Four Business Books To Read In 2017

To find the best business, communications and leadership books to add to my "to read" list for 2017, I reached out to some of the best experts in the field. Individuals I admire and respect.

Here is what they read this year and recommend adding to your 2017 "to read" list:

Paul Smith

Organizational Storytelling Speaker, Trainer/Coach, Author

The Elegant Pitch: Create a Compelling Recommendation, Build BroadSupport, and Get It Approved, by Mike Figliuolo.

"As a storytelling trainer and consultant, I’m constantly asked by companies to help their managers 'tell a better story.' When I dig in to find out what the issues and needs are, about half the time I conclude that it’s not actually storytelling that they need. What they need is the ability to craft a simpler, more logical, and more compelling argument that they can deliver in a presentation or in a memo. The Elegant Pitch teaches that and does it well," says Paul.

Web: www.LeadWithAStory.com

Twitter: @LeadWithAStory

Paul’s books:

Lead with a Story (Amazon #1 Bestseller in Business Communication)

Sell with a Story (Amazon #1 Bestseller in Sales and Selling)

Parenting with a Story

Debbie Laskey

Expert in Brand Marketing, Social Media, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development and Customer Service Marketing

Leading the Unleadable – How to Manage Mavericks, Cynics, Divas, andOther Difficult People, by Alan Willett.

"There are so many how-to lead books on the market that it’s almost impossible to siphon out quality from the imposters, but Willett’s book stands apart as a must-read. Here’s the main theme of the book: While many people are destined to become leaders, how many actually create cultures of excellence where others aim to become leaders? As Willett explained, 'It is your job to provide each person you lead with inspiration, guidance, discipline, correction, training, and most of all, the opportunity to make mistakes and to excel.' Want to learn more? Visit www.leadtheunleadable.com," explains Debbie.

Debbie has served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition since 2002, and has been recognized as one of the "Top 100 Branding Experts."

Web: www.debbielaskey.blogspot.com

Twitter: @DebbieLaskeyMBA

Nathan Magnuson

Leadership Consultant, Coach, Speaker, Thought Leader

Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

"I loved the gripping military stories but also the business tie-ins. The key message is that leaders can't lead until they accept the responsibilities that come with the job. I'd recommend this book to anyone faced with a critical job or project that will require 100% commitment," says Nathan.

Web: www.nathanmagnuson.com

Twitter: @NathanMagnuson

Nathan’s e-book: Trusted Leadership Advisor

David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA

Communications and Leadership Speaker, Consultant, Author

"This year, I re-read Lencioni's classic, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," says David.

"Trust continues to be one of the fundamental issues organizations, teams, and leaders face. His elegant model and its components have stood the test of time, and are even more relevant today as leaders often work to build high-performing teams without addressing the most fundamental building block - vulnerability-based trust."

David is Founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, an award-winning Chicago-based communications consultancy focused on organizational consulting, strategic leadership development and internal communications.

Web: www.yourthoughtpartner.com

Twitter: @Thoughtpartner

David’s e-books include:
The Mistakes CEOs Can’t Help But Make and the Fixes They Can’t Afford Not to Make
The Definitive Guide to Taming the Email Monster.

Comments

Flashback: Best New Leadership Book Of 2014

Flashback to this post from early 2015 : After reading nearly 40 books about leadership released this year, my pick for the very best new leadership book of 2014 is, The Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up , by Chris Van Gorder . This book is my top choice because it : Covers the issues most important to today's workplace leaders Provides "real-world" and practical everyday steps you can take Gives you specific techniques and tactics Tells powerful, life-experience stories Capsulizes "Take Action" to do’s for you at the end of each chapter Reveals how to create a culture of accountability that creates a high-performing organization with a competitive advantage And, most important, because the entire premise of the book is: People come first! Today, Van Gorder is the President and CEO at Scripps Health , one of America’s foremost health systems with 14,000 employees and 2,600 affiliated physicians...

How to Be a Leader – 9 Principles from Dale Carnegie

Today, I welcome thought-leader Nathan Magnuson as guest blogger... Nathan writes : This is it, your first day in a formal leadership role. You’ve worked hard as an individual contributor at one or possibly several organizations. Now management has finally seen fit to promote you into a position as one of their own: a supervisor. You don’t care if your new team is only one person or ten, you’re just excited that now – finally – you will be in charge! Unfortunately the euphoria is short-lived. Almost immediately, you are not only overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a team, but you quickly find that your team members are not as experienced or adroit as you. Some aren’t even as committed. You find yourself having to repeat yourself, send their work back for corrections, and staying late to fill the gap. If something doesn’t change soon, you might just run yourself into the ground. How did something that looked so easy ...

