Whether you are currently a business leader or you aspire to be one, it’s vital that you get results and continue to get them on a consistent basis. It’s important to stay ahead of the competition and one way to do this is to invest in continual professional development. This can take a variety of forms such as formal training or courses, but some of the best can be done in your own time by reading some of the great books that teach some of the essential skills needed for leadership. Below we take a look at five of the best.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B Cialdini
Cialdini’s book has been in print for over 30 years and is still one of the most popular and well read books by business leaders. Whatever sort of business you are in, if you are a leader or aspire to be a leader it will involve a degree of selling. Whether that be selling a product, selling a service or selling your ideas and visions to your staff, this requires you to influence and persuade. This book has a variety of tactics, experiences, true stories and practical tips to help make your more persuasive in all parts of your life and especially in business.
Liquid Thinking: Inspirational Lessons from the World’s Great Achievers
Damian Hughes
The idea behind this book is really simple. If you want to know how to be successful, why not simply ask successful people and look for what they all have in common and develop those skills and qualities yourself? Damian Hughes, Professor of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at Manchester Metropolitan University, former HR director of Unilever and Manchester United coach did just that and you can see the results in this book and incorporate the results into your life.
Tap Dancing To Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966 - 2013
Carol Loomis
Warren Buffett is one of the world’s most successful people and this book collects together his views on a whole manner of things, including business leadership. Highly recommended by many business leaders, it is one of Bill Gates’ favourite books who said this about it:
“I think anyone who reads it cover to cover will come away with two reactions: First, how Warren’s been incredibly consistent in applying his vision and investment principles over the duration of his career; and, secondly, that his analysis and understanding of business and markets remains unparalleled.”
Good To Great
Jim Collins
Ever wondered why some companies succeed and some fail? Jim Collins wanted to find out so evaluated thousands of case studies, articles and interviews to try and figure out just why. The results are in this book and are absolutely fascinating, it shows just what values, traits and qualities you need to build a successful company.
100 Ways to Motivate Others
Steve Chandler
One thing that all great business leaders have is the ability to motivate others. This book looks at some of the most effective techniques used by the world’s most successful companies and illustrates not just how they work, but why they work. If you think that motivating staff is just about a nice end-of-year bonus, then this book will open your eyes.