There are a lot of people who have to manage other people’s work and actions every day, for their job roles. Be it, Managers of organizations or the Teachers/Professor at schools and Colleges, they have to manage and educate hundreds of people in a day. But do we really know how tough it is to manage and control other people? No, we don’t, unless we live in the shoes of these talented people, we would never realize how it is actually like to manage a lot of people at a time.
There are millions of students and professionals who dream of working in job positions where they get to manage, control and influence other people, such as a Boss, or a Manager. But the fact is, it is not at all easy to become one of these without qualities and abilities, skills like leadership, decision-making, quick wits, and patience are essential to serving these roles. But how would you actually learn these skills without any guidance? Don’t worry, here is the solution to all your problems. Here are the best books are written so far on “managing people” that can change your perspectives, attitudes, habits, and aims in life. Choose the best one for you among the list of top-10 books given below.
1. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The first one on our list is the most powerful book of all times, on leadership and the power of managing people to controlling minds, Sun Tzu the Chinese strategist and writer reveal remarkable military strategies in his book The Art of War that has influenced generations after generations. This age-old, quick-witted book of strategies is a masterwork and has helped people across the globe to acquire leadership skills. Though it is unknown who Sun Tzu actually was, but his everlasting tactics and strategies have remained as an exceptional leadership guide. Though this book majorly focuses on military strategies, there lies a lifetime lesson of leadership in every piece of advice. Learn from the strategy expert who holds an important position in Chinese History, and whose influential strategies have made this book “the most influential book of strategies in the world”.
2. The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo
The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo is an instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller and an outstanding guide that depicts Julie’s own experiences of becoming a successful Manager. The greatest lessons you can ever receive are from people who have themselves struggled to become powerful leaders, and Julie is one of them. From struggling to maintain the role of a manager, hiring and firing people, to becoming an influential, good manager, Julie shares all the valuable advice in her book to help you become one.
Anyone at any age who wishes to become a manager will gain the skills and knowledge required to become successful leaders who can persuade, manage and lead employees.
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie’s How to Win your Friends and Influence People is one of the best books ever written for people wanting to become powerful managers and leaders. A book that paves a path to success, this classic read includes core ideas and principles to have a better understanding of people, improve relationships, win over conversations, and influence behavior through leadership skills.
With some fundamental techniques, do’s and don’ts, Dale develops content that is extremely informative and useful for aspiring managers and leaders. This book covers essential topics such as Six ways to make people like you, Simple techniques to memorize names, and many other principles and values advices with valid explanations that will enhance the personality of readers. Because to become a good manager, one needs to have a good personality to influence people and lead them.
4. Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager by Michael Lopp
As the title of the book suggests, Michael Lopp’s Managing Humans is indeed a “biting and humorous tale” that you will absolutely enjoy reading, and at the same time learn many important things of being and becoming a Manager.
The hilarious stories of Loop that reflect his own experiences in the corporate world will leave anyone in laughing tears. His bizarre experiences of working as a Manager at some of the leading companies like Apple, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, and others, demonstrate many leadership and management advice with a touch of humor. Whether you are an aspiring manager, or already in the profession, either way, you will absolutely admire this book and come across some first-hand experiences that will help you in your career. Michael Lopp’s Managing Humans deserves a place in every manager’s bookshelves.
5. On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
Warren Bennis was a pioneer of leadership studies, his book On Becoming a Leader has changed the lives of millions of readers worldwide. Truly the only book you will need to acquire leadership skills, Bennis in his book takes readers on a wonderful learning experience that is established on a firm belief, “leaders are not born but made”. It is through the best advice from a scholar like Bennis that can change the perspectives of people around the world and mold them into successful leaders.
This book features lifetime lessons, timeless insights for generations, essential qualities that define a leader, strategies to win over people, and much other valuable information. It is certainly a book that will help readers climb the ladder to success.
6. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People by Harvard Business Review
One of those must-read books on leadership and managing people, Harvard Business Review has published many articles on leadership, and this one on our list is a collection of the best ones.
From learning about motivation, provocation, encouragement to managing with tough empathy, and drawing strength from adversity, you will learn it all from this amazing guide to leadership and management.
7. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John Maxwell
An American bestselling author and an identified leader in business by the American Management Association, John Maxwell brings for readers The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that will transform them into influential leaders. This book by Maxwell is more like a foundational instruction manual, that depicts 21 practical laws that can be applied in any field in any discipline. These laws will provide readers with a better understanding of how to influence people and evidently become successful leaders. This book provides an opportunity to learn the secret strategies and principles from the expert himself and has proven to be useful to many aspiring leaders and managers worldwide.
8. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
Another powerful and influential book on our list by Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is your ultimate guide to delve inside the psyche or persuading people skillfully. This classic written by the expert himself takes readers to an understanding of why people say yes and how this “yes” can be a constant with the right set of principles and ethics that can be applied in everyday business.
Be it a manager, a team leader, or a salesman, everyone needs to master the art of persuasion, and for that one needs to have a better understanding of human psychology and strategies that usually persuade people. Your words can change everything, a no can be turned into a yes with the right tactics. In this book, Cialdini introduces readers to the six universal principles that can help influence and persuade anyone. With a focus on these six principles, Cialdini provides the reader a comprehensive guide that amplifies their abilities to change behaviors and most influence.
9. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
A powerful book on management and leadership by Stephen R. Covey is a self-improvement book that provides readers with the best guide to success and introduces them to good habits that led powerful people to flourish. Covey takes seven good habits that have proven to be useful to successful people and explain them with his own perspective.
Covey brings old traditional beliefs of personality and success and compares them with the modern approach of these seven good habits, and how they are much more effective than traditional methods. A book that will deeply influence readers to become powerful leaders with powerful personalities, Covey’s book will change your perception of seeing the world, and the definition of your success.
10. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink
The last book on the list is one of its kind, for you can learn the power of leadership and management skills right from the highly ranked and powerful Navy Seal Officers obtain their ranks and lead dangerous operations especially in the unit of the Iraq War. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin are former US Navy Seal Officers, who reveal the powerful leadership principles that can be applied in any business or any field. The author themselves have acquired their skills from life-threatening experiences on operations and passes on these skills to the readers.
With the help of 15 real-life experiences that are turned into stories intertwined with important lessons, this book is not only one of the best leadership books ever written, but also provides a unique learning experience for readers through its life-tested strategies. What’s more interesting is that these influencers have not acquired their skills by reading books of greatest advisers rather, they have learned from their experiences, and what can be a better lesson to readers than real-life experiences?
