Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, there are two things you must do: read a lot and write a lot. This is about the “read a lot” part. I include reading lists and book reviews that will help you do business more effectively and write better for business.

In this post, I point you to reviews of Experimentation Works, More from Less, Building the Best, Optimal Outcomes, Eat Sleep Work Repeat, Edge, The Right Kind of Crazy, Leading with Gratitude. Plus there’s a pointer to Michael McKinney’s list of upcoming leadership books.

From Michael Blanding: Creating the Experimentation Organization

“New tools allow companies to innovate on an unprecedented scale, in every aspect of business. But the organization must also change. Stefan Thomke discusses his forthcoming book, Experimentation Works.”

From Theodore Kinni: Pessimism dematerialized: Four reasons to be hopeful about the future

“If you’re a glass-half-full person, you’re going to love Andrew McAfee’s latest book, More from Less. Always optimistic, while still expressing minor notes of caution, McAfee, a research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and cofounder and codirector of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy (with frequent collaborator Erik Brynjolfsson), believes that life on this planet is getting better all the time. He also thinks that though humans face some big challenges, we have at our command all the resources needed to meet them.”

From Skip Prichard: Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success

“I spent some time with John Eades, the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success to learn more about how the best leaders effectively lead in an effort to help you. John is the founder and CEO of LearnLoft, a leadership development company.”

From Scott Eblin: Move Beyond Conflict with Optimal Outcomes

“I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jennifer Goldman-Wetzler, the author of a great new book, Optimal Outcomes: Free Yourself from Conflict at Work, at Home and in Life. As a professor at Columbia University, a counterterrorism research fellow for the Department of Homeland Security and a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, Jennifer has spent her career helping people get out of seemingly endless conflict loops.”

From Bob Morris: Eat Sleep Work Repeat

“Daisey focuses on 30 ‘hacks for bring joy’ to his readers’ jobs. ‘Part 1, we look at how we can recharge our own energy.How can we get back to full battery? What are the simple hacks that make work seem more manageable? How can we move from negative affect to positive affect?…In Part 2, I draw heavily on groundbreaking scientific research to offer suggestions on how to bring trust and connection to your team…Part 3 outlines the nirvana for teams: a work culture that has a special buzz to it…successful teams don’t just have a hum yo them; they have a measurable buzz.'”

From Michael McKinney: How to Find Your Edge

“Laura Huang explains just how to gain that advantage in her insightful and encouraging book, Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage. ‘Certain people seem to be endowed with a unique advantage in which they can execute faster and better and get the things they need, because they are positioned in such a way that others help them move forward. You can create your own edge and open doors—wide-open doors—for yourself.'”

From Ken Downer: Book Notes: The Right Kind of Crazy

“Imagine being put in charge of leading a team to do something that man has never been done before. You have about ten people with widely differing backgrounds and personalities to work with. You have tight budgetary limitations, a rapidly shrinking timeline and high expectations from top management. Now add national media attention just to make it fun.”

From Blanchard LeaderChat: The Importance of Leading with Gratitude, with Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

“After surveying more than one million employees from a wide range of organizations, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton have found that leading with gratitude is the easiest, fastest, least expensive way for managers to boost both performance and engagement in employees.”

From Michael McKinney: First Look: Leadership Books for April 2020

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