List of good books

Periodicals and journals

Authors

  • Amacom
  • Wiley
  • Harvard Business School (HBS) Publishing
  • Collins
  • Dorling Kindersley (DK)
  • Financial Times (FT)
  • Kogan Page
  • For Dummies (A Wiley Brand)

“The Secrets…” Series by Collins

Series by Harvard Business School (HBS)

Books on Communication Skills

  • Writing Power by Nancy White, Kaplan Publishing
  • Writing for Business – Expert Solutions for Everyday Challenges, Harvard Business School Press
  • Giving Prepresentations – Expert Solutions for Everyday Challenges, Harvard Business School Press
  • Writing for Quick Cash -Turn Your Way with Words into Real Money by Loriann Hoff Oberlm, Amacom
  • Improve Your Communication Skills by Alan Barker, Kogan Page .
  • Guide to Managerial Communication – Effective Business Writing and Speaking, 10 Edition by Mary Munter and Lynn Hamilton, Pearson
  • AP Stylebook, Basic Books
  • The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Business Style and Usage by Paul R Martin, Wall Street Journal Books, NY, 2002
  • The Elements of Style, 4th Edition, by William Strunk Jr and EB White, Longman
  • The Business Style Handbook – An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communication Experts at the Fortune 500 by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene, Tata McGraw-Hill Edition 2003
  • The Ultimate Book of Business & Legal Words You Should Know by H Dean McKay, Adams Media
  • Grammar Smart; Word Smart; and More Word Smart – All Smart Guides by Princeton Review
  • High Impact Communications – The Best Way to Communicate Anytime Anywhere by Lee Bowman, Bene Factum Publishing
  • HBR Guide to Better Business Writing by Bryan A. Garner, Harvard Business Review Press
  • How to Prepare Stage and Deliver Winning Presentations by Thomas Leech, Prentice Hall India, 3rd Edition
  • Basic Presentation Skills by Gary Kroehnert, Tata McGraw-Hill Edition 2004

Employee Engagement

  • Cutting Through the Noise – The Right Employee Engagement Strategies for YOU by Norma Davila and Wanda Pina-Ramirez, ASTD Press
  • Harvard Business Review on Talent Management
  • The Manager’s Employee Engagement Toolbox by Peter R Garber, ASTD Press