How To Give Praise To An Employee

Years ago, Entrepreneur magazine offered these timeless and valuable tips on how to give praise : Praise followed by criticism is not praise. Praise followed by praise is probably a little too much praise. Ending an expression of praise with "...and stuff" nullifies the praise. And, Make it timely. The closer the recognition is to the behavior, the more likely the behavior will be repeated. Be sincere. Be impromptu. Remember, a handwritten note is worth more than a gift card. Having trouble writing your handwritten note of praise? Try this template to get you started : _______, I couldn't be more impressed with how you______. Not only did you____, but also you_______. Beautiful. Thanks, ________

Leadership Lessons From A Serial Entrepreneur

Brad Jacobs’ new book provides you a treasure trove of leadership lessons from a man with more than four decades of CEO and serial entrepreneur experience. So, even if you don’t envision yourself wanting to earn a billion dollars, don’t pass up reading Jacob’s, How To Make A Few Billion Dollars . In the book, Jacobs defines the mindset that drives his remarkable success in corporate America – and distills a lifetime of business brilliance into a tactical road map. And he shares his techniques for: Turning a healthy fear of failure to your advantage. Building an outrageously talented team. Catalyzing electric meetings. Transforming a company into a superorganism that beats the competition. “This book is about what I’ve learned from my blunders, and how you can replicate our successes,” says Jacobs. He shares his candid account of the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Jacobs has founded seven billion-dollar or multibillion-dollar businesse...

How To Make Smarter Decisions In The Age Of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to improve worker productivity with the potential to automate activities accounting for a large share of our workday . Organizations are increasingly relying on AI technology for everything from simple, everyday tasks to complex decision-making. “Yet, most of us are using AI ineffectively, allowing it to lead us rather than the other way around,” says Cheryl Strauss Einhorn , author of the new book, The Human Edge: Smarter Decisions In The Age Of AI . The book is an essential, empowering, and timely guide for professionals, leaders, and teams who want to make better, more confident choices when using AI systems. It offers practical tools to help frame problems and surface solutions, using AI to augment—not replace—your judgment. More specifically, Einhorn provides a step-by-step guide for AI-supported decision-making techniques, such as: Breadth to Depth: Knowing when and ...

How To Become More Courageous

“Fear creates the gap between who you are and who you can be. Courage closes it,” explains Margie Warrell, PhD , author of the book, The Courage Gap: 5 Steps To Braver Action . “To clarify, closing your courage gap is not about 'de-risking' your life or sheltering from problems—natural and human created. Rather, it is about bringing the bravest version of yourself to every situation,” adds Dr. Warrell. That includes actively taking on rough problems, doing what is unpopular, facing storms head-on, and maybe even reshaping the broader landscape in the process. Dr. Warrell empowers us to recognize that courage is a learnable skill accessible to everyone, regardless of how risk-averse, timid, or defensive we may be. Additionally, for leaders , The Courage Gap provides a guide to operationalize and scale the courage mindset across your team and organization to deepen trust, dismantle silos, foster innovation, accelerate learning, and unleash collective courage toward a ...

How To Uncover Your Blindspots To Become A Better Leader

What you don't see about yourself can hold you back as a leader. That's typical for many leaders. What we don't see is what we can't see: we have blindspots . Your blindspots prevent you from achieving your greatest success. “It turns out that we're often not great judges of ourselves, even when we think we are. Sometimes we're simply unaware of a behavior or trait that's causing problems,” explains Martin Dubin , author of the new book, Blindspotting: How To See What’s Holding You Back As A Leader . “Bottom line: until we uncover these blindspots, we can't move forward. The good news is that you can learn to do your own blindspotting .” “Most of us understand the idea of blindspots in a general sense—areas we can’t see, to take the term most literally, or places we have gaps that we may not even realize, to be a little more abstract,” says Dubin. “But in the context of this book, I’m defining blindspots quite specifically: They are...

What's The Future Of Business By Brian Solis

Incredibly relevant. Highly visual. Timely. Enlightening. Instructive. Scary. These are all words I use to describe Brian Solis' new book, What's The Future (WTF) Of Business -- Changing The Way Businesses Create Experiences . You can likely already imagine that I consider this a must-read book for any business owner and any leader -- even leaders who manage businesses that don't directly connect with consumers. WTF is incredibly relevant and timely because Solis explores the non-stop transformation happening in business today, driven by new social and mobile technologies. The book is highly visual because it's the quality of a coffee-table style book, packed with compelling graphics, bright colors and a design that makes for easy reading -- all delivered on top-notch paper. And, it's enlightening and instructive , because the book delivers real-world examples that can guide you as you shape your business. Plus, WTF is scary . ...

Ridiculously Practical Leadership By Nathan Magnuson

What I like most about Nathan Magnuson ’s leadership books is how immediately actionable and practical his teachings are. His latest book, Ridiculously Practical Leadership: The One-Step Approach To Immediate High Performance , is a perfect example. There is no fluff, no theory, just straight-up practical application covering 20 skill topics ranging from decision-making to difficult conversations to giving feedback to leading change and servant leadership . “For twenty years I’ve studied leadership development. I’ve had a front row seat to many incredible leaders and others who meant well but got stuck in the all-too-familiar rut of too-long training classes emphasizing theory over application with little to show for the investment,” says Magnuson. That’s why I wrote Ridiculously Practical Leadership . So, if you’re looking for an approach to leadership development that CEOs, CFOs and CHROs can all support and team leaders can't live without, this...

10 Quotes From The 5 Levels Of Leadership -- John C. Maxwell

Soon I'll post my full review of John C. Maxwell's latest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership . In the meantime, here are some of my favorites quotes from the book that I believe should become a must-read book by any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust. The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes. In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter. In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catal...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog