“In most cases, being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.”
When you are helping people to lead change, it is important to understand business and external world influencing factors from different perspectives. As a result, we here at What We Reading strive to read non-fiction and business books that give us the ability to see things from a slightly different lens. We teamed up with Jennifer Bryan, author of Leading People in Change: A Practical Guide, to pull together the best books on change management!
A World Without Work – Daniel Susskind
To kick us off is Daniel Susskind’s book A World Without Work which discusses the possibilities from an economic perspective. Since the industrial revolution began and we started to use machines in our work, there has been the fear that humans will be replaced. As we have seen time and again, instead machines come to help us do things differently, faster and many times more effectively.
However, there is a possibility that AI will decrease the amount of work that is currently delivered by humans and so we need to have some ideas and plans in place as to how we will manage this transition. In this book, Daniel Susskind puts forward several options and possibilities that I think are important for leaders in business and Government to consider, which I found fascinating and very thought-provoking.
The 4 Day Week – Andrew Barnes
Andrew Barnes’ book The 4 Day Week outlines how companies of varying scales and industries could enable their workforce to adopt a 4-day work week, rather than the typical 5 and the benefits this brings to productivity. He also outlines the pitfalls, what to avoid and how best to plan and prepare the organisation for this significant shift.
Following the shifts in technology and technical advancements, I think his business approach is valuable and well worth a read and consideration. Of course, this book is quite revolutionary and has been the catalyst to several experiments on implementing a 4 day work week with multiple organisations across the globe, including Microsoft, Toshiba, Panasonic, Lamborghini, and Forbes Advisor, just to name a few.
Check Out These Books On Focusing
Change Management: The People Side Of Change – Jeffrey Hiatt And Timothy Creasey
It would be remiss of me to not include a book on the people side of change so I put forward Jeffrey Hiatt and Timothy Creasey’s book, Change Management: The People Side of Change. This book has been out since 2012 and the ADKAR model they share is the foundation of the Prosci certification in change management.
I think the ADKAR model is very helpful and useful for business leaders and young change professionals alike. What I like most about the book is how they break to simple terms the foundations of the people side of change, which in my opinion is invaluable because without people there would be no change, no matter what the change is within an organisation.
Flux: 8 Superpowers For Thriving In Constant Change – April Rinne
For decades, it has been the accepted idea that change is constant and hence one of the biggest challenges many business leaders are facing is how to help people deal with change fatigue. In Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change by April Rinne she talks about needing a different mindset than we have had before.
We seem to continue to wait for change to stop; instead, we need to build the skills, processes, systems and mindsets that enable flexibility so that we can constantly adapt to continuous change. She mentions that change is happening at such a fast rate at the moment, but it is also the slowest rate it will ever be and I completely agree with her. We need to treat change and uncertainty as being the ‘norm’ rather than the exception.
Becoming A Dangerous Woman – Pat Mitchell
Lastly and I think my favourite is Pat Mitchell’s Becoming A Dangerous Woman. Her candour, insights and sharing of her personal experiences I found illuminating and powerful. The leadership skills she articulates I think every businesswoman would benefit from embracing.
Many times, we shy away from our strengths and downplay them and she talks about how we need them and how she did, instead, shout about them. Sometimes the shouting went well and sometimes it didn’t, but she was true to herself and that gave me energy. I felt empowered reading her book and would highly recommend it.
Follow Jennifer And All Of Her Work On Her Website or LinkedIn, And Check Out Her Author Interview Here
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
