10 Must-Read Books About Employee Management: Insights from the Pros
If you’re looking for insights about employee management, you’ll want to read the 10 books on this list. Written by some of the top professionals in the field, these books will teach you everything from hiring the best employees to dealing with difficult ones.
So if you’re ready to take your employee management skills up a notch, then be sure to check out these 10 must-read books!
“People are your most valuable asset, and managing their end-to-end work experience is key to organizational success.” Deloitte.
The Book Titled #1:
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
By Kerry Patterson.
The book is about holding productive conversations when emotions run high, and stakes are high.
It teaches readers how to manage difficult conversations by preparing for them, understanding their own feelings and the emotions of the other person involved, and ensuring the conversation leads to a productive outcome.
One of the book’s main points is that it’s essential to maintain a positive outlook when trying to have difficult conversations.
This means avoiding assumptions, staying open-minded, and preparing for possible outcomes.
Patterson also recommends using a “tough love” approach when necessary, which can help get the other person to see your point of view.
If you’re looking for a book that will give you insights into managing difficult conversations, this is the one for you. It’s full of helpful tips and advice that can make a big difference in your ability to communicate effectively with others.
The Book Titled #2:
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: An Illustrated Leadership Fable
By Patrick Lencioni.
This book is about the importance of having a cohesive team to succeed. It highlights the five dysfunctions that can prevent a team from being successful:
- Absence of trust
- Fear of conflict
- Lack of commitment
- Avoidance of accountability
- Inattention to results
Lencioni provides readers with an engaging story that illustrates how these dysfunctions can play out in real life and offers practical advice for overcoming them.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team analyzes why teams often underperform and function improperly. Author Patrick Lencioni describes the five most common team dysfunctions and provides ways to eliminate them.
The ways to solve problems presented here are as simple as they are groundbreaking. They apply to all companies and can be put into practice immediately.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about building and leading successful teams.
The Book Titled #3:
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
By Michael Bungay Stanier
The book will teach you how to improve your employee management skills. It would be best if you read The Coaching Habit. In this book, Michael Bungay Stanier offers several tips and tricks for becoming a better coach. He provides insights into how to ask the right questions and how to make the most of your coaching sessions.
Coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less complicated and have more impact.
The author unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how you can develop coaching methods that produce outstanding results by saying less and asking more.
The book combines insider information with neuroscience and behavioral economics research and interactive training tools to turn practical advice into practiced habits. It takes courage to ask a question rather than offer advice, provide an answer, or unleash a solution.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to improve their employee management skills.
The Book Titled #4:
The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
By Clayton M. Christensen.
This book is about the importance of innovation in business. It highlights how even the most successful companies can fail if they don’t embrace new technologies and change with the times.
Christensen provides readers with a detailed case study of how this happened to the disk drive industry and offers insights into how other companies can avoid making the same mistakes.
The book gives you a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation. Fast Company named one of the most influential leadership books in its Leadership Hall of Fame. Author Clayton M. Christensen’s work underpins today’s most innovative leaders and organizations.
The author explains why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation and when to abandon traditional business practices. His work is cited by the world’s best-known thought leaders, from Steve Jobs to Malcolm Gladwell.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about innovation and its role in business.
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The Book Titled #5:
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People
By Gary Chapman and Paul White
This book is great to read if you’re looking for a way to encourage your employees and make them feel appreciated. Gary Chapman and Paul White explore the different ways that people feel appreciated and offer advice on how to use this information to empower your team.
The assessment identifies a person’s preferred languages of appreciation to help you apply the book. When supervisors and colleagues understand their coworkers’ primary and secondary languages and the specific actions they desire, they can effectively communicate authentic appreciation.
This book has proven to be effective and valuable in diverse settings. It has helped businesses, non-profits, hospitals, schools, government agencies, and organizations with remote workers.
This book is packed with information and will help any organization that wants to improve its employee management skills.
The Book Titled #6:
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
By Tony Hsieh.
This book discusses creating a company culture that supports happiness and customer satisfaction. Hsieh provides readers with an inside look at how he built Zappos into a billion-dollar company by focusing on delivering joy to employees and customers.
