My favorite books on creating a people-first workplace culture

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about giving people the benefit of good intentions and my faith calls me to care and serve others. Today, I believe my purpose is to help inspire leaders to trust in the inherent good in people while caring and serving them in intentional ways that leads to high performance. I have been blessed immensely and want to give back to others so their journey can be one of significance. As former CEO of my company, I had no roadmap which made our journey even more difficult. Now, I have experienced the joy, the fulfillment, and the abundance of building a people-first culture.  Together we can make a difference for so many people.


I wrote...

Leading with Significance: How to Create a Magnetic, People-First Culture

By Joey Havens,

Book cover of Leading with Significance: How to Create a Magnetic, People-First Culture

What is my book about?

In Leading with Significance, Joey Havens breaks through the limiting barriers of common culture theory and shows, with great transparency, the real human emotions that elevate a culture to one that is genuine, enduring, and magnetic. Joey shares insights, failures, low points, lessons learned, and growth from his experience of helping lead the successful transformation of HORNE LLP’s good culture to a magnetic, people-first culture based on the Christian principles of caring and service. Whether you are inspired by exponential growth, the power of inclusion, or attracting and retaining outstanding people, this book will inspire you to choose a journey toward significance.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Infinite Game

Joey Havens Why did I love this book?

In The Infinite Game, Simon takes us to the root of why businesses make short-term choices versus long-term choices. 

He really peels back the distractions as he challenges leaders to choose the infinite game. Laying out the benefits both short-term and long-term for the infinite game, he passionately advocates for people before growth, people before profitability. 

He states growth is not a just cause! I could not agree more, and he supports his advocacy with examples. There is no finish line and Simon draws such a vivid picture of this. 

He correctly points out that a strong sense of belonging leads to high performance, higher standards, and a path towards full potential. A must read on business culture. 

By Simon Sinek,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Infinite Game as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The New York Times-bestselling author of Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, and Together Is Better offers a bold new approach to business strategy by asking one question: are you playing the finite game or the infinite game?

In The Infinite Game, Sinek applies game theory to explore how great businesses achieve long-lasting success. He finds that building long-term value and healthy, enduring growth - that playing the infinite game - is the only thing that matters to your business.


Book cover of The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business

Joey Havens Why did I love this book?

The Advantage was one of the first books that really caught my attention on how to grow a business for sustainability and long-term success. 

Patrick with his unique way of teaching shows us how we spend too much time on the smart side of business, like 90%. This includes financials, strategy, marketing, etc. However, on the people side, the hardest side to manage, we spend very little time because it is hard and complex.

He had me completely when he pointed out that in the future, your culture will be the only distinctive advantage you can have for the long term. People matter! 

By Patrick M. Lencioni,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Advantage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is a competitive advantage out there, arguably more powerful than any other. Is it superior strategy? Faster innovation? Smarter employees? No, New York Times best-selling author, Patrick Lencioni, argues that the seminal difference between successful companies and mediocre ones has little to do with what they know and how smart they are and more to do with how healthy they are. In this book, Lencioni brings together his vast experience and many of the themes cultivated in his other best-selling books and delivers a first: a cohesive and comprehensive exploration of the unique advantage organizational health provides. Simply put,…


Book cover of The Anticipatory Organization: Turn Disruption and Change into Opportunity and Advantage

Joey Havens Why did I love this book?

We are in an exponential world today and we grew up in an incremental world for businesses. 

Daniel not only helps us understand how to anticipate more of the future, he teaches us how to anticipate which is one of the most important skills for business leaders today. After reading his book, I also worked through his anticipatory leader course. 

By understanding the power of being anticipatory, I have used his techniques to lead our firm to bigger opportunities. In the future of work, anticipating what people will want and need, provides a distinctive advantage. 

By Daniel Burrus,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Anticipatory Organization as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Technology-driven change is accelerating at an exponential rate, but moving fast in the wrong direction will only get you into trouble faster! Reacting to problems and digital disruptions, no matter how agile you and your organization are, is no longer good enough. The Anticipatory Organization teaches you how to separate the Hard Trends that will happen, from the Soft Trends that might happen, allowing you to jump ahead with low risk and the confidence certainty can provide. Accelerate innovation and actively shape the future - before someone else does it for you! Digital transformation has divided us all into two…


Book cover of On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life

Joey Havens Why did I love this book?

We are in an exponential world today and we grew up in an incremental world for businesses.

Daniel not only helps us understand how to anticipate more of the future, he teaches us how to anticipate which is one of the most important skills for business leaders today. After reading his book, I also worked through his anticipatory leader course.

By understanding the power of being anticipatory, I have used his techniques to lead our firm to bigger opportunities. In the future of work, anticipating what people will want and need, provides a distinctive advantage.

By John O'Leary,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked On Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A rousing 7-step plan for living a life filled with hope and possibility from an inspirational speaker who survived a near-fatal fire at the age of nine and now runs a successful business inspiring people all around the world.
When John O'Leary was nine years old, he was almost killed in a devastating house fire. With burns on one hundred percent of his body, O'Leary mustered an almost unimaginable amount of inner strength just to survive the ordeal. The insights he gained through this experience and the heroes who stepped into his life to help him through the journey, his…


Book cover of Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last

Joey Havens Why did I love this book?

So many insights for leaders in one book and they are summarized one after one.

The power of connecting is stressed over and over. Diversity of teams tops the expertise of individuals. The power of investing in the soft edge (people). This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to lead others.

By Thomas J. Peters,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Excellence Dividend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brilliantly simple, actionable guidelines for success that any business leader can immediately implement. 

“Tom Peters' new book is a bundle of beautiful dynamite. While I've been a CEO for 30 years, I still learned much worth knowing from The Excellence Dividend.  You will too.”
—John C. Bogle, founder, Vanguard

For decades Tom Peters has been preaching the gospel of putting people first, and in today's rapidly changing business environment, this message is more important than ever. With his unparalleled expertise and inimitable charisma, Peters provides a roadmap for you and your organization to thrive amidst the tech tsunami, and he…


You might also like...

The Truth About Unringing Phones

By Lara Lillibridge,

Book cover of The Truth About Unringing Phones

Lara Lillibridge

New book alert!

What is my book about?

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.

Now that he is in his eighties, she contemplates her obligation to an absentee father. The Truth About Unringing Phones is an exploration of responsibility and culpability told in experimental and fragmented essays.

The Truth About Unringing Phones

By Lara Lillibridge,

What is this book about?

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket. Now that he is in his eighties, she contemplates her obligation to an absentee father.




The Truth About Unringing Phones: Essays on Yearning is an exploration of responsibility and culpability told in experimental and fragmented essays.


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in organizational change, organizational effectiveness, and communication?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about organizational change, organizational effectiveness, and communication.

Organizational Change Explore 44 books about organizational change
Organizational Effectiveness Explore 30 books about organizational effectiveness
Communication Explore 62 books about communication