Top People Management books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite People Management books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of People Management

Understanding the concepts of People Management starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

People Strategy: How to Invest in People and Make Culture Your Competitive Advantage

People Strategy: How to Invest in People and Make Culture Your Competitive Advantage provides listeners with a powerful framework in which to develop high-performing teams, increase employee motivation, and use data to build an inviting and effective company culture.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box

Leadership and Self-Deception Book Summary at a Glance. Leadership and Self-Deception explains how self-deception clouds our vision, leading us to blame others rather than admitting our own faults and part in the problem.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

That's exactly how Julie Zhuo felt when she became a rookie manager at the age of 25. She stared at a long list of logistics--from hiring to firing, from meeting to messaging, from planning to pitching--and faced a thousand questions and uncertainties. How was she supposed to spin teamwork into value? How could she be a good steward of her reports' careers? What was the secret to leading with …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

This book explains why people are divided by politics and religion. The answer is not that some people are good and some are evil. Instead, that out minds were designed for groupish righteousness. We are deeply intuitive creatures who's gut feelings drive our strategic reasoning.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

People Management: Everything you need to know about managing and leading people at work

As a manager, it's not always inherently easy to understand how to best lead and communicate with your team. You don’t become a great manager overnight—you have to work at it just like anything else you want to excel at.This book will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a better manager and leader of people.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Welcome to Management: How to Grow From Top Performer to Excellent Leader

Welcome to Management by Ryan Hawk is more than a guide on how to effectively lead people. It will force you to look inward and rethink how you learn, grow, and improve. If you want to scale up your leadership ability, you must read this book.” “Greatness is in the agency of others.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional People Management Reading

These books are not required for you to learn People Management, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How.

The Talent Code is a book written by Daniel Coyle that explores the concept of talent development and the factors that contribute to exceptional performance. Scientists have discovered that myelin might just be the holy grail: the foundation of all forms of greatness!

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Management of the Absurd

In Management of the Absurd, Richard Farson zeros in on the paradoxes of communication, the politics of management, and the dilemmas of change, exploring relationships within organizations and offering a unique perspective on the challenges managers face.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The One Minute Manager

The One Minute Manager emphasizes the importance of setting clear and specific goals that are achievable within a short span of time. These goals should be written concisely on a single page and should address what is to be accomplished, how it will be measured, and when it is expected to be completed.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

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