Transitions, Career Management, Leadership, Strategy

  • Refire! Don’t Retire – make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life by Ken Blanchard and Morton Shaevitz, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, California, USA
  • What Color is Your Parachute? 2016 – A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard N Bolles, Ten Speed Press
  • Headhunters and How to Use Them – A Guide for Organisations and Individuals, by Nancy Garrison Jenn, The Economist
  • Personal Brilliance – Mastering the Everyday Habits that Create a Lifetime of Success by Jim Canterucci [A good success tool with a remarkably workable formula]
  • The Sunday Times, Organize Yourself by John Caunt, Kogan Page, 3rd Edition
  • What You’re Really Meant To Do – A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential by Robert Steven Kaplan, Harvard Business Review Press
  • HBR’s 10 Must Reads – On Managing Yourself, Harvard Business Review Press
  • Cultivate a Cool Career by Ken Langdon, Pearson Power
  • Women for Hire’s – Get-Ahead Guide to Career Success by Tony Johnson and Robyn Freedom; Spizman, A Perigee Book
  • 20 Minute Manager Series – Getting Work Done, Harvard Business Review Press
  • 20 Minute Manager Series – Innovative Teams, Harvard Business Review Press
  • The Differentiated Workforce –Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact by Brian E Becker,
  • Mark A Huselid, Richard W Beatty, Harvard Business Press
  • The Best Value Career Book Ever by Ken Langdon and John Middleton, Infinite Ideas
  • 10 Rules to Succeed in Interviews by Manoj Nair, Indus Source Books
  • Getting the Job You Want – A Practical Guide by Denise Taylor, Introducing Books
  • Right from the Start-Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role by Dan Ciampa and Michael
  • Watkins, Harvard Business School Press
  • How to Be the Person Successful Companies Fight to Keep by Connie Podesta and Jean Gatz, Fireside Books, NY
  • Career ReExplosion – Reinvent Yourself in Thirty Days by Gary Joseph Grappo, Berkley Books
  • Paradigms-The Business of Discovering the Future by Joel Arthur Barker, Harper Collins
  • The Manager’s Guide to HR by Max Muller, Amacom
  • Managing Transitions – Making the Most of Change by William Bridges, Perseus Books
  • Monster Careers – How to Land the Job of Your Life by Jeff Taylor with Doug Hardy, Penguin Books
  • The First 90 Days in Governance – Critical Success Strategies for New Public Managers at All Levels by Peter H Daly and Michael Watkins with Cate Reavis, Harvard Business School Press
  • Getting Unstuck- How Dead Ends Become New Paths by Timothy Butler, Harvard Business School Press
  • Developing Talent for Organizational Results -Training Tools from the Best in the Field by Elaine Biech, Pfeiffer
  • Talent Force – A New Manifesto for the Human Side of Business by Rusty Rueff and Hank Stringer, Pearson Prentice Hall
  • Management Skills for New Managers by Carol W Ellis, Amacom
  • Coaching and Mentoring- How to Develop Top and Achieve Stronger Performance, Harvard Business School Press
  • The Career Clinic – Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love by Maureen Anderson, Amacom
  • Clearing the Hurdles-Women Building High-Growth Business by Candida G Brush, Nancy M Carter, Elizabeth J Gatewood, Patricia G Greene, Myra M Hart, FT Prentice Hall
  • The New Workforce – Five Sweeping Trends That Will Shape Your Company’s Future by Harriet Hankin, Amacom
  • The Leadership Advantage – How the Best Companies Are Developing Their Talent to Pave the Way for Future Success by Robert M Fulmer and Jared L Bleak, Amacom
  • What’s Gen X? – Keeping Up, Moving Ahead, and Getting the Career You Want by Tamara Erickson, Harvard Business Press
  • What the Best MBAs Know – How to Apply the Greatest Ideas Taught in the Best Business Schools by Peter Navarro, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited
  • What They Don’t Teach You at B-School by Meenakshi Radhakrishnan, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited
  • Leading Through Crisis, Harvard Business Press
  • If My Career’s on the Fast Track, Where Do I Get a Road Map? – Surviving and Thriving in the Real World of Work by Anne Fisher, Quill
  • Harvard Business Review on Building Personal and Organizational Resilience
  • Managing for Excellence by Moi Ali, Stephen Brookson, Andy Bruce, John Eaton, Robert Heller Roy Johnson, Ken Langdon, Steve Sleight; DK
  • Faster Cheaper Better – The 9 Levels for Transforming How Work Gets Done by Michael Hammer and Lisa W Hershman, Crown Business
  • The Winner’s Manual by Moi Ali, George P Boulden and Robert Heller; DK
  • Working Identity – Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra, Harvard Business Press
  • Towards Personal Excellence – Psychometric Tests and Self-Improvement Techniques for Managers, Seema Sanghi, Response Books
  • You Can Change Your Life – Easy Steps to Getting What You Want by Rob Yeung, Macmillan
  • Promoting Yourself – 52 Lessons for Getting to the Top and Staying There by Hal Lancaster, A Wall Street Journal Book
  • Leapfrogging – Harness the Power Surprise for Business Breakthroughs by Soren Kaplan, Collins Business and Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • Bench Strength – Developing the Depth and Versatility of Your Organization’s Leadership and Talent by Robert Barner, Amacom
  • The End of Competitive Advantage by Rita McGrath, Harvard Business Review Press
  • Business Etiquette for the New Workplace, Harvard Business School Press ‘
  • The Ultimate Career Coach – Everything You Need to Know to Succeed at Work by John Middleton, Ken Langdon, Elizabeth Wilson, Infinite Ideas
  • The Illustrated Guide to Smart Living by John Boyd, Embassy Books
  • Managing Incompetence – An Innovative Approach for Dealing with People by Gabriel Ginebra, ASTD Press
  • Harvard Business Essentials Manager’s Toolkit – The 13 Skills Managers Need to Succeed, Harvard Business School Press
  • The Little Big Things —163 Ways to Pursue Excellence by Tom Peters, Harper
  • Effective Leadership – How to be a Successful Leader by John Adair, Pan Books « Develop Your Assertiveness by Sue Bishop, Kogan Page
  • Effective Strategic Leadership – The Complete Guide to Strategic Management by Johri Adair, Pan Books
  • Sure Success in Interviews – The Most Comprehensive One-Source Guide for Succeeding in Interviews by Jayant Neogy, Unicorn Books Pvt Ltd, India
  • How to Get Things Done Without Trying Too Hard by Richard Templer, Pearson, UK

