Top 3 Leadership Books for 2023

Every year I try and suggest some of the best books for our young and upcoming leaders and those friends who are already into reading, e.g., the articles published in previous years were: 5 timeless books for the Young Aspiring Business Professionals, Your 5 must read books this summer, 5 engaging books for emerging leaders and Why successful professionals read? In fact Nothing can fuel our curiosity and imagination like reading. These skills can help employees perform and communicate better at work. The more we read, the more knowledgeable we become and the subject reflects our career. For a well-read employee, knowledge comes in handy even in the most critical time of business.

In fact, most successful people don't just read for pleasure—they read to learn. Reading is a boosting factor for employees' self-confidence and cognitive abilities. It allows employees to embrace new perspectives and look into problems from different angles. Reading, as most successful people tell us, is a gateway to new possibilities and learnings. The mind can perform miracles and be conditioned for excellence. 

Check out these books for new wisdom on leading difficult conversations, navigating tough times, and creating better futures. Let’s dive in straight:

1. Can We Talk?

“Can We Talk”? includes examples and advice from those who have been there and thrived, as well as lessons learned from conversation failures and example scripts of productive conversations. Readers will learn how to prepare, start and manage the potentially challenging exchange of words that typically occur at work, and come away with an understanding that for any conversation to take place, both parties must be engaged.

This book offers practical advice for team leaders to navigate difficult conversations in the workplace. Lead Contributor Roberta Matuson predicts that “given how unstable the economy seems to be, which is impacting workplaces near and far, managers are going to have some really tough conversations on their plate in the coming year.” Strengthening your organisation’s ability to have these conversations is necessary and worth the discomfort.

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2. The Transformation Myth Leading Your Organization through Uncertain Times

These four authors, all experts on business and technology strategy, show that transformation is not a one-and-done event, but a continuous process of adapting to a volatile and uncertain environment. Drawing on five years of research into digital disruption—including a series of interviews with business leaders conducted during the COVID-19 crisis—they offer a framework for understanding disruption and tools for navigating it. Technology, they remind readers, is not an end in itself, but enables the capabilities essential for surviving an uncertain future: nimbleness, scalability, stability, and optionality.

Business leaders looking for advice on how to adapt in an era of continuous disruption. COVID-19 was the ultimate acute crisis; are you prepared for the next one? Learn how to thrive amid the chaos by reading this leadership book.

3. Office Shock: Creating Better Futures for Working and Living

An abrupt, unsettling change in where, when, how, and even why we work. In this visionary book, three prominent futurists argue that the office is both a place and a process—offices and officing—with a new range of choices, including what they call the emerging officeverse. To see the possibilities with fresh eyes, we must use future-back thinking to ask, What is the purpose of your officing? What are the outcomes—especially regarding climate—you want to achieve? With whom do you want to office? How will you augment your intelligence? Where and when will you office? How will you create an agile office? Traditional offices were often unfair, uncomfortable, uncreative, and unproductive. This book explores how to seize this great opportunity to transform office work.

You’re curious about the future of the flexible office. Lead contributor Dan Roberts calls this book a “must-read for CIOs.” Read it to discover how to make your office more agile and change the dynamics of your workforce.

Last Word

Employees today should emphasize having a coordinated approach towards their lives and careers. They should combine intellectualisation with practical implementation to create a work-life balance. The benefits of reading without applying the knowledge in practical life is a sheer waste. So, encouraging our employees to read will strengthen the work culture and improvise wellness at the workplace. It will enable them to achieve their personal and professional best.

A recent study in the journal Memory & Cognition discussed the effect of reading with intention and purpose. According to the study, benefits of reading can significantly impact learning and that it positively alters the mindset. Without cultivating the habit of reading, your outlook becomes brittle, and relationships will lower with co-workers.

About the Author

Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan, Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth. 

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