The World's Best Book Summaries
What makes someone a good mentor? Why shouldn’t you focus on making others happy? How can you build a strong legacy as a leader? John C. Maxwell writes that the hallmark of effective leadership in the modern era is not a leader’s personal achievements. Instead, it’s their ability to inspire others to grow and become leaders in their own right. Continue reading to learn how to develop leaders for a new generation.
How effectively does science predict human behavior? Does reason or irrationality account for the decisions people make? What’s the true secret of persuasion? Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life argues that contemporary economic and political theories are flawed. They hinge on reason as a predictor of human behavior, so any attempts to persuade people using reason are doomed to fail. Continue reading for an overview of this thought-provoking book that could cause you to change the way you and your business operate.
Do your team members feel like you understand and care about where they’re coming from? Are they comfortable sharing their own ideas, or do they feel pressure to conform? In Leadershift, John C. Maxwell discusses simple but significant management changes you can make to help your team operate at its highest level. Maxwell writes that leaders must: 1) understand instead of command, and 2) encourage diversity instead of uniformity. Read more to learn how to get the best out of your team by putting Maxwell’s principles to work.
What does Gallup’s employee engagement report mean for employers? How can employees overcome obstacles to engagement? According to Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace report, the average global employee engagement score is 23%. Employee engagement is crucial because it translates to productivity, synergy, and creativity, which in turn lead to an organization’s success. Here’s why employees are disengaged and what it means for companies.
Do you make a deliberate effort to improve as a leader, or do you just expect it to happen over time? Do you have moral authority in the eyes of your team? John Maxwell’s leadership principles have inspired and equipped thousands of leaders over the years. In his book Leadershift, he shares wisdom designed to help leaders break free from outdated notions and methods of leadership and thrive in today’s world. Read more to learn five principles that John Maxwell lays out in Leadershift.
Would you like to influence people more effectively? Have you found that reason and facts don’t always do the job? According to Rory Sutherland, we should harness unconscious logic if we want to persuade people and influence their behavior. His insights and advice are valuable for business leaders, marketers, policymakers, parents, and anyone who seeks to influence others. Keep reading to understand the power of unconscious logic and learn how to persuade others by tapping into it.
Do you want to prioritize the well-being of your employees? How can you create a more casual workplace? In his book Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard says that a core tenet of Patagonia’s business philosophy is prioritizing the well-being of its employees. Your business depends on your employees, so ensuring their happiness and safety is a recipe for success. Discover three employee well-being initiatives that you should utilize as a manager.
What’s Who by Geoff Smart and Randy Street about? What’s the ideal hiring plan? In Who, business executives Geoff Smart and Randy Street say that many companies struggle to succeed because they lack an effective hiring process. Smart and Street seek to solve this problem by sharing their own hiring process, which is designed to more accurately identify the best candidate. Read below for a brief Who book overview.
What interview rubric for hiring should you follow? What types of questions should you answer as an interviewer? The first step in the hiring process is creating a hiring rubric when a role opens. This rubric lists the role’s important responsibilities, as well as abilities and traits that can help the employee complete those responsibilities. Here’s how to fill out your interview rubric.
What motivates people in today’s workplace? Is your leadership style as effective as it can be? Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others by Stephen M. R. Covey says that it’s time for leaders to step up from traditional leadership to inspirational leadership to succeed in all areas of work and life. Covey explains why this is important and how to achieve it. Continue reading for our comprehensive Trust and Inspire book overview.