5 Must-Read Books For Any Manager Who Wants To Lead Successfully
Management comes down to two primary skills.
The first is executing the vision, mission, values, and strategy of a company playbook.
The second is leading, coaching and managing a team.
I was reading Rand Fishkin’s book, “Lost and Founder” and he made an excellent point.
Not all individual contributors (ICs) are cut out to manage, and that’s okay. They still need a career path!
Management is unique. You have to have people skills!
Managers don’t always need experience in a given role. What they need is a skill to learn, coach, and manage.
If you’ve found yourself in a management seat, this is for you.
Here are my top 5 books every manager must read, starting today.
4 Disciplines of Execution
Authors: Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling
This book is foundational to learning how to set company goals and execute on them.
You can even implement this on your team. It doesn’t need to be for an entire company.
The four disciplines are:
1. Focus on the wildly important
2. Act on the lead measures
3. Keep a compelling scoreboard
4. Create a cadence of accountability
How To Become A Great Boss
Author: Jeffrey J. Fox
This book is a quick slap in the head. A friendly slap!
The chapters are short and actionable. It’s a quick reminder of critical things great bosses do, and so should you.
“Great companies and great bosses are constantly training, teaching, improving, and growing their employees. You must groom people for new challenges. You must groom people to do more, to do the job better, to support you, to succeed you. If you can’t groom ’em, broom ’em. If an employee can’t or won’t generate a positive return on all the investments made in the employee, then the employee must go.”
Warren Buffett’s Management Secrets
Author: Mary Buffett
I’m sure the name is no surprise.
Did you know, Warren Buffet only meets with his CEOs, once a year?
Why?
Because he knows he’s hired the best and the decisions they make will be in the best interest of the firm and shareholders.
He’s a brilliant business mind and with that, heed his advice on managing.
The Coaching Habit
Author: Michael_BungayStanier
To be a great manager, you must be a great coach.
If you play sports, you know what I mean.
You don’t start off playing in the championships. Your skills are developed over time.
You do this because of your dedication and determination and with a great coach to help guide you.
Don’t let your team enter the game without being adequately coached.
“When you build a coaching habit, you can more easily break out of three vicious circles that plague our workplaces: creating over-dependence, getting overwhelmed and becoming disconnected.”
The Five Dysfunction Of A Team
Author: Patrick Lencioni
I’ve read ALL of Patrick Lencioni’s books. They’re amazing.
I recommend buying the audiobook first. Then go back through the last part of the actual book.
Usually, the first half is narrative and paints a clear picture of the points he’s trying to make.
He’s a brilliant writer.
In this book, he really sets the course for team dysfunction and ways to overcome them.
The five dysfunctions are:
1. Absence of trust.
2. Fear of conflict
3. Lack of commitment
3. Avoidance of accountability
4. Inattention to results
This book pairs really well with “The 4 Disciplines of Execution.”
“Unfortunately, conflict is considered taboo in many situations, especially at work. And the higher you go up the management chain, the more you find people spending inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to avoid the kind of passionate debates that are essential to any great team.”
I recommend reading them in this order as most managers have a tough time leading by the numbers and keeping their team accountable.
Then, the following books will set the stage for refining your management skill and by the end, being one kickass manager and coach.
Your wings,
