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 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

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 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

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

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 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 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

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

Augment your People Management books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 3 Spot Left

As a Board Director, startup coach, and technology executive, I bring over two decades of experience advising governments, founders, and legal teams across Asia and Europe. My work sits at the intersection of infrastructure, law, and emerging technology—particularly AI, blockchain, and tokenisation. I coach startup founders, operators, and leadership teams …

$240 / month

Only 2 Spot Left

I mentor Product Managers at all stages. Whether you're transitioning into product for the first time or feeling stuck in your current role. My approach blends practical career navigation with deep expertise in design, data, UX and product. I also bring firsthand experience balancing a high-performance career while managing a …

$110 / month

Only 3 Spot Left

Hi there! My name is Sebastiano, and I'm an experienced engineering leader with a passion for helping others grow in their careers. I'm currently an Engineering leader at Meta, I've previously served as a Director of Engineering at Upwork and held leadership roles at companies such as Pinterest, PayPal, Snap, …

$110 / month


I coach entrepreneurs and startups to avoid any roadblocks and build businesses that succeed. I have been a Round 2 judge for the ABH 2025/24/23/22 (Jack Ma Foundation). This has helped me have a deeper understanding of what investors are looking for in startups across the globe. A lot of …

$240 / month


Mohamed Elrfaey — Technology Leader, Innovator, and Mentor With over 18 years of experience in software development, technology management, and entrepreneurship, I specialize in building high-performance teams that deliver cutting-edge solutions and amplify ROI. My expertise spans e-commerce, cloud computing, machine learning, security, and financial markets. At Amazon Canada, I …

$200 / month

Only 1 Spot Left

I've spent my entire career in video game development. I am currently working for a 3rd person action MOBA called Predecessor (https://www.predecessorgame.com/). Before that, I was at Ubisoft Sofia on Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and its 3rd DLC - Dawn of Ragnarok, and even further back I have also worked with …

$200 / month

Browse all People Management mentors

Still not convinced? Don't just take our word for it

We've already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they've left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a People Management mentor
  • "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."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."