Leadership books were masterfully written by those who questioned the management model of their time. These masterpieces were written by those who passed through these troubles like you – until the glory comes. Taking courage is important to counter the corporate rules, such as dress code or relationship with coworkers. You will see that leadership may be learned, it is not only innate. We listed 6 books to you to improve professionally and, hopefully, get to be a memorable leader.
1. The Innovator’s Dilemma
Clayton Christensen
Unlike most business books, “The Innovator’s Dilemma” is about failure. Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen takes a look at why large successful companies with seemingly talented CEOs regularly falter or, worse, go bust. Christensen’s take is that in business success does not breed success. In fact, it’s the opposite. Large dominant companies often are blind to emerging technologies or changing market trends that will make their once-innovative products obsolete. The lesson: adapt early and often, even if it costs you profits today. Click to buy
2. The 4-hour Workweek
Timothy Ferriss
Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint. Click to buy
3. Delivering happiness
Tony Hsieh
Now in trade paperback, the hip, iconoclastic CEO of Zappos shows how a different kind of corporate culture can make a huge difference in achieving remarkable results – by actually creating a company culture that values happiness –and then delivers on it. Help employees grow-both personally and professionally, seek to change the world and make money too. Click to buy
4. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
Peter Senge
Senge, who founded the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, developed five essential disciplines of a true “learning organization”, which is one that continually improves (and stays competitive) by helping its members learn. The first four disciplines focus on developing individual focus, building a shared vision, and communicating as a team. But the heart of the book is the Fifth Discipline, called “systems thinking”, which involves analyzing the organization’s complex system of relationships and removing obstacles to true learning. Click to buy
5. The Essential Drucker
Peter Drucker
It is a potent 26-piece collection selected by Drucker himself in 2001. Over a career that spanned nearly 60 years, Peter Drucker single-handedly invented the field of Management Theory. For most of the last half of the 20th century, he was the superstar CEO’s go-to guru, counseling everyone from Alfred Sloan, former president of General Motors, to Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel. Just one example: he was talking about the rise and importance of “knowledge workers” in the 1970s, when the phrase was a good two decades from common speech. Click to buy
6. First, break all the rules
Marcus Buckingham e Curt Coffman
First, “Break All the Rules” encourages managers to personalize and break away from traditional, one-size-fits-all leadership techniques. Gallup consultants Buckingham and Coffman pull responses from more than 80,000 interviews to determine that the best managers are “revolutionaries” who cast the right people for the right roles — and leave them to do their best work. Some takeaways: treat employees like individuals, set specific outcomes, but not the process, and focus on employee strengths instead of calling out weaknesses. Click to buy
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