Susan Federico ⋅ Cranston, RI Citizens Financial ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi, I suggest the book: Getting to Yes with Yourself by William Ury.

Joe Pierce ⋅ Jonesboro, AR Husqvarna Outdoor Products ⋅ 30 years experience

Anything by Peter Drucker
How to win friends and influence people t=y Carnegie
Who moved me cheese

Philip Lantz ⋅ Kansas City, MO U.S. Army, Master Sergeant ⋅ 20 years served

I am sure there are a lot of excellent recommendations. I recommend "Influence- The Psychology of Persuasion." Some of it is focused on sales type people. But all of it is usable by managers, followers, etc...essentially everyone.

todd moore ⋅ Terre Haute, IN U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

Since you are a sergeant or were a sergeant, you already have some background. Now the question is were you a good manager?? That is something in which you need to do some introspection. That being stated, you need a good mentor. A book is decent for certain ideas, but a good mentor will top anything that a book states.

Greg Hayley ⋅ Clearfield, UT Amentum ⋅ 35 years experience

I would add: The Belief System: the Secret to Motivation and Improved Performance, by Thad B. Green and Merwyn Hayes. Very short and to the point "how to" regarding expectancy theory.

Kevin Trosine ⋅ Oviedo, FL Verizon ⋅ 30 years experience

I see you've had a lot of feedback on this. I also would like to add John C Maxwell to your list. He has many great leadership books as well as online audio programs. Great fir down to earth advise.

Landon Carl ⋅ Lewisville, TX Goldman Sachs ⋅ 8 years experience

Good to Great, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Goal, The Go Giver, Never Split the Difference.

Keep asking this question throughout your career and don't stop reading!

Ryan Brown ⋅ Melbourne, FL Patriot Investment Partners ⋅ 2 years experience

Thank you all for the feedback. I have added every suggested book to my "wish-list."

Joe Pierce ⋅ Jonesboro, AR Husqvarna Outdoor Products ⋅ 30 years experience

Anything by Peter Drucker, How to win friends and influence people Carnegie

John Regan ⋅ Aurora, CO U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 8 years served

I wish I'd seen your question sooner, Ryan! I wrote a short blog post on LinkedIn about this very topic. Take a look:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transitioning-junior-military-officer-manager-reading-john-regan/

Cory Lotspeich ⋅ Suffolk, VA U.S. Marine Corps, Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations 6th Ed. by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner is a good one for quick reference along the leadership journey.

June R Massoud ⋅ Burlington, VT School Boards/Teaching, Tutoring Business and Technical Business ⋅ 25 years experience

You know, your question is interesting. Last year, I viewed a list of book recommendations by Warren Buffett on the internet. Just Google: Warren Buffett: Reading list for business and see what comes up. Happy New Year. I hope this helps!

Deb Yeagle ⋅ Tampa, FL Plan To Win, Inc. ⋅ 39 years experience

Ryan-
If you would really like to read an eye-opening book on "the evolution of leadership" and organizational structure, then I highly recommend "Reinventing Organizations" by Frederic Laloux. It will help you to prepare for the evolutionary leadership and management approaches that you will be facing in your career.
Thanks again for your service, and Happy New Year!
Deb

John Johnson ⋅ Converse, TX U.S. Army, Sergeant First Class ⋅ 23 years served

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

It's a book and a learning series. Truthfully, anything from him is a easy read but contains a lot of powerful information about leadership and management.

G. Rino Fazio ⋅ Arlington, VA U.S. Department of State ⋅ 15 years experience

My favorites business/leadership books include:

--How to Win Friends & Influence People (Dale Carnegie)

--The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement (Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox)

--Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (Dan Heath, Chip Heath)

--The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (Patrick Lencioni)

--Leadership & Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box (The Arbinger Institute)

--A Message to Garcia (Elbert Hubbard)

Good luck!

John (Casey) Roach ⋅ Greenwich, CT Merrill Lynch ⋅ 45 years experience

I have some suggestions for you:
1. Read Boys in the Boat
2. Look up John P. Kotter read summaries of his books and pick up one or two to read
3. Take some courses at night to get you thinking about what you really want to do

Some will undoubtedly disagree, but you have a good education from the school of hard knocks. In addition, you have learned a great deal through your years in the service. Your challenge today is to determine what you want to do. Most importantly, you need to determine what you like doing, what you are good at doing and what you do not like to do. Lastly, be honest with yourself: what are your strengths and what are you weaknesses; write them down and ask your confidants their perception of you. Be sure to listen intently and learn how you are perceived. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and best wishes for your continues success.

