Top 10 Cultural Transformation Books

Mean People Suck: How Empathy Leads to Bigger Profits and a Better Life

By Michael Brenner

"In Mean People Suck, author Michael Brenner challenges the idea that leaders must be “mean” in order to be authoritative and an effective manager. Instead, he introduces the idea of using empathy to connect and communicate better with your employees.

When employee engagement is low in the workplace, poor management and lack of leadership are often to blame. Negativity in company culture, poor relationships with co-workers and a boss who’s just plain mean will lead to unhappy employees, worse performance and lower profits."

Elevate

By Robert Glazer

" In this national bestseller, author Robert Glazer provides an inspiring read about how you can bring out the best in yourself as well as those around you. Building on the power of a positive focus and his thought leadership as a visionary in the business world, he includes real-life lessons from numerous individuals.

The primary aim of the book is not to just help elevate readers to achieve individual sense. Instead, Glazer goes much deeper than that.

He examines how spirituality, emotional intelligence and intellectual ability provide pathways toward becoming a better person and igniting the best in those around you. As a result, he delivers the recipe for happiness, joy and satisfaction in work and life."

Social CEO, The: How Social Media Can Make You A Stronger Leader

By Damian Corbet

"IInsights into why CEOs need to get social for business success, and how they can become effective social leaders.
While business leaders may feel that it's enough to hire social media managers and amend their marketing strategies, Damian Corbet shows why organizations need to do more to succeed in the Social Age--why CEOs need to "get social" to survive.

The Social CEO sets out to educate and inspire senior leaders to embrace the Social Age, teaching them the hows and whys of utilizing social media in order to make them stronger leaders."

You Don’t Have to be Ruthless to Win: The Art of Badass Selfless Service

By Jonathan Keyser

"Jonathan Keyser is out to prove that you don’t have to be all about yourself in business but instead can excel by taking a selfless approach to servicing customers. If you doubt his claim, then you’ll definitely need to read this book.

Keyser shares how he had a job he hated in commercial real estate brokerage and how it turned him into the worst version of himself. From there, he explains how he decided to reinvent himself as a selfless leader. As a result, his brokerage firm achieved eight figures"

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

By Simon Sinek

"In this follow-up to Start With Why, Sinek explores what makes a great leader and why strong leadership is the key to a happy team and a successful business.

The title of the book comes from a conversation Sinek had with a Marine Corps general when he observed the most senior individuals taking their seats to eat only when the more junior Marines had already been served. This rule extended far beyond the dining hall — on the battlefield, leaders are expected and prepared to sacrifice their own conveniences for the good of their team.

If you’re looking for how to improve your leadership skills beyond management tips and theory, Leaders Eat Last delves into human emotions and biology, and why it’s so important to create a “circle of safety” for your team to give them the confidence to flourish."

Cultural Transformations: Lessons of Leadership and Corporate Reinvention

By John Mattone & Nick Vaidya

"Throughout today's rapidly changing business world, top CEOs face two primary challenges: solving the leadership gap and creating a sustainable corporate culture. International leadership coach John Mattone and CEO magazine editor-in-chief Nick Vaidya unlock the keys to leadership development and cultural transformation through intimate interviews with fourteen CEOs from top organizations, including Deloitte, Graybar, Genpact, The North Face, HP Financial, Virtusa, Bigcommerce, American Marketing Association, Almansoori Specialized Engineering, Oman LNG, and Claro. Culture was long thought to be merely a 'soft' resource in the corporate equation. However, more and more business leaders are beginning to recognize the necessity of culture when it comes to creating and sustaining long-term growth and change. What is the key to creating a strong business culture? Leadership. The best cultures start with CEOs who set the tone for the rest of the company, guiding others through the often difficult process of corporate transformation"

Bad Company/Good Company A Leader's Guide: Transforming Dysfunctional Culture

By Charles E. Williams

"Cultural Dysfunction is a disease at epidemic levels in many organizations. No group is immune from the insidious onset and negative impact dysfunction brings to businesses, non-profits, health care, academia, and the public sector. In Bad Company/Good Company, A Leaders Guide: Transforming Dysfunctional Culture, veteran business executives Charles E. Williams and James T. Schultz offer proven processes and tactics they used over their 90+ years combined experience successfully transforming cultures of failure and underachievement in complex and resistant organizations in both the private and public sectors. Their realistic narrative provides an orderly roadmap how to recognize and cure cultural dysfunction and improve results in safety, employee engagement, customer happiness, inancial performance, productivity, operational excellence, and overall stakeholder satisfaction."

The Inclusive Leader's Guide to Healthy Workplace Culture: Prevent Toxic Work Environments, Bullying, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination

By Meredith Holley

"Inclusive leaders can prevent toxic work environments.When you run an amazing company that is making the world a better place, one of the last things you want to hear is that an employee feels harassed or discriminated against. But statistics show that harassment and discrimination occur at very high rates, and good companies are not immune. Many business owners with scaling companies worry they might lose good employees or even face lawsuits because of discrimination, but they’re not ready to hire a full Human Resources Department."

Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live

By Laszlo Bock

"Google is not only one of the world’s most successful companies, but it’s also one of the most sought-after places to work. Google is famous for its employee perks like free gourmet food and innovative working environments, but is there more to the organization’s success? Who better to give away the secrets to Google’s success than one of its insiders?

Author Laszlo Bock was the Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google — a job role that entailed being in charge of attracting and retaining “Googlers”, and making Google win the title of Best Company to Work for more than 30 times around the world.”

Radical Candor: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean

By Kim Scott

"Along the same lines of reducing aggression in your management style for better results, Radical Candor provides you with advice on how to be a “kick-ass boss without losing your humanity.”

This book advises leaders to move from a position of control to one of collaboration, building a supportive feedback loop that’s designed to deliver better results and invest in employee development.

Radical candor boils down to two key concepts: care about your people on a personal level and challenge them directly. Beyond this, Scott identifies three key principles for managers to build better relationships with their employees: make it personal, get stuff done and understand why it matters."