8 Must-Read Books for New Managers

It’s that time of the year when we “wrap” our top choices of the past 12 months and plan our gift-giving for the holidays.

A coaching client of mine recently asked for book recommendations for new managers and leaders to pass on to his team of managers, so I thought now is a great time to share these books with you, too.

Are there other books I should include in this list? Share in the comments.

The Effective Manager by Mark Horstman , Kate Braun , and Sarah Horstman : I love this book for straight-forward advice and tools for how to ensure you accomplish what I consider the two basic requirements of all good leaders: accomplish your mission and take care of your people. The most recent version includes tips on managing remote employees.

The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo : Julie was a leader at Meta whom I greatly admire. Her book is the perfect gift for new managers in companies that don’t have a formal management training program. It’s actually a great handbook for any manager, for that matter.?

To The Top by Jenna Fisher : Leaders should read this book, not only to be inspired by how these successful women navigated their careers, but also to learn how to better support the vast pool of talented women in the corporate world and as a result, improve a team’s/company’s performance.

Just Work: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-Ass Culture of Inclusivity by Kim Scott : Kim gets two spots on my list; the first is Just Work, a guide for creating an inclusive and collaborative workplace. As a leader, I want a high-performing team that works together well, and Kim shares her own personal stories and tips for how to ensure people on your team feel welcomed and respected so they can do their best work.

The Four F’s of Leadership by BGEN Thomas Draude , USMC (Ret.): Disclaimer: as you may have guessed, this is my father and I helped him write this book. However, as evidenced in the powerful testimonials the book received from other great leaders, including former Secretary of Defense,General James Mattis, and former Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Charles Krulak, this book is a valuable resource and touches on topics not normally covered in leadership books.?

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg: As stated on the cover of this book, “Words and the way we think matters.” Leaders and managers must be able to effectively communicate and this book is one of the best guides to help improve the language we use.

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson , Joseph Grenny , Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler : Leaders need to be able to influence people up, down and across the hierarchy of a company, and Crucial Conversations offers powerful skills for mastering high-stakes conversations.

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott : I love 2x2 matrices and the cover of this book displays one as a simplified version of how leaders show up: how much do you personally care about the people you lead, and how directly do you communicate with them? This book helps leaders gravitate towards “radical candor”: caring about the people you lead and thus communicating with them clearly and directly, even when the conversations are difficult.