory of Constraints Can Resolve Conflicting Strategies, Policies, and Measures by Debra Smith. Darren Lunn, Barclays Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync? by Seth Godin. An eye opener for me. In fact anything by Seth is generally useful stuff. Ross McMinn, Workspace 1 A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 21. 21 Mission-Based Management: Leading Your Not-for-Profit in the 21st Century by Peter Brinckerhoff. This book provides practical guidance on how nonprofit leaders can do their jobs and run their organizations more efficiently and effectively. Deb Taylor, Senior Community Services More Lightning Less Thunder: How to Energize Innovation Teams by Bob Eckert and Jonathan Vehar. Its a fast read with ideas you can immediately apply; its fun (yes, a business book that is fun to read!); and its told in a conversational tone one much like the way you talk to your friends. It leverages important research without getting bogged down or turning into a snooze fest. Natalie Jenkins, New & Improved, LLC The Mormon Way of Doing Business: How Nine Western Boys Reached the Top of Corporate America by Jeff Benedict. The power of faith; compilation. Genevieve R., entrepreneur My Years with General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Bill Gates once said that if he were to read just one business book, this would be it. Vivek Tuljapurkar, management consultant The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. Still has a lot to say to us managing IT and IT people today. Dave Bremer, Southern District Health Board; A seminal study in the management of software development projects. Written in 1975, most of Brookss conclusions and insights are still valid today. Blair Spring, IT Project Management Consulting N The New CIO Leader: Setting the Agenda and Delivering Results by Marianne Broadbent and Ellen Kitzis. Sachin Gopal, Ittiam Systems The New Normal: Explore the Limits of the Digital World by Peter Hinssen. Fabio Scarselli, Manpower The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That IsntbyRobert I. Sutton.This is seriously one of the most interesting and entertaining insights on negative methods of leadership and why leaders fail in the workplace as well as set others up for failure. Its an easy read and makes you think every step of the way! Keeps you in check while helping you understand (and stay clear of) the @$$holes in your organization. Heather Ann Pageau, Promotion Management Center; For anyone who has ever worked in a tough office climate. Christopher Whann, SUNY-Empire State College; Great for scholars and practitioners. Lawrence Houston, Penn State University; also recommended by Dave Bremer, Southern District Health Board A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y Tell me what you read, and I will tell you who you are Slovak proverb 22. 22 Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman. This book is a good resource and guide to understanding the relationship between the mission of a nonprofit and its finances. Deb Taylor, Senior Community Services O On Top of the Cloud: How CIOs Leverage New Technologies to Drive Change and Build Value Across the Enterprise byHunter Muller. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation The One Minute Manager: The Worlds Most Popular Management Method by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. Back to basics of good logic. Charles Petit-Debut, HC&L Solutions; Great book on how small behavioral qualities can have a huge impact on those around you. It isnt just for managers either. Larry Salomon, CA Technologies Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Company by Andrew S. Grove. Vivek Tuljapurkar, management consultant Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead by Charlene Li. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative ThinkingbyRoger Martin. Bruce Madole, PricewaterhouseCoopers Organization Change: Theory and Practice by W. Warner Burke. The author provides us with a solid base of understanding of the nature of organizational change and the leadership needed to shepherd change through to a successful completion. Jos Antonio Venegas, Consultora de Negocios; also recommended by Gail Severini, Conner Partners Organization Design: The Collaborative Approach by Naomi Stanford. Recommend for the summary of theory, but more importantly for the practical application. Jo Alexander-Jones, BG Group; also recommended by Tricia Lustig, LASA Development UK Ltd. Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit by Tupper F. Cawsey, Gene Deszca, and Cynthia Ingols. I highly recommend this book as a valuable resource to any organization facing significant organization change. Jos Antonio Venegas, Consultora de Negocios A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 23. 23 Organizational Development Series from Addison Wesley. Recommended by Charlotte (Charlee) Hanna, Confluence Experience Building A Dynamic Corporation Through Grid Organization Development by Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton. Designing Organizations for High Performance by David P. Hanna. Developing Organizations: Diagnosis and Action by Paul R. Lawrence and Jay W. Lorsch. Organization Development: Its Nature, Origins, and Prospects by Warren G. Bennis. Organization Development: Strategies and Models by Richard Beckhard. Organizational Transitions: Managing Complex Change by Richard Beckhard and Reuben T. Harris. Process Consultation: Its Role in Organization Development by Edgar H. Schein. Outliers: The Story of SuccessbyMalcolm Gladwell. Thomas Cooper, Global Wealth Consultants; and Akshath Sapalya, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business by Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine. It looks at customer experience (not the same as customer service) and how it can be managed as a business discipline to provide a sustained source of competitive advantage. The book is an easy read, includes lots of case studies from B2C and B2B firms, and provides a framework for how you can implement its lessons in your business. Fair disclosure: this is published by Forrester, my employer. But dont let my bias put you off. This really is a great book. And anything that gets companies thinking more deeply about their customers has to be a good thing! James Ollerenshaw, Forrester Research Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators by Patrick Lencioni. Jason Little, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board P The Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life by Robert Fritz. Strong emphasis on learning and change as a team-based process. Mark Alpert, Pegasus Communications A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not read them. Samuel Butler 24. 24 The Phenomenal Product Manager: The Product Managers Guide to Success, Job Satisfaction and Career Acceleration by Brian Lawley. Focuses on the strategies, tactics, and techniques for job satisfaction and career acceleration. Melissa Holtzer, 280 Group Poke the Box by Seth Godin. Ross Kingsland, Inception Business Services Power, Influence, and Persuasion: Sell Your Ideas and Make Things Happen by Harvard Business School Press, editor. Gary Vant, public safety professional The Power of Business Process Improvement: 10 Simple Steps to Increase Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Adaptability by Susan Page. Greg Burns, Scotiabank The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. A layman literature review of habit neuroscience applied helps execs think about what encourages repeated human behaviour. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion by John Hagel III, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Practically Radical: Not So Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself by William Taylor. Patty Hampton, Nonprofit HR Solutions Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely. This is a great book on the psychology of human decision making and how we make truly irrational decisions against what seems to be simple common sense. No matter your business or industry, this is a valuable read. Jesse Keirn, executive Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen R. Covey. Gary Vant, public safety professional The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Theresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. One scientific survey explains why our motivations at work change and what we can do to enhance and create a culture of engagement. One simple and dramatic message, supported through many examples. Stephen Johnston, The Co-operators; Fit for todays digital era, how to build up a more creative working environment, embrace abundance of information. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin. Being remarkable. Beyond the ordinary. Steve Giese, small business consultant A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 25. 25 R Radical Collaboration: Five Essential Skills to Overcome Defensiveness and Build Successful Relationships by James W. Tamm and Ronald J. Luyet. A great read. Jon Warner, PaySwyft/BillSwyft Rapid Transformation: A 90-Day Plan for Fast and Effective Change by Behnam N. Tabrizi. The methodology is extremely effective in organizations that are either young and malleable or that have strong leadership that is seeking to transform the organization. Ive applied it (along with organizational change management best practices) and it works very well. Corey King, Unisys The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself by John Jantsch. Research suggests about two-thirds of small business owners feel that more than half their business comes from referrals. But the same research reveals only about two in ten small business owners have effective systems in place to leverage the power of referral leads. If you are one of the 20 percent, this book will help you to fine-tune your referral system. If you one of the 80 percent, this book will help you to develop an authentic and systematic approach for starting customer conversations, educating prospects, generating referral leads, and converting your referral prospects into customers. Phill Domask, The Phill Domask Consultancy The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from SetbacksbyAl Siebert. David Egan, Synopsys Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte. Great presentations with an emphasis on story helps readers move others to action. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier. Its inspiring, easy to read, and crammed full of stuff that make complete sense. Steve Morris, Seedr Creative Ltd.; also recommended by Darren Lunn, Barclays Rich Dads Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest In, That the Poor and Middle-Class Do Not by Robert T. Kiyosaki. This is the book I would recommend if you would like to become an entrepreneur. Sinaly Dembele, Le Premier Pas S.A.U. Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works by Ash Maurya. A practical handbook for Lean Startups gives readers a practical framework to entrepreneurial action. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts. Oliver Wendell Holmes 26. 26 S Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World by Bruce Schneier. He demonstrates a deep understanding of the fundamentals of security and in the process demolishes a lot of conventional wisdom. Steve Jackson, Business-Led IT A Sense of Urgency by John P. Kotter. Urgency is Kotters latest book, and its great. Rich Fierson, DTS Consulting Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey. Ganesh Arunachala, management consultant Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis by Barbara A. Carkenord. Daniel Protopopov, Bakers Delight Simply Effective: How to Cut Through Complexity in Your Organization and Get Things Doneby Ron Ashkenas. Fit for todays digital era, how to build up a more creative working environment, embrace abundance of information. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Social Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships by Paul Gillin and Eric Schwartzman. It cuts through all the noise around social and is not only great on the theory but a really useful practical guide too. Steve Morris, Seedr Creative Ltd. The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employeesby Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey. Trust literally translates into revenue, profits, and prosperity. Bernadette Channer, Management Sciences for Health; also recommended by Mark Jensen, Lampo Group Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie. Incredibly inspiring and full of great guerilla ideas for attracting interns and developing an organization. Robert Grabel, Teens Run Yonkers The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. It keeps you thinking about your next career move. Gareth Murran, MindLeaders Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Regardless of your thoughts on the man, there are many great ideas on management and control that can be gleaned from the book. I regret giving my copy away and plan to get another to reread. Gary Petzer, Towerjazz A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 27. 27 Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire: A Roadmap to a Sustainable Culture of Ingenuity and Purpose by Braden Kelly. Organizing the innovation process. Creating innovation energy. Steve Giese, small business consultant The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling by Annette Simmons. Its the story that people remember. The story can influence, persuade, and inspire. Your story is who you are. Steve Giese, small business consultant Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation by Robert Burgelman, Clayton Christensen, and Steven Wheelwright. A conglomeration of all concepts and cases you need to know for a successful innovation-based endeavor. Sanghmitra G., Altran Europe Strategic Organizational Change: A Practitioners Guide for Managers and Consultants by Michael A. Beitler. Beitler has provided a singular roadmap to assist internal and external consultants in maximizing value through organizational change. Jos Antonio Venegas, Consultora de Negocios The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Provides eye-opening examples of how dramatic changes can be and have been achieved and embraced. Stephen Johnston, The Co- operators; Anything by the Heath brothers is worth reading. Elizabeth Wade, Department of Justice-Victoria, Australia; also recommended by Kalle Sderman, Nordea; Ian Matchett, engagement lead; Laura Grieco, Laura Grieco Consulting; and Jason Little, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership byJoseph Jaworski. Richard Gambino, University of New Mexico/Central NM Community College T Ten Faces of Innovation: Ideos Strategies for Beating the Devils Advocate & Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization by Tom Kelley. Paraphrasing from the title, this book is for beating the devils advocate and building up a creative and innovative culture within your organization. Roddy Porter, The Royal Over-Seas League The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk. The world of business is coming full circle. The rise of the Internet and the empowerment of the common consumer has created a fundamental shift in how businesses are expected to behave. David Mitchell, The Profit Generator A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y My imagination doesnt require anything more of the book than to provide a framework within which it can wander. Alphonse Daudet 28. 28 Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges by C. Otto Scharmer. Lynette Reed, Where Expectations Meet Reality Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Changed my business and life. Sean T. Shallis, Weichert Headquarters Sales Office; also recommended by Dorothy Manning, Ageless Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko. Reminder to think beyond the obvious. Our old habits can keep us from the future. Steve Giese, small business consultant Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman is the only non-economist ever to win the Nobel Prize in economics. Youll start to understand why we think and act the way we do. Jim Love, IT World Canada The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. Speaks towards individuality, drive, innovation, persistence, and other qualities of successful humans and businesses. Anwar Timol, Optimum Lightpath The Tom Peters Seminar: Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations by Tom Peters.Great for re-inventing your business or methods. Charles Petit- Debut, HC&L Solutions Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results by Mike Rother and John Shook. Look to understand with your eyes and witnessing the work. Russ Toman, IS&R Services The Toyota Way: Fourteen Management Principles from the Worlds Greatest Manufacturer by Jeffrey K. Liker. Darren Lunn, Barclays The Toyota Way Fieldbook: A Practical Guide for Implementing Toyotas 4Ps by Jeffrey K. Liker and David Meier. Darren Lunn, Barclays The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence Through Leadership Development by Jeffrey K. Liker and Gary L. Convis. Darren Lunn, Barclays The Transformational CIO: Leadership and Innovation Strategies for IT Executives in a Rapidly Changing World by Hunter Muller. The book is good for both CIOs and other executives who want to work with IT to create better business results. It has lots of interviews with CIOs at top organizations on what works and overcoming issues.I particularly liked the story of a new CIO who wrote his first 30-60-90-day plan during interviews before he got the job. He really hit the ground running! Michael Smith, TeraTech A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 29. 29 Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King, and Hallee Fischer-Wright. Gary Vant, public safety professional Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin. Joan Holman, Joan Holman Productions Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump. Tips for becoming a successful businessman or businesswoman. David Neal, independent consultant Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. The book is fascinating. Ross McMinn, Workspace 1 The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. Malcolm Ting, iClinic Tuesday Morning Coaching: Eight Simple Truths to Boost Your Career and Your Life by David Cottrell. Very upbeat, insightful, and positive book. Cyndee Morton, Safety National The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell. Mark Jensen, Lampo Group U The Ultimate Guide to Business Process Management: Everything You Need to Know and How to Apply It to Your Organization by Theodore Panagacos. Clinton Thomson, ANZ Unfair Advantage: The Power of Financial Educationby Robert Kiyosaki. Dorothy Manning, Ageless UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging. by Scott Stratten. Tom Borgman, Yes Nonsense|Video-for-Social Media Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits by Robert C. Townsend. The worrying thing is that it first appeared in 1970 and its still very relevant possibly even more relevant. But its essential reading. Tom Peters says: Townsend shouldnt just be read, he should be memorized. Stuart Constable, The Marketing Practice A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. Francis Bacon 30. 30 V Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by McKinsey & Company, Tim Koller, Marc Goedhart, and David Wessels. Tools for measuring value and stories to see it applied practically helps readers understand the concept of value. Malcolm McKinnon, McKinnons Visionary Leadership Skills: Creating a World to Which People Want to Belong by Robert B. Dilts. Sharon Walsh, Innovation Bound W The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. Dont ever think that business is just business. Make your work your art. Attack the canvas. Stephen Johnston, The Co- operators Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman. Speaks towards individuality, drive, innovation, persistence, and other qualities of successful humans and businesses. Anwar Timol, Optimum Lightpath Weird Ideas That Work: How to Build a Creative Company by Robert I. Sutton. A great book on driving change and innovation and why ideas that may initially be seen as counter intuitive are really actually rather sensible. Gary Burke, consultant What Management Is: How It Works and Why Its Everyones Business by Joan Magretta. It helps us as managers to get back to the roots of the business. Vishwanath Baba, Canadian Journal of Adminstrative Science What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation by Gary Hamel. Businesses large and small are all facing radical digital transformation. What Matters Now is different from industry speed in the last century, whether youre crafting a business strategy or a talent strategy, the book could be a good guideline. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation What Poetry Brings to Business by Clare Morgan. This general book was quite thought provoking. First half especially; more of a generalist book than function specific. Mark Nilski, Lenovo What They Dont Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-Smart Executive by Mark H. McCormack. Great book about connecting with people and creating a network with a positive emotional link towards you. Charles Petit-Debut, HC&L Solutions A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y 31. 