Negotiations

  • Negotiating Outcomes – Expert Solutions for Everyday Challenges, Harvard Business School Press
  • Black Belt Negotiations – Become a Master Negotiator Using Powerful Lessons from the Martial Arts by Michael Soon Lee with Sensei Grant Tabuchi, Amacom
  • Shaping the Game – The New Leader’s Guide to Effective Negotiating by Michael Watkins, Harvard Business School Press

Leadership the Military Way

  • Soldier Statesman, Peacemaker.- Leadership Lessons from George C Marshall by Jack Uldrich,
  • Building Leadership The West Point Way-Ten Principles from the Nation’s Most Powerful
  • Leadership Lab by Major General Joseph P Franklin, Thomas Nelson
  • Simper Fi – Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way by Dan Garrison and Rod Walsh Amacom
  • Secrets of Special Ops Leadership – Dare the Impossible – Achieve the Extraordinary by William A Cohen, Amacom
  • Operation Excellence – Succeeding in Business and Life -The US Military Way by Mark Bender, Amacom
  • The Business General – Transform Your Business Using Seven Secrets of Military Success by Deborah Tom and Brigadier Ricahrd Barrens, Vermillion, Random House, UK, 2006
  • Moving Mountains by William Gus Pagonis, HBS Press

Military Transitions

  • Catching Step – From Military to Civilian Life: People in Transition by Ruth Jolly, Brassey’s
  • Combat Leader to Corporate Leader- 20 Lessons to Advance Your Civilian Career by Chad Storlie, Praeger
  • Transition to Civilian Life with Confidence – A 90 Day Strategy to Launch a Lucrative Career or Business Using Your Military Training and Experience by Randrick Chance and William Villanueva, Strategic Secrets
  • Military to Civilian Transition Toolkit – Veteran Career Counseling Services

Psychometrics and Personality Tests

  • Books by Mike Bryan on Psychometrics, Kogan Page
  • Employment Personality Tests Decoded by Anne Hart with George Sheldon, Career Press Inc, USA
  • Assessment Centres – Identifying Potential and Developing Competency by Nitin Sawardekar, Response Books, 2007

Time Management

  • More Time for You – A Powerful System to Organise Your Work and Get Things Done by Rosemary Tator and Alesia Latson, Amacom
  • Real-World Time Management by Roy Alexander and Michael S Dobson, Amacom
  • Planners by Action Day, PlanAhead or The Inner Guide

Post-Military Success

  • The Manager’s Desk Reference by Cynthia Berryman-Fink and Charles B Fink, Amacom, 1996, NY
  • Seeing What’s Next – Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change by Clayton M Christensen, Scott D Anthony and Erik A Roth, Harvard Business School Press
  • The First 90 Days – Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels by Michael D Watkins, Harvard Business School Press
  • You Next Move by Michael D Watkins, Harvard Business Press
  • From Smart to Wise – Acting and Leading with Wisdom by Prasad Kaipa and Navi Radjou, Random House India 2013
  • Driven to Distraction at Work – How to Focus and Be More Productive by Edward M Hallowell, HBR Press [ A sound resource to focus, take control and become more productive]
  • The McKinsey Engagement by Paul N Friga, PhD, Tata McGraw-Hill Edition
  • The McKinsey Way – Using the Techniques of the World’s Top Strategic Consultants to Help You and Your Business by Ethan M Rasiel, Tata McGraw-Hill Edition
  • Succeed for Yourself- Unlock your Potential for Success and Happiness by Richard Denny, Kogan Page, 2008
  • The Next Level – What Insiders Know About Executive Success by Scott Eblin, Davies-Black Publishing, Mountain View California
  • Managing Up! – 59 Ways to Build a Career-Advancing Relationship with Your Boss by Michael and Deborah Singer Dobson, Amacom
  • The Distance Manager – A Hands-On Guide to Managing Off-Site Employees and Virtual Teams by Kimball Fisher, Maureen Duncan Fisher, McGraw-Hill
  • Harvard Business Review on Managing Your Career in Tough Times, Harvard Business Press

Hacks

Hacks or in simple words “tips” are extremely useful. Do see www.lifehack.org, which is an excellent resource.
Mark Bender in his book, Operation Excellence: Succeeding in Business and Life-The US Military Way by Amacom recommends that one gets a library membership, read books, and can reduce them to 3×5 index cards so as to get the main thoughts on the cards for posterity.

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