Looking for resources to help your managers and executives become better at what they do? Check out the top 10 books that Outback Team Building & Training’s leadership team recommends.
Being in a leadership position can often mean that you have to look outside of your company to find ways to continue to grow and develop. Not every business has mentors available, the time for training and development programs, or the budget to regularly bring in professional business coaches and consultants.
So, how else can managers hone their skills and better their understanding of what it means to be a great leader?
At Outback Team Building & Training, one of the top ways our team continues to learn and build on their skillsets is by reading books about growth and management. In this article, our leadership team – from Marketing Manager to President – share a few of their favorite reads.
Outback’s Top 10 Recommended Books on Leadership
From books that outline how to successfully scale your business, to ones about improving employee engagement and retention, find out what the Outback Team Building & Training leadership team recommends.
1. Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue & Profit in 3 Years or Less, by Cameron Herold
Recommended by: Murray Seward, President
What It’s About: Entrepreneurship, Growth & Development
Why Murray Recommends It:
“Cameron Herold’s Double Double introduced me to the concept of ‘Vivid Visioning.’ Creating a clear picture of what our company should look like in the future from various perspectives is so important to keep everyone on the same path.
2. The E-Myth Expert Series, by Michael E. Gerber
Recommended by: Murray Seward, President
What It’s About: Entrepreneurship, Growth & Development
Why Murray Recommends It:
“The E-Myth Revisited is one of the first business books that I ever read. Its emphasis on working ON your business, instead of always IN your business, is one of the best leadership lessons of all time.
3. Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss, by Beverly Kaye & Sharon Jordan-Evans
Recommended by: Olivia Jackson, HR Coordinator
What It’s About: Employee Engagement & Retention
Why Olivia Recommends It:
“It’s a really engaging read on how to approach ‘stay interviews’ from a place of curiosity in order to better understand what employees love, like, and dislike about their roles and the company as a whole.
4. Hit Refresh, by Satya Nadella
Recommended by: Bryan McWilliams, Senior Employee Engagement Consultant
What It’s About: Growth & Development
Why Bryan Recommends It:
“I like Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, because it has lots of great insights into how empathy is a strong leadership quality.
5. Lunch with Joe, by Peter Legge
Recommended by: Isla Robertson, Customer Support Manager
What It’s About: Growth & Development
Why Isla Recommends It:
“It’s an unusual book, as it captures stories of Joe Segal meeting with various guests over the years and what they learned from him, but I like it because Joe comes across as very down to earth. He would share his successes and failures, he kept it real for people, and he was a mentor without even knowing it.
6. Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm, by Verne Harnish
Recommended by: Murray Seward, President
What It’s About: Entrepreneurship, Growth & Development
Why Murray Recommends It:
“Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, along with the sequel Scaling Up – both by Verne Harnish – provide, in my opinion, the best blueprint for how to design and operate a company from a leadership perspective.
7. Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wiseman
Recommended by: Datis Mohsenipour, Marketing Manager
What It’s About: Growth & Development
Why Datis Recommends It:
“I’ve lived it – I reported to a ‘diminisher’ and dreaded every moment of my 9 to 5 schedule. My ideas were shot down, my curiosity was killed, and my independence never existed. I was a mechanical piece in a machine and my only job was to do as I was told. Multipliers gives you real-world examples of how to create an environment that fosters your team’s growth, as well as detailed instructions on how to avoid pitfalls that can lead to diminishing results from your team.
8. Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
Recommended by: Olivia Jackson, HR Coordinator
What It’s About: Growth & Development, Employee Engagement & Retention
Why Olivia Recommends It:
“A great read for personal, team, and cultural development. It provides a new way of thinking about productivity and results. In the past, many people regarded productivity as the number of hours spent in the office. However, the book suggests that a shift to viewing productivity as achieving results – sometimes through trials, errors, and other missteps – has actually proven to produce better results and higher levels of employee engagement.
9. The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier
Recommended by: Isla Robertson, Customer Support Manager
What It’s About: Growth & Development
Why Isla Recommends It:
“Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit encourages you to tell less and ask more. It challenges you to re-evaluate your feedback, suggesting that your advice may not be as good as you think it is.
10. Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life, by Kevin N. Lawrence
Recommended by: Murray Seward, President
What It’s About: Entrepreneurship, Growth & Development
Why Murray Recommends It:
“Kevin Lawrence’s Your Oxygen Mask First is brilliantly written by someone who works alongside high-performance leaders. It details the most common performance pitfalls entrepreneurs face, along with what to do about them.
How to Help Your Leadership Team Continue to Grow
Want to offer your leadership team more opportunity to grow and find success in their roles? Bring in a professional facilitator or leadership consultant to help your group hone their management skills, become better aligned, and make real, sustainable changes.
Get a free consultation to discuss which session would be right for your team.
