These books, which I've read or am reading, are works whose content can inform business life.
The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion. John Hagel III, John Seely Brown, Lang Davison. Aptly describes the change that is afoot and how anyone -- and any business -- can sustain relevance and connection.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Doris Kearns Goodwin. Shows how competitors can collaborate when their leader is clear about the objective and recognizes how their motives can help reach the goal. [Side benefit: I found the description of the actions of biased journalists soothing. If this country survived a civil war and those reporters, it can survive anything.]
The Divine Comedy. Dante Alighieri [The John Ciardi Translation]. Amazing that despite every other kind of growth, the human character really never changes. Very useful.
I Hate People: Kick Loose from the Overbearing and Underhanded Jerks at Work and Get What You Want Out of Your Job. Jonathan Littman, Mark Hershon. The authors do an outstanding job of categorizing every personality you can encounter in the workplace. The psychology and the comedy of pathological behavior.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose. Tony Hsieh. Sometimes nice works. Here's how to do it and prosper without becoming a patsy.
Power: Why Some People Have It -- and Others Don't. Jeffrey Pfeffer. How to get comfortable with power and decide whether you want it.
Overlook Much, Correct a Little: 99 Sayings by John XXIII. Hans-Peter Rothlin, editor. The musings of an enlightened mind, these thoughts inspire action that benefits every stakeholder in an organization -- most especially, oneself.
