There are literally hundreds of business and self-development books on the market at any one time, as well as a broad spectrum of journals and trade magazines. There is usually something of value to be found in most of them, but you have to be a prolific reader to find the best.
However in over 12 years of coaching I have found that the same titles come up again and again as the ones most of us have enjoyed and been able to take something away from and implement sucessfully. I have listed these below with my own short overview.
The problem is not that there is a shortage of good books and journals - it is that many of us simply do not have the time to read.
However, did you know that most of the best books, journals and newspapers are available in audio form for you to download and listen to while you travel - on your phone, ipod or MP3 player? In fact, many of them are available for free. Visit the Audio downloads page to find some of the best ones by clicking
here.
If you have come across a book or journal that you feel would be appreciated by your peers and colleagues, let me know the title and author or publisher and I will add it to the list. You can send an email to me by clicking
here.
Business books and Biographies that I recommend
All of the books in this list have been chosen because they are very readable and contain ideas or information that can easily be applied.
"Leading Change" by John P. Kotter - An absolute must for anyone involved with the delivery of change over the medium or long term. More of a practical manual than a theoretical book this provides a step-by-step process for the sucessful delivery of change in any organisation.
"The World is Flat" by Thomas L.Friedman - A very current and readable text that will enable anyone to talk intelligently about Globalisation and its impact on all of us in the 21st Century.
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R.Covey - This is a fundamental part of the toolkit of any professional in business today. One of the most valuable books I have ever read.
"How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie - One of the oldest but still one of the best, this book will help you develop your interpersonal and communications skills to a very high level.
"Human Dynamics" by Sandra Seagal and David Horne - A really helpful read for anyone needing to thrive in a complex and diverse organisation.
"The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni - The classic model for the development of a powerful team.
"The Leadership Crash Course" by Paul Taffinder - More of a toolkit than a book. An excellent resource for anyone finding themself in a leadership role for the first time.
"The whole brain business book" by Ned Herrmann - For those of you who have completed the HBDI profiling test with me this book contains valuable information that will help you better understand your profile. It also contains the the profiles of most major business roles for comparison.
"Beyond Strategic Vision - Effective Corporate Action with Hoshin Planning" by Michael Cowley and Ellen Domb - Hoshin Planning is the most widely-used tool for the creation and delivery of a Strategic Plan within the corporate sector. This book is an excellent toolkit if you wish to deploy Hoshin within your organisation.
"The Wisdom of Crowds - Why the many are smarter than the few" by James Surowiecki - A facinating insight into how you can harness the power of your human resource to find powerful solutions to complicated issues and problems.Martin Hoyle.