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.

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

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 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

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams is a 1987 book on the social side of software development, specifically managing project teams. It was written by software consultants Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister, from their experience in the world of software development.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

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!

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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

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 First-Time Manager

The First Time Manager by L. Belker, J McCormick and G Topchik is a great guide for anyone looking to step up in their career and take on the role of a manager. They cover different types of managers, different types of employees and discuss how to handle the transition from employee to manager.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, 20th Anniversary Edition

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is an exploration of the pitfalls that can ensnare a team, obstructing it from reaching the crescendo of its potential. The five dysfunctions he outlines are absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.

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

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

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I am a seasoned engineering leader with a strong background in software engineering with a demonstrated history of building high performing teams that develop hyperscale solutions in both consumer and enterprise space across different geographic markets. I have worked for startups, mid-size as well as large firms, which has given …

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I currently work as a Software Development Manager at Amazon. I am a seasoned leader with more than 17 years of experience in software development, mostly cloud & infrastructure. Ex-founder, ex-Yandex, ex-VK. UK Global Talent.

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