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shows how a different corporate culture can make a huge difference in achieving remarkable results. Pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quit, and customer service is the responsibility of the entire company-not, just a department.
Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business. Delivering happiness is the #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller and a bestseller in trade paperback. Amazon acquired Zappo in a deal valued at $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about creating a positive company culture.
The Book Titled #7:
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
by William N. Thorndike Jr.
This book is about eight unconventional CEOs who have been successful despite not following the conventional wisdom. Thorndike provides readers with an in-depth look at each CEO’s unique approach to business and what sets them apart from their peers.
It’s time to redefine the CEO’s success story. Meet eight iconoclastic leaders who helmed firms where returns on average outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 20 times.
Author Will Thorndike explores the importance of thoughtful capital allocation through the stories of eight successful CEOs. The investment of $10K from each of these CEOs, on average, would have been worth over $1.5 million twenty-five years later. The Outsiders is a refreshing, counterintuitive book.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn from some of the most successful business leaders. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about business or leadership.
The Book Titled #8:
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth
By Amy C. Edmondson
The Fearless Organization is a book about creating a psychologically safe workplace. The author, Amy C. Edmondson, is a professor at Harvard Business School. In the book, she discusses how psychological safety is key for learning, innovation, and growth in the workplace.
She provides case studies and research to support her claims and offers tips on creating a psychologically safe environment.
The book offers practical guidance for teams and organizations serious about success in the modern economy. People must be allowed to voice their thoughts, ask questions from the left field, and brainstorm out loud.
Success requires continuous new ideas, challenges, and critical thought, and the interpersonal climate must not suppress, silence, ridicule, or intimidate. The book explores this culture of psychological safety and provides a blueprint for bringing it to life.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to create a more productive and positive work environment.
The Book Titled #9:
The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company
By Steve Blank and Bob Dorf.
This book is a comprehensive guide to starting and running a successful startup. It covers everything from creating a business plan, marketing your product, and scaling your company. Blank and Dorf provide readers with a step-by-step guide to building and launching a successful startup.
This book will guide you on starting your own business or working in the startup world.
The Startup Owner’s Manual is an excellent resource for anyone interested in starting their own business. Blank and Dorf provide a comprehensive overview of what it takes to launch a successful startup.
They cover everything from creating a business plan, marketing your product, and scaling your company.
The 608-page how-to guide includes graphs and diagrams, plus 77 valuable checklists that guide you as you drive your company toward profitability.
Hundreds of startup teams follow the process outlined in this book each year. The method was created by renowned Silicon Valley startup expert Steve Blank, co-creator with Eric Ries of the Lean Startup movement.
It’s taught at Berkeley, Columbia, Stanford, and more than 100 other leading universities worldwide.
The book is for anyone interested in starting their own business or working in the startup world. We highly recommend it to anyone seeking guidance on starting and growing a successful business.
The Book Titled #10:
The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People
By Kevin Leman and William Pentak
The Way of the Shepherd is a great book for those looking to manage their employees more productively. The book offers seven secrets to managing people, including understanding God-given gifts, providing clear direction, and establishing a healthy work environment.
Managers who read this book can create a more productive work environment for their employees.
Dr. Kevin Leman’s inspirational book borrows the ancient secrets of the shepherd to uncover a fresh perspective on the art of leadership and management.
The book points you beyond dated trends and out-of-touch management techniques to the strategies that will make you a truly outstanding leader. This book uncovers true best practices for engaging and igniting your workforce by getting to know your team, one person at a time, and communicating your values and your mission.
The book helps you better understand your employees and provide clear direction, so The Way of the Shepherd is a must-read.
This book is perfect for those who want to create a healthy work environment for their employees. With seven secrets to managing people, this book is a helpful guide for any manager.
These are just 10 of the many great books that are available on the topic of employee management. If you’re looking for more insights from the pros, check out these 10 must-read books. You won’t be disappointed!
Conclusion
You may be an expert at managing your own time and resources, but what about when it comes to managing other people?
Whether you’re a new manager or have been in the role for years, these books will give you invaluable insights into managing employees.
We’ve covered you, from understanding different personalities to setting clear expectations and dealing with difficult conversations.
So add these titles to your reading list – your team will thank you! Have you read any of these books on employee management? What were your thoughts?
