Five Books Your Boss Wishes You Would Read
Simply Hired Staff
“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” –Andrew Carnegie
It’s easy to say that what’s stopping you from being extraordinary is your own self-motivation. But when push comes to shove, a lot of us find ourselves stuck doing what’s comfortable and getting the same results. Here is a roundup of five books that will push you out of your comfort zone and motivate you to move away from mediocrity.
Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters
by Jon Acuff
Jon Acuff’s Start provides practical advice on how to change an average existence into an awesome life. Acuff discusses the fives stages of success, which are also concurrent with decades of age in the adult life: Learning(20s), Editing(30s), Mastering(40s), Harvesting(50s) and Guiding(60s). He reveals his secret on how to accelerate these stages and illustrates his shortened path to success with examples such as teenagers creating successful businesses and baby boomers starting a new career later in life.
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives
by Gretchen Rubin
In Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin, the author “tests out her theories” on how humans form habits. Her book is full of detailed research and personal anecdotes, which make the book informative as well as entertaining. No matter how many books you’ve read on forming habits, Rubin’s personal insight on her theories of habit formation will make it a fresh and interesting read.
Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
by Laszlo Bock
Although the advice in this book applies to everyone, it will especially appeal to anyone who works in HR. Written by Laszlo Bock, the head of People Operations at Google, Work Rules! discloses the most effective ways to build an amazing workforce. Bock offers a guide based on “the latest research in behavioral economics and a profound grasp of human psychology” that will transform your company and life for the better.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace
It’s one thing to be an exceptional employee, but it takes a different set of skills to inspire your team to be above average. Ed Catmull, one of the co-founders of Pixar Animation Studios, writes about how he and his team cultivated an unconventional culture that led to Pixar’s success. Creativity, Inc. is also a New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by The Huffington Post.
Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences
by Jane Hyun and Audrey S. Lee
In today’s global society, successful managers must be able to not only manage different personalities but different cultures. Flex gives advice to managers on how to deal with diverse cultures, ages and genders. This book is a must-read for any manager who wants to improve their communication skills and relate to their team in a more effective way.
