Thread by @shreyas

Book recos for new & aspiring managers, with emphasis on practical advice:

The Motive
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself
The Charisma Myth
Super Thinking
HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People
The Practicing Stoic
The Advantage

More👇🏾

While no list can capture all the good stuff that’s out there, these recommendations are for busy people who don’t have the time to read 50 books in a year, but simultaneously want to *authentically* grow their management skills and maturity.

Why did I include “authentically” in the previous sentence?

This list is for people who don’t just want to check some boxes to “look” right for the job, rather they want to “be” right for the job.

They’re roughly ordered based on the stage of your management journey:

Preparing to get the job (first 3) → Doing the job well and leveling up your management skills (middle 3) → Transcending your impact as a manager (last 2)

(though you can read them in any order really)

One-line summary of each book and links 👇🏾

1. The Motive — Patrick M. Lencioni

Make sure you understand what “management” truly is: view it as an opportunity to serve your team and your company, not as a reward for a job well done

amazon.com/Motive-Leaders…

2. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There — Marshall Goldsmith

A real kick in the butt to identify & fix the behavioral quirks that are holding you back, with concrete examples and actions you can take

amazon.com/What-Got-Here-…

3. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself

Includes classic articles such as “How Will You Measure Your Life”, “Managing Oneself”, and “Who’s Got the Monkey”

amazon.com/Harvard-Busine…

4. The Charisma Myth — Olivia Fox Cabane

A book that’s about much more than “charisma” (in the traditional sense of the word): how to make an impact, how to influence, how to inspire, by being present and authentic

amazon.com/Charisma-Myth-…

5. Super Thinking — Gabriel Weinberg & Lauren McCann

A well-written compendium of mental models that will help you make better decisions and coach others on critical thinking and decision-making

amazon.com/Super-Thinking…

6. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People

Includes classic articles such as “Leadership That Gets Results” and “What Great Managers Do”

amazon.com/Managing-featu…

7. The Practicing Stoic — Ward Farnsworth

An accessible and comprehensive summary of the Stoic principles that, in my opinion, managers should adopt in order to be truly empathetic, low-ego, servant leaders

amazon.com/Practicing-Sto…

8. The Advantage — Patrick M. Lencioni

A compelling case and recipe for improving organizational health, relevant because great managers not only make their teams better but they also leave the larger organization better than they found it

amazon.com/Advantage-Orga…

In creating this list, I’ve biased towards books with a high signal-to-noise ratio that you can read in a given week and start applying what you learned the following Monday morning.

I’ve intentionally not included biographies and autobiographies (lower signal-to-noise, but of course, can be gripping & entertaining, so defi good to read if that’s the style you prefer).

Also haven’t included books with very indirect lessons (e.g. the likes of The Art of War).

What other great books did I miss?