The most recommended on management style

Knowing yourself can be difficult, but essential for success as a founder. Instead of focusing on our weaknesses, Rath argues that we should double down on what makes us unique and he provides us with the tools to discover those strengths. We wear many hats as startup founders, so by understanding our own strengths, we can be more effective leaders and build a more balanced team.

It’s not easy to reduce complexity and drive simplification with your team or organization. 

To do so you need to become the best leader you can be. For many managers this means working on their deficiencies, bolstering their weaknesses, and trying as hard as possible to learn new behaviors. 

What Kaplan and Kaiser recommend in Fear Your Strengths however is not to focus first on weaknesses but rather to start development by becoming aware of strengths that you might be overdoing.

This is an incredibly simple, but counter-intuitive approach to leadership development.  In essence, it suggests that leaders often get into trouble by dialing up what they do well. For example, a manager who is good at strategy sometimes makes the strategy so complex that it becomes difficult for others to understand it or carry it out. 

Conversely a manager who is good at execution can sometimes get caught up… show more.

This book has more than stood the test of time.

Goleman played a key role in popularizing the notion of emotional intelligence. It’s a key skill for any executive but one I find is often misunderstood. Goleman makes a strong case that one’s emotional intelligence is rooted firmly in self-control and self-mastery. That is, you can’t really tune into others in a deep way unless you are in control of yourself and your emotions. I use this book often in my coaching, and it’s a revelation to many senior leaders and aspiring executives. 

I’ve had the good fortune to work with Noel to develop a leadership program for Boys & Girls Clubs leaders that is based largely on the content of The Cycle of Leadership.

Noel believes the most successful leaders are teachers. To succeed they need a teachable point of view about how the organization will succeed. The teachable point of view is shared relentlessly shared at every opportunity with all stakeholders. 

Part of this conversation is inviting feedback. Thus, the cycle, leaders teach, they receive feedback, and their teachable point of view evolves. One of my greatest learnings from this book was a deeper understanding of how the mission of an organization needs to be the basis for decisions and actions. This provided me with the courage and conviction to act.

One of the best-known business books of our time is Good To Great by Jim Collins. The book has sold millions of copies and is quoted in classrooms and workplaces all over the world all the time. But far fewer people know about Collin’s Good To Great and the Social Sector. It’s a critical work by one of the great business minds about the profound differences between for-profit and non-profit worlds. Every board member needs a copy.

Upon reflection, the most important part of my leadership career was when I first started to lead. This is when you either build habits that allow you to soar or engage in habits that lead you to crash and burn. 

This book is a fantastic opportunity to see various leadership options and create positive and successful habits you can demonstrate throughout your career. Whether you are a “Backpacker” who leads by seeing new possibilities, exploring new terrain, and acting wholeheartedly, or a “Pioneer” who leads by building new tools and structures, improvising, and working relentlessly, almost all of us will fall into one of the four models, two of which I have listed above. 

Any time I work with an individual who is a newer leader, this is a book I always recommend that they read.

This unfortunately titled book reflects my own philosophy and recommendations for managing software engineers. The title is unfortunate because there's nothing radical about the author's recommendations, at least not to me.

The focus is on providing compassionate candor to your staff, caring personally about them while directly challenging them in areas where they should improve. The first part of the book explains why you should take this approach, including its benefits. The second part provides clear and specific guidance on attaining those benefits.

Having been a manager and coach for over 25 years, I'm often asked what management book I recommend. Until now, my choices were too esoteric or too academic. Now, I recommend Radical Candor.

I discovered Liz Wiseman's book by accident and consider it to be one of my most influential references.

Wiseman writes about two distinct leadership styles: Diminishers, who unintentionally drain employees’ energy and intelligence, and Multipliers, who empower others to excel and engage. Reflecting on my career, the diminisher/multiplier distinction helped me make sense of the negative and positive behaviors of management.

The book can help you adopt multiplier behaviors that enable you to foster an environment where your employees feel challenged, trusted, and valued. What I also value is how Wiseman writes about practical techniques and shares a self-assessment, which can enable you to recognize your own limitations but then empower you to change how you lead.

I picked up this book because I heard Carter Cast on a podcast and was very impressed with what he had to say.

This book isn't just a career guide; it's a game-changer. It resonates with me deeply because it's not about following a generic path to success but about embracing your unique strengths and qualities.

I like his refreshing and funny way of presenting his take on career success. His stories and actionable advice resonate with me because he has learned from his own career, which is also my story.

Getting your dream job is only the first step. You want to start strong and deliver value to the organization as quickly as possible. That is where Michael Watkins’ book comes in handy. When I was the head of talent management for a Fortune 50 company, we gave a copy of this book to each newly hired executive.

This book outlines how to promote yourself and learn your new role faster. It helps you analyze your business situation and choose the right strategy to get things done. Finally, it shares how to build a winning team that delivers results. You want your boss, peers, and subordinates to feel good about you.  This book helps you achieve early wins, energize your team, and build your credibility.