Looking for some good management books for National Reading Month? Here are three that have been around a while but remain timeless in their insights.
- “The Goal” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox (North River Press; 30th Anniversary Edition; 2014). Who thought an operations management book could be such a great novel, and that a hike in the woods could hold the key to saving a manufacturing plant?
This management book is a fitting example of how storytelling can be used to effectively teach complex concepts. The novel follows a manager as he tries to save his plant, and thousands of jobs. While teaching operations and the “theory of constraints,” it also shows the power of coaching and stepping back to gain perspective on core management problems that remain critical today.
- “Type Talk at Work” by Otto Kroeger, Janet M. Thuesen, and Hile Rutledge (Delta; Revised edition, 2002). Different personality theories and instruments ebb and flow in popularity, but the insights offered by psychological time persist over time.
This book takes a fun and pragmatic view of the four dimensions of psychological type and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. You don’t need to know your type to recognize yourself in the short stories throughout the book, and it’s hard to see the workplace in the same way again.
- “The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success” by Scott Eblin (Nicholas Brealey; 2nd edition (2010). Positioning yourself for a leadership position? Not sure of your blind spots as you take that next step in your career? “The Next Level” is a terrific practical book about achieving your best success in a leadership position.
The book systematically reviews key areas that support executive successes and provides a roadmap for what to pick up and what to let go in making the transition. Full of real-world stories and written with a clear structure, the book is perfect reading for those looking ahead.
These three books cover different topics but have one important thing in common. They all support speed reading or reading in short spurts as time allows. A great trio to celebrate National Reading Month!
