Relational Intelligence: The Five Essential Skills You Need to Build Life-Changing Relationships

Adam C. Bandelli Covenant Books, 278 pp., $18.95

The first part of the book is dedicated to each of the five relational intelligence skills: establishing rapport, understanding others, embracing individual differences, developing trust, and cultivating influence. And in the second part, Bandelli explains how to apply relational intelligence to different relationships, including professional relationships, which he believes can be some of the most important ones in people's lives. With the highest threats of the pandemic (hopefully) behind us, Bandelli's guidance will help readers not only build relationships with others but also re-engage and restore relationships.

The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists

Richard P. Rumelt PublicAffairs, 368 pp. $30

A strategy is "a form of problem solving, and you cannot solve a problem you do not understand or comprehend," writes Rumelt, whom McKinsey Quarterly has described as "a giant in the field of strategy." In this book, he explores four themes: The best way to deal with strategic issues is by squarely facing the challenge (the crux); understand the sources of power and leverage that will get you through the crux; avoid the distractions that abound; and avoid converging on action too soon. Rumelt does so by weaving in examples of a variety of organizations ranging from SpaceX, WeWork, IBM, and Netflix to the New York City Fire Department, QuestKo, and Maersk Lines.