With over 11,000 business books being published each year,
the task of deciding which books to spend your valuable time reading can be
overwhelming. Yet, book reading is a very important method of learning and
self-development and should be part of any leader's routine. For some guidance
on sorting through nearly a 1,000 books per month, see Wally Bock's blog post,
"Leadership Development: Starting Your Personal Reading Program,"
which reports useful advice from Todd Stattersten, co-author of The 100 Best
Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can
Help You.
Of course, anyone who reads (or writes) business books will
find something to quibble about in Stattersten's recommendations. For example,
my list would have William Bridges' Transitions and Chris Argyris' Overcoming
Organizational Defenses. And for a list of some of the classics that should be
considered, see The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business
Books You'll Never Have Time to Read by
the Editors Of Perseus Publishing. Also, 800ceoread is a useful resource for
information about the latest business books.
The sad fact of the matter is that many business books are bought, but few are read, and even fewer actually contribute to improved performance of leaders and managers. It is not enough to read these rich tomes of wisdom. Most of us must couple our reading with discussions of the ideas with others and practice, practice, practice of the application of ideas before reading a book can shape our behavior.
