Contributors to the September 2023 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.
Jess Almlie
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
by Liz Wiseman
This book changed how I think about leadership by helping me see that some of the behaviors I thought were helping were accidentally diminishing those on my team. The action items helped me to begin switching to more empowering and effective behaviors—those of a multiplier leader.
Measurement Demystified: Creating Your L&D Measurement, Analytics, and Reporting Strategy
By David Vance and Peggy Parskey
Too often, L&D gets stuck in “prove it” mode when attempting measurement and that isn't effective or helpful. This book reframed the purpose of measurement as data to make business decisions. I was able to use that mindset and the detailed measurement techniques outlined to recreate the entire measurement strategy for my own L&D team to show real results!
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
By Liz Wiseman
This book changed how I think about leadership by helping me see that some of the behaviors I thought were helping were actually accidentally diminishing those on my team. Action items included helped me to begin switching to more empowering and effective behaviors–those of a multiplier leader.
Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results
By Cy Wakeman
By focusing on facts instead of stories, clarity, and direct feedback, this book helps to move away from the emotionally draining workplace and team drama to one that takes control of circumstances. The result is a happier and more productive team.
Amanda Mosteller
The Workplace Atmosphere: Transforming the Work Environment From Dismal to Desired
by Dana Vogelmeier
I love this book because it not only discusses the common variables that influence the work atmosphere, it also covers actionable strategies to change your work environment, including end-of-chapter planning pages.
The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People
By Dr. Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak
An oldie but a goodie, I love this book because not only does it highlight seven keys to leadership success, it does it through story! Enjoyable to read and impactful to implement!
Melanie Martinelli
Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization
by Dennis Reina and Michelle Reina
Who does not want effective relationships at work, at home, and in the community? This book puts trust right at your fingertips. Through the authors' thorough research, they identify 16 trust-building behaviors and reveal how anyone at any level can take action to build and sustain trust in their relationships.
Bringing Business Partnership to Life: The Story of the Brunei Window Washer
By James D. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. and Wendy Kayser Kirkpatrick
Not your typical book on training evaluation and effectiveness. A beautiful and relatable story through which the reader learns how building a culture of business partnership can help you and your organization to engage the talents of every employee and increase training results.
Ed Hasan
ATD’s Organization Development Handbook
By Multiple Contributors
ATD’s Organization Development Handbook is a tactical, hands-on book for those in learning and development looking to make that first step into organization development or those who are a one-person band doing both.
The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems–and What to Do About It
By Rob Cross and Karen Dillon
Microstress, a hidden epidemic of small stressful moments, poses a threat to our careers and well-being. It accumulates daily, damaging our physical and emotional health, and often comes from those closest to us. However, by understanding microstress and learning from high achievers who have built resilience, we can fight back, find purpose, and reclaim our lives.
UNLIKE A BOSS: Positive People Leadership Skills You Wish Your Manager Had
By Alexander N. Andrews
UNLIKE A BOSS is a book that exposes poor examples of people leadership and offers 15 practical steps to achieve a people-centered approach. The author draws from his own experiences and shares light-hearted stories to help readers create engaging workplaces and become effective leaders. It is recommended for anyone seeking inspiration and wanting to foster a positive work environment.
Daila Boufford
The Customer Education Playbook
by Daniel Quick and Barry Kelly
This book is a must read for anyone who is in the field of customer education. The authors provide many best practices and practical insights on how to utilize customer education to engage and retain customers. The idea of providing education to customers is not new, but the concepts covered in this book take it a step further, explaining how you can use customer education to grow your business and demonstrate the value of training through data driven results.
