11 Leadership Classics to Read Now
Instead of typical beachside reading this summer,
expand your mind with something more meaningful.
Whether you’re a CEO, solopreneur or cubicle dweller,
you’ll find these books instructive and inspiring.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale
Carnegie, first published in 1936 and revised with updated anecdotes in 1981,
has sold some 15 million copies worldwide. The book offers commonsense insights
and tips on winning people to your way of thinking without making them feel
mowed down, as well as increasing your influence and ability to get things
done, handling complaints, becoming a better speaker, and inspiring enthusiasm
among associates. “When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing
with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures
bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity,” Carnegie writes.
Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning
Organization by John Wooden and Steve Jamison, published in 2005, focuses on
getting maximum effort and peak performance from each team member in
accomplishing a common goal. The legendary UCLA basketball coach, who led teams
to 10 national titles, outlines mental, emotional and physical qualities
essential to building a winning organization, and includes his Pyramid of
Success for leadership, which can be applied to all aspects of life. Without
emphasizing winning, Wooden stresses the importance of preparation, following
processes and doing your best at every moment. “Success is peace of mind, which
is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become
the best that you are capable of becoming,” he writes.
The Art of War, an ancient Chinese military treatise,
has influenced Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics and
legal strategies. Military leaders ranging from Mao Zedong to Gen. Douglas
MacArthur have cited the work, which has been attributed to Sun Tzu, a
high-ranking general, strategist and tactician. First translated into French in
1772 by a Jesuit missionary and into English in 1910, the book contains 13
sections pertaining to different aspects of battle strategy. But you don’t have
to wage war to find valuable insights and quotes. “The greatest victory is that
which requires no battle.”
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and
Purpose by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, published in 2010, chronicles his early life
and influences, entrepreneurship and personal growth. Hsieh writes about the
importance of a company’s culture and how to nurture it as a means of
empowering employees and providing them with a sense of purpose and
fulfillment, which ultimately translates into a commitment to service (i.e.,
happy employees equal happy customers). Details about how Zappos developed its
core values—incorporating input from employees—are helpful to anyone seeking to
build an effective, team-oriented organization.
Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without
Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz, with Joanne Gordon, published in 2011,
details the tumultuous period starting in 2008 when Schultz returned to his
position as CEO, after stepping away from daily oversight to serve as president
and chairman. Schultz describes the challenges of returning the company to
profitability and its core values, which included closing stores permanently
and shuttering the entire business for a day for retraining, while consistently
communicating with employees to engage them in the effort.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And
Others Don't by Jim Collins, published in 2001, concluded an exhaustive
five-year research project on all Fortune 500 companies and identifying only 11
that achieved long-term great results. Collins and a team of researchers identified
common characteristics necessary to make the leap from good to great. Some
findings were surprising; for instance, the most effective leaders were humble
and strong-willed rather than outgoing. “Greatness is not a function of
circumstance,” Collins writes. “Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of
conscious choice.”
The One Minute Manager, by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D.,
and Spencer Johnson, M.D., (William Morrow & Co., 2003), has sold some 13
million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1981, and offers
basics in organizational management. The book focuses on three techniques used
by the effective manager: one-minute goal-setting to clearly articulate what’s
expected of employees, one-minute praisings to compliment employees on what
they’re doing right, and one-minute reprimands to promptly point out mistakes
and specifically explain what was done wrong.
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and
People Will Follow You, by John C. Maxwell (Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007),
provides insights learned from his decades of successes and mistakes, and
includes observations related to business, politics, sports, religion and
military conflict.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable,
by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, 2002), reveals how a lack of teamwork often
causes the best teams to fail, regardless of the dedication of their individual
members. The best-seller provides strategies for identifying the root causes of
politics and dysfunction and ways to overcome them to create a cohesive,
results-focused unit.
Developing the Leader Within You, by John C. Maxwell
(Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2000), illustrates how to develop the vision, values,
influence and motivation required of successful leaders, and examines the
differences between leadership styles. Maxwell’s passion for developing
exceptional leaders is evident in this international best-seller.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful
Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey (Simon & Schuster, 2013), has
sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, and offers insights on achieving
personal and professional success, and on living with integrity, honesty and
dignity. Covey’s groundbreaking book has influenced presidents, CEOs, educators
and others.
Posted By : Kantor Akuntan Publik Kuncara
KKSP Jakarta
2017
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