More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you January’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“How Performance Management Is Killing Performance—And What to Do About It” by M. Tamra Chandler (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2016, 256 pages, ISBN: 9781626566774; $20.36)
Better performance management awaits, says HR consultant M. Tamra Chandler, who shows the way in this pleasure-to-read guidebook. She argues that performance management should focus on people—executives, supervisors, and workers—and not just on processes. Her prose is clear, personal, and funny, making this one of the best—and best-written—current HR books. Someone new to performance management could read Chandler’s thoughts and engage instantly, and seasoned veterans will get enough charts, graphs, real-world examples, and online tools to satisfy their inner wonks. getAbstract recommends this guide as a valuable tool for any manager or HR professional. You’ll use it often.
Rating (out of 10): 9
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 9
Style: 9
“Running Lean. Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works” by Ash Maurya (O’Reilly Media, 2012, 240 pages, ISBN: 9781449305178; $17.38)
Ash Maurya, an experienced and successful Lean entrepreneur and authority, wastes no time on theory or fluff. He plunges in with almost 200 pages of detailed instruction about how to use the “Lean Methodology”—a proven product development process—to guide your Lean start-up. Though it assumes at least a passing familiarity with the Lean Movement, and focuses mostly on “solution”-type start-ups, getAbstract believes anyone interested in building a new business—especially part time at first and with little money—will find this manual valuable.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“The Purpose Effect. Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role and Your Organization” by Dan Pontefract (Elevate Publishing, 2016, 272 pages, ISBN: 9781937498894; $15.25)
Consultant Dan Pontefract, who also wrote the bestseller, “Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization,” explains how companies can establish meaningful goals, provide energizing workplaces, and make significant contributions to their communities and society. Such “purpose-driven” companies put principles ahead of profits, but they find in the long run that being purpose-driven is good for business. Pontefract shows companies how to reach a meaningful “sweet spot” where three important roles come together: each employee’s “personal sense of purpose,” the company’s “organizational purpose,” and the “role-based purpose” employees feel when they are in positions that align with their personal priorities and beliefs. getAbstract finds that businesspeople who seek a sense of direction for their organizations will benefit from this detailed, practical, inspirational book—and so will students of business.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
