10 Summer Books on Leadership, Tech and Business
10 Summer Books on Leadership, Tech and Business
Summer is a great time to increase your knowledge of technology trends, leadership skills and business challenges, and these 10 books can help get you there.
Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future
By Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson. W. W. Norton & Company. Available: June. The authors, research leaders at the MIT Center for Digital Business, examine a universe in which machines play strategic games like Go better than humans, and ideas from a crowd are more innovative than those from R&D labs. To adjust, companies must rethink the integration of minds and machines.
HBR Guide to Emotional Intelligence
By Harvard Business Review.
Harvard Business Review Press.
Available: June.
Learn how to identify your emotional intelligence strengths and weaknesses so you can better understand and manage your emotional reactions, deal with difficult people, make smarter decisions and bounce back from tough times.
The Mathematical Corporation: Where Machine Intelligence and Human Ingenuity Achieve the Impossible
By Josh Sullivan and Angela Zutavern.
PublicAffairs.
Available: June.
These Booz Allen Hamilton data scientists show how—and why—business leaders must develop their thinking skills to work in partnership with machines in the age of artificial intelligence.
Let the Story Do the Work: The Art of Storytelling for Business Success
By Esther K. Choy.
Amacom.
Available: July.
Never underestimate the power of a great tale, as incorporating storytelling into everyday business communications will help you connect, gain buy-in and build lasting relationships.
Total Focus: Make Better Decisions Under Pressure
By Brandon Webb and John David Mann.
Portfolio.
Available: August.
As a Navy SEAL sniper, Webb learned how to perform under intense stress. Now a successful businessman, he deconstructs the decision making DNA of the most effective snipers (including situational awareness and change management) and translates it to lessons for winning leadership at any organization.
The Innovation Code: The Creative Power of Constructive Conflict
By Jeff DeGraff.
Available: August.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Innovation requires “clash”: bringing together people with contrasting perspectives and backgrounds. With this approach, professionals reach new levels of creative spark by interacting with team members who challenge them, rather than agreeing with them.
Driving Digital: The Leader’s Guide to Business Transformation Through Technology
By Isaac Sacolick.
Amacom.
Available: August.
To transform business and IT, you must formulate a digital strategy that promotes agile practices, bolsters technology talent, manages a portfolio of initiatives and delivers ROI.
The Power of Onlyness: How to Make Your Ideas Mighty Enough to Dent the World
By Nilofer Merchant.
Viking.
Available: August.
To make an impact with your ideas, you must mobilize others with your “onlyness”—which the author describes as “that spot in the world only you stand in, a function of your distinct history and experiences, visions and hopes” that leads to “your signature ingredient of purpose.”
Succeeding with Senior Management: Getting the Right Support at the Right Time for Your Project
By G. Michael Campbell, PMP.
Amacom.
Available: August.
Senior leaders speak the language of strategy. Project managers focus on tasks and activities. This can lead to communication breakdowns and project setbacks. By ensuring that your project leaders establish relationships that help them understand the needs of top managers, you can bridge counterproductive gaps.
Do Big Things: The Simple Steps Teams Can Take to Mobilize Hearts and Minds, and Make an Epic Impact
By Craig Ross, Angela V. Paccione and Victoria L. Roberts.
Wiley.
Available: August.
Too often, businesses pull people together and label them as “teams,” but distractions, pressures and competing priorities sabotage success. Learn how to direct members to establish a common language that encourages authenticity, empathy, accountability and transparency in the interest of achieving shared goals.