31 What Would Google Do? Reverse-Engineering the Fastest Growing Company in the History of the World by Jeff Jarvis. From left field, especially for those involved in social enterprises, to shift your head space. Doug Jacquier, consultant Whats Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers. From left field, especially for those involved in social enterprises, to shift your head space. Doug Jacquier, consultant Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson. We never see change in IT, do we? Larry Salomon, CA Technologies Who Says Elephants Cant Dance: Leading a Great Enterprise Through Dramatic Change by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Vivek Tuljapurkar, consultant Who Stole My Cheese? byIlene Hochberg. Thomas Cooper, Global Wealth Consultants A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink. Kenny Madden, Spiceworks Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?: What It Takes to Be an Authentic Leader by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones. Ross Kingsland, Inception Business Services Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everythingby Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. Pearl Zhu, Brobay Corporation Winning by Jack Welch. Some bits may seem dated and you may not always agree with his approach, but seeing how Jack did it is a real insight into the mind of a significant business leader. Rob Hall, Chemring Group; also recommended by Clinton Thomson, ANZ Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know by Jill Geisler. This book takes management skills to the next level. Deb Taylor, Senior Community Services Work Quake by Paul Glover. Reminder of the little operational things that make the business successful. Reminder of the little people things that make your business grow. Steve Giese, small business consultant Y You Cant Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar: The Sandler Sales Institutes 7-Step System for Successful Selling by David H. Sandler. Ross Kingsland, Inception Business Services A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one. Chinese saying 32. 32 CHANGE MANAGEMENT Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change by Robert E. Quinn. Change and Conflict Management by B. Hiriyappa. The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Todays Best Methods for Engaging Whole SystemsbyPeggy Holman, Tom Devane, and Steven Cady. The Change Leaders Roadmap: How to Navigate Your Organizations Transformation by Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson. The Change Monster: The Human Forces That Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change by Jeanie Daniel Duck. Changing Conversations in Organizations: A Complexity Approach to Change by Patricia Shaw. Creating Contagious Commitment: Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change by Andrea Shapiro. The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in a Learning Organization by Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith. The Gold Mine: A Novel of Lean Turnaround by Freddy Ball and Michael Ball. Inside Change: Transforming Your Organization with Emotional Intelligence by Joshua Freedman and Massimiliano Ghini. It Starts with One: Changing Individuals Changes Organizations by J. Stewart Black and Hal B. Gregersen. Leading Change by John P. Kotter. Managing at the Speed of Change: How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where Others Fail by Daryl R. Conner. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges. Organization Change: Theory and Practice by W. Warner Burke. Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit by Tupper F. Cawsey, Gene Deszca, and Cynthia Ingols. Practically Radical: Not So Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself by William Taylor. Rapid Transformation: A 90-Day Plan for Fast and Effective Change by Behnam N. Tabrizi. BOOKLIST BY SUBJECT Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 33. 33 The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from SetbacksbyAl Siebert. A Sense of Urgency by John P. Kotter. Strategic Organizational Change: A Practitioners Guide for Managers and Consultants by Michael A. Beitler. Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson. Who Says Elephants Cant Dance: Leading a Great Enterprise Through Dramatic Change by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Who Stole My Cheese? byIlene Hochberg. DECISION-MAKING, PROBLEM-SOLVING & ANALYTICS Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results by Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris, and Robert Morison. Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning by Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris. Decide and Deliver: Five Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization by Marcia W. Blenko, Michael C. Mankins, and Paul Rogers. The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschppeler. The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives by Shankar Vedantam. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely. ECONOMICS & FINANCE Confusion of Confusions: An Adaptation of the Classic Masterpiece by Josseph de la Vega on the 17th Century Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything bySteven D. LevittandStephen J. Dubner. Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy by Karl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian. CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 34. 34 Rich Dads Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest In, That the Poor and Middle-Class Do Not by Robert T. Kiyosaki. Unfair Advantage: The Power of Financial Educationby Robert Kiyosaki. Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by McKinsey & Company, Tim Koller, Marc Goedhart, and David Wessels. ENTREPRENEURSHIP & CAREERS The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Dont Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber. Entrepreneur Journeys Bootstrapping: Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction by Sramana Mitra. The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All LevelsbyMichael Watkins. Growing Pains: Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm by Eric G. Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier. Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie. The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. GENERAL BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras. The Choice by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Classic Drucker: From the Pages of Harvard Business Review by Peter F. Drucker. The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger. Corporate Lifecycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do About It by Ichak Adizes. The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker. The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution by Brian Solis. ECONOMICS & FINANCE CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 35. 35 Exploration in Management by Wilfred Brown [free download available]. The Future of Management by Gary Hamel. The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Dontby Jim Collins. Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck Why Some Thrive Despite Them AllbyJim CollinsandMorten T. Hansen. Guts: 8 Laws of Business from One of the Most Innovative Business Leaders of Our Time by Robert A. Lutz. How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins. Isnt It Obvious by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Its Not Luckby Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Management in 10 Words: Practical Advice from the Man Who Created One of the Worlds Largest Retailersby Terry Leahy. Managing by Henry Mintzberg. The Mormon Way of Doing Business: How Nine Western Boys Reached the Top of Corporate America by Jeff Benedict. My Years with General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. The New Normal: Explore the Limits of the Digital World by Peter Hinssen. Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Company by Andrew S. Grove. Outliers: The Story of SuccessbyMalcolm Gladwell. The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion by John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. The Tom Peters Seminar: Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations by Tom Peters. GENERAL BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 36. 36 The Toyota Way: Fourteen Management Principles from the Worlds Greatest Manufacturer by Jeffrey K. Liker. The Toyota Way Fieldbook: A Practical Guide for Implementing Toyotas 4Ps by Jeffrey K. Liker and David Meier. Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump. Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits by Robert C. Townsend. What Management Is: How It Works and Why Its Everyones Business by Joan Magretta. What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation by Gary Hamel. What Poetry Brings to Business by Clare Morgan. What Would Google Do? Reverse-Engineering the Fastest Growing Company in the History of the World by Jeff Jarvis. Whats Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers. Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everythingby Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. Winning by Jack Welch. Work Quake by Paul Glover. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & TEAMS The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. Beyond HR: The New Science of Human Capital by John W. Boudreau and Peter M. Ramstad. The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance by Adraian Gostick and Chester Elton. The Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, and Richard W. Beatty. Employees Not Doing What You Expect: Find Out Why, Fix It, Prevent It in the Future, Turn Negative Situations Into Positive Relationships by Greg Schinkel and Irwin Schinkel. GENERAL BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 37. 37 Empowered: Unleash Your Employees, Energize Your Customers, and Transform Your Business by Josh Bernoff and Ted Schadler. Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni. More Lightning Less Thunder: How to Energize Innovation Teams by Bob Eckert and Jonathan Vehar. The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That IsntbyRobert I. Sutton. Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators by Patrick Lencioni. The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Workby Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employeesby Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald. Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results by Mike Rother and John Shook. INNOVATION, CREATIVITY & THINKING The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moments Notice by Todd Henry. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. The Fall of the Human Intellect by A. Parthasarathy. Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The Heretics Guide To Best Practices: The Reality of Managing Complex Problems in Organisations by Paul Culmsee. Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy and Innovation and Others Dont by Lynda Gratton. Imagine: How Creativity WorksbyJonah Lehrer. The Innovators Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen. Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask byMichael Marquardt. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & TEAMS CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 38. 38 Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire: A Roadmap to a Sustainable Culture of Ingenuity and Purpose by Braden Kelly. Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation by Robert Burgelman, Clayton Christensen, and Steven Wheelwright. Ten Faces of Innovation: Ideos Strategies for Beating the Devils Advocate & Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization by Tom Kelley. Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink. Weird Ideas That Work: How to Build a Creative Company by Robert I. Sutton. IT MANAGEMENT The Adventures of an IT Leader by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon ODonnell. Business in the Cloud: What Every Business Needs to Know About Cloud Computing byMichael H. Hugos and Derek Hulitzky. Dont Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane. The 11 Secrets of Highly Influential IT Leaders: The Critical Path to Accessing and Succeeding in the Executive Suite by Marc J. Schiller. IT Savvy: What Top Executives Must Know to Go From Pain to Gain by Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. The New CIO Leader: Setting the Agenda and Delivering Results by Marianne Broadbent and Ellen Kitzis. On Top of the Cloud: How CIOs Leverage New Technologies to Drive Change and Build Value Across the Enterprise byHunter Muller. Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World by Bruce Schneier. The Transformational CIO: Leadership and Innovation Strategies for IT Executives in a Rapidly Changing World by Hunter Muller. INNOVATION, CREATIVITY & THINKING CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 39. 39 LEADERSHIP Clear Leadership: Sustaining Real Collaboration and Partnership at Work by Gervase R. Bushe. Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values by Fred Kofman. Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney by Lee Cockerell. Creative Leadership: Skills that Drive Change by Gerard J. Puccio, Mary C. Murdock, and Marie Mance. EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches by Dave Ramsey. John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do by John P. Kotter. Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing UpbyJohn Baldoni. The Leaders Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Centuryby Stephen Denning. Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute. Leadership Brand: Developing Customer-Focused Leaders to Drive Performance and Build Lasting Value by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood. The Leadership Machine: Architecture to Develop Leaders for Any Future by Robert W. Eichinger and Michael M. Lombardo. Robert Bateman, Strategic Talent Solutions Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leadingby Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky. Leadership Secrets of Attila the HunbyWess Roberts. Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask byMichael Marquardt. Management of the Absurd: Paradoxes in Leadership by Richard Farson. Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead by Charlene Li. The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative ThinkingbyRoger Martin. Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen R. Covey. Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership byJoseph Jaworski. Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 40. 40 Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges by C. Otto Scharmer. The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence Through Leadership Development by Jeffrey K. Liker and Gary L. Convis. Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Hallee Fischer-Wright. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell. Visionary Leadership Skills: Creating a World to Which People Want to Belong by Robert B. Dilts. Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?: What It Takes to Be an Authentic Leader by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones. MANAGEMENT SKILLS & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Speaks towards individuality, drive, innovation, persistence and other qualities of successful humans and businesses. Becoming a Person of Influence by John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan. Born to Win: Transactional Analysis with Gestalt Experiments by Muriel James and Dorothy Jongeward. Conquering An Enemy Called Average by John Mason. Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are HighbyKerry Patterson,Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan,and Al Switzler Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together: A Pioneering Approach to Communication in Business and in Life by Bill Isaacs. The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life by Geshe Michael Roach. Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age by Maggie Jackson. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsbyDaniel H. Pink. LEADERSHIP CONTINUED Subjects Change Management Decision-Making, Problem- Solving & Analytics Economics & Finance Entrepreneurship & Careers General Business & Management Human Resource Management & Teams Innovation, Creativity & Thinking IT Management Leadership Management Skills & Personal Development Marketing & Sales Nonprofit Management Process, Product & Project Management Organization Design, Development & Culture Strategy & Planning 41. 41 Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. The Effective Executive: The