John Thacker's top 10 books on organisations and leadership

John Thacker of Clark Brownscombe returns for his second top 10 books list.

Here is my second top 10 books list, this time on business and organisations, and the skills needed to lead them. Again, in no particular order:

1. Good to Great (Jim Collins) – ok, this is my favourite business book. A study, with sometimes surprising results, of what made certain companies great. Learn about the Hedgehog concept, the Flywheel and much more.
2. The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker) – great advice by the greatest management thinker of the 20th century (well, ever really) on how to lead and manage better by learning how to lead and manage yourself.
3. Employees First, Customers Second (Vineet Nayar) – look after your staff and they will look after your customers. As I have always felt, the customer is not always right nor is the customer king.
4. Switch (Chip and Dan Heath) – these brothers have written some great books. This book helps you bring effective change in your organisation.
5. The Progress Principle (Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer) – a wife and husband combination this time, who explain how the most important ingredient in successful workplaces is a daily sense of progress.
6. Winning with People (John Maxwell) – Henry Ford said that he would pay more for the ability to handle people than any other skill. Learn some excellent principles on how you can relate better to people and the benefits that accrue from this.
7. Leadership is an Art (Max De Pree) – leadership is more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. Learn from someone who has done this.
8. Breakthrough Thinking for Non-profit Organisations (Bernard Ross and Clare Segal) – this book has lots of great ideas which in many cases can be applied in for-profit organisations too.
9. The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace (Gary Chapman and Paul White) – people are different and you need to thank and encourage your staff and colleagues in the way that means most to them (the best ‘gifts’ often aren’t material ones…)
10. Great by Choice (Jim Collins) – back to Jim Collins for another great study on how companies in difficult situations went on to become highly successful.

I’m aware there are many, many other great business books. I’m always keen to find new ones, so let me know any good ones you’ve read.

If you would like more recommendations from John, check out his previous top ten list. 

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