Book Recommendations

At RSMR, we like to share ideas and productively advocate the wisdom of others, both amongst ourselves and with our clients.  What follows are books that particularly resonated with us – personally, professionally, or both.  While there is never enough time in the day, we believe few things are more important than taking a moment to find inspiration for your next great idea.

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Author: Tony Hsieh

“As the founder of a business with an emphasis on service delivery, I found this engaging and straightforward read to be very impactful.  Tony Hsieh’s thoughts on culture, team-alignment and focusing on customer satisfaction resonated greatly with me.  You know a book has had an impact on you when you’re still thinking about it the next day.  I even gave my copy to an HR leader at a major wind company several days later.” – John Ryan

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – How It Can Renew America
Author: Thomas Friedman

“Friedman is one of the great commentators of our time.  Constantly on the move he sees the big picture of the world and emerging socioeconomic trends, and then puts them down on paper.  Our world is changing so fast, businesses that want to survive (let alone excel) must be ahead of the curve.  Any leader who wants to know what the world may look like in 20 years should read this book.” – Chris Swan

Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn
Author(s): Tojo Thatchenkery and Carol Metzker

“Appreciative Intelligence is a thought provoking book that really pushes the point home that there is always something positive in every situation. Our entire firm read this book and identified with the analogy that every oak tree starts off as an acorn. We think very highly of this book and its message and have been sharing it with clients, family and friends for years.” – Steven Oberhoffer

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
Author(s): Kerry Patterson with Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

“Along with its series companions Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations, this book is vital to anyone who aspires to be a leader.  It has helped me take the long, but purposeful view of change.  It really helped me recalibrate my understanding of how we all think, and how to move opinion in a meaningful direction.” – Chris Swan

Managing the Millennials: Discover the Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce
Authors(s): Chip Espinzoa, Mick Ukleja, and Craig Rusch

“As a Millennial, this book gave me an interesting perspective on how managers might typically perceive and interact with younger employees.  The authors leveraged interviews with veteran managers and examined real life work scenarios to keep the message simple and help the value resonate with readers.  The mission was to equip managers with specific competencies in order to more effectively manage a particular segment of the workforce, but I think the lessons learned here can be applied by anyone in a leadership role.” – Steve Tennessen

The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company
Author(s): Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel

“This book provides a framework for organizing large groups of people and properly establishing where, and how, they fit into an organization.  It also established a gameplan for hiring managers to consider the sort of balance they need on their teams, and why.  I have taken elements from this book and used them with success.” – Chris Swan

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Author(s): Patrick Lencioni

“We all have either been guilty of or witness to several of the dysfunctions highlighted in this book.  But more than simple identification, the author offers constructive solutions to address real challenges that organizations face every day.  Personally I like the fact that this book was written as a narrative so I can share the author’s perspective and experience.  This aspect sets 5 Dysfunctions apart from other management books.” – Steven Oberhoffer

The Leadership Challenge (4th Edition)
Author(s): James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

 

“One of the most well researched and respected texts on management, it establishes the criteria for leadership.  The book takes each element of leadership and precisely describes in real terms how leadership plays with every day people. Although the criteria are very intuitive and less analytical, this is a great book for anyone that wants to understand what leadership is and how to identify it.” – Chris Swan

 

Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People
Author: Brad Smart

“If you believe that the best companies employ the best people, then you should read this book.  The case studies conducted by Dr. Brad Smart demonstrate how to separate A candidates from B candidates, and what that means for the success of your business.  The book also offers a plan for real-world applications of Topgrading methods that you can start today.  It provided our teams with an opportunity to put our process under a microscope, and challenged us to perform at an even higher level.” – Steven Oberhoffer