Everyone should have a top shelf – the one you share with people at work when they ask for a reading recommendation. A few caveats on my list:
- I generally only recommend books <200 pages, with a few exceptions. (I favor authors who have mastered clarity, passion, and brevity)
- These are around business and/or personal development books.
- I will explain any selection, but not apologize or argue about it. It is my shelf – so build your own if you disagree. 🙂
- I do not loan these out, but will often buy people a copy. They are marked up and I would hate to lose them.
It has expanded over the years, but my general rule is that the number has to be limited. Now to add one I have to take one off. I had a shelf with about 8 books for many years, then I got a bigger shelf.
Here is my top shelf:
(they are in no particular order – but left to right in the picture)
- The Mindful Coach – Doug Silsbee
- Co-Active Coaching – Whitworth/Kimsey-House, Sandahl
- Sway – Ori/Ram Brafman
- Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
- All Things New, A Fable of Renewal – Rodger Price
- Confessions of a Public Speaker – Scott Berkun
- Good to Great – Jim Collins
- First, Break all the Rules – Marcus Buckingham/Curt Coffman
- Fierce Conversations – Susan Scott
- Linchpin – Seth Godin
- Strengthsfinder 2.0 – Tom Rath
- How Full is Your Bucket – Tom Rath/Don Clifton
- Mastering the Rockefeller Habits – Verne Harnish
- Drive – Daniel Pink
- One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard/Spencer Johnson
- For Men Only – Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn
- Mastery – George Leonard
- Let Your Life Speak – Parker Palmer
- Rework – Jason Fried/David Heinemeier Hansson
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
- Death By Meeting – Patrick Lencioni
- The Will of God As A Way of Life – Gerald Sittser
- Season of Life – Jeffrey Marx
- The Servant – James Hunter
- Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer Johnson
- Into The Wild – Jon Krakauer
- HalfTime – Bob Buford
- Tribes – Seth Godin
- The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach
- Do the Work – Steve Pressfield
Some are great books, and some have achieved significance for other reasons. In the end, I will recommend other books on occassion, but I love these selections. In addition, I also have 2-3 Harvard Business Review articles I love for people not having time to read.
Looking for a good question to ask your new leader? What two books stand out in your mind as great? (might be a good idea to read them – it will often explain how they think and what they value)
Submit a question to this posting if you want a more detailed explanation on any of these selections.
