Leaders are readers. Reading helps you discover ideas to try and expand your mental models. In this post I point you to reviews of recent business books. You’ll find pointers to reviews of The Future of the Office: Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face, Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways, Good Comes First: How Today’s Leaders Create an Uncompromising Company Culture That Doesn’t Suck, Made From Scratch: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse, and Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. There’s also Michael McKinney’s list of leadership books scheduled for release in October 2021.

From Wharton: What’s the Future of the Office?

“Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli is the author of the new book, The Future of the Office: Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face. Cappelli, who has for decades studied the forces shaping and changing the workplace, says the choices employees and employers must make about the future of work could be among the most important they face.”

From Stanford GSB: Got a Problem? Think Like a Designer

“Sarah Stein Greenberg won’t be disappointed if you don’t approach Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways like a typical how-to guide. ‘There’s no one right way to use this book,’ says Stein Greenberg, MBA ’06, the executive director of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, also known as the Stanford d.school. ‘You do not have to read it front to back.’ Loaded with more than 80 creative exercises, the book is a fun and engaging introduction to the d.schoolopen in new window?’s guiding philosophy. Flip to almost any page and you’ll find an activity or anecdote designed to change how you approach personal and professional challenges.”

From Paul LaRue: Book Review – Good Comes First

“Mark Babbit and S. Chris Edmonds have joined their experience of guiding leaders and organizations over a combined 50 years to bring the best book about post-Covid-19 leadership. What they have created in this book is a real guide to transform one’s organization into a place that creates value, respect and results. In a time where failed leadership has had a magnified impact on its constituents, Babbit and Edmonds cut through the malaise to show in real and direct terms how one can change to meet the needs of people in the Social Age.”

From Chief Executive: Posthumous Lessons For Surviving The Unthinkable

“His autobiography, Made From Scratch: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse, was published posthumously last month. The book details both the successes and failures along Taylor’s journey, including the extraordinary challenges posed by Covid. Thanks to quick thinking and savvy decision-making, the company was able to not only survive a pandemic that wiped out thousands of restaurants, but thrive in its wake by pivoting to new lines of business and finding new ways to service patrons. Taylor notes that he relied heavily on his ‘crazies,’ the name he used for a group of the company’s ‘most creative, if not roguish, store managers,’ whom he frequently consulted for opinions on new and innovative ways to operate.”

From Oliver Burkeman: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

“Oliver Burkeman is an author and journalist. For many years, he wrote a weekly psychology column for The Guardian called ‘This Column Will Change Your Life.’ His latest book is an attempt to rethink how to make the best use of your time. Burkeman presents an alternative path to the obsessive, endless quest of checklist completion and schedule optimization: a path that’s much more meaningful in the end.
Below, Oliver shares 5 key insights from his new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals”

From Michael McKinney: First Look: Leadership Books for October 2021

“Here’s a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in October 2021. Don’t miss out on other great new and future releases not listed here.”

Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Monday is “Book Day.” Come back for book reviews, reading lists and other reading-related posts.