Chad Jackman ⋅ Rockwall, TX U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 18 years served

First and foremost, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babbin. I read that book at least every year and it's had a big impact on my leadership style.
Other greats are:
Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Good to Great and Great by Choice by Jim Collins
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham

Jeanine Boyle ⋅ West Chester, PA Johnson & Johnson ⋅ 20 years experience

Ryan - Thanks for asking the question bc now I have added to my reading list as well! Lots of great ideas here. Linchpin by Seth Godin. My personal favorite. Thanks for your service!

Richard Babb ⋅ Wilmington, NC Babb McGrew LLC ⋅ 15 years experience

Good morning Ryan,

The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan offer some interesting ideas on how to maximize focus in the workplace and at home.

Richard Babb

Robert Rahni ⋅ White Plains, NY Fordham University ⋅ 13 years experience

Hi Ryan,

Hope your new managerial role is progressing well. A good book on organizational leadership that comes to mind is “Principles” by Ray Dalio and “Tribe of Mentors” by Timothy Ferriss.

Enjoy!
Rob

martin kelly ⋅ Wilmington, DE ISM Insurance, Inc. ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi Ryan.............

So, anything by Drucker (The Effective Exec)

Crucial/Fierce conversations ( Susan Scott)

Leadership Transformed ( Peter Fuda)

Start with Why ( Sinek)

John Kotter has a lot of good stuff on culture change as well!

Good luck Ryan - and thanks for your service!!

Martin

Darlene Casstevens ⋅ Oxford, NC Liberty University ⋅ 13 years experience

Eat That Frog! : 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
Tracy, Brian S.

Published by Berrett-Koehler Publications (2002)

ISBN 10: 1576751988 ISBN 13: 9781576751985

Ian Forinash ⋅ Rockwall, TX Raytheon ⋅ 20 years experience

"Extreme Ownership" and "Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations". READ THE PROLOGUE.

Walter (Wally) Massenburg ⋅ Andover, MA Raytheon ⋅ 50 years experience

Ryan, The two "Business Bibles" that our former CNO, ADM Vern Clark, used to transform the culture of the Navy was John Kotter's "Leading Change" and George Labovitz's "The Power of Alignment". He issued these books to every Flag and Senior Executive during his tenure. All the best, Wally Massenburg

Beth Ward ⋅ Laramie, WY ⋅ 25 years experience

Ryan - I’m coming in with a late answer here but didn’t see the most valuable and simple book on leadership - The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencion. The book is a short story and quick read about establishing a healthy culture and relationships at work - the foundation of successful leadership and performance.

When you create a healthy culture with those you’re leading, you can quickly find answers, work through challenges, empower your team, and most importantly have fun together. Good luck!

Timothy Ruiz ⋅ New Port Richey, FL Ringfeder Power Transmission ⋅ 17 years experience

Hello Mr. Brown,

I might recommend a book called The Trust Edge. I saw the author in person at a conference, and was drawn by his approach enough to invest in his books/CDs ($90), which says a lot.

Google the book and research the author's philosophies to see if it's something you might benefit from.

Many Thanks for your Service!

- Timothy R.

Judy Braun ⋅ Vernon Hills, IL Braun Leadership Consulting ⋅ 30 years experience

Ryan, All the recommendations above are great. If you're new to managing people I think Ken Blanchard's books have been a baseline for me for many years. I would also recommend any of Stephen Covey's books - they give you the principles of dealing with tough people situations. I would get a subscription to Harvard Business Review or Forbes. I like Marshall Goldsmith's website - lots of free stuff to read and very practical. Good luck to you and thank you for your service.

Ryan Brown ⋅ Melbourne, FL Patriot Investment Partners ⋅ 2 years experience

Thank you all for your advice. I really really appreciate it. I will try to get every book that was recommended.

Thanks,

Ryan

Donald Marshall ⋅ Hingham, MA U.S.Treasury ⋅ 45 years experience

Ryan,
Read anything authored by Jack Welch or Jeff Immelt - the last two CEOs of GE Company.
Their writing covers all aspects of business and the economy. It also covers GE's significant change in strategic direction from a focus on financial services and manufacturing to one of manufacturing in and interconnected world.
Don

Beth Oneill ⋅ Lombard, IL DuPage Workforce ⋅ 15 years experience

The one minute manager meets the monkey by ken Blanchard teaches the skill of delegation. Good luck.

Rex Conger ⋅ Gilbert, SC Perry Memorial Hospital NR NH Pensacola ⋅ 50 years experience

Lincoln on Leadership - Best Book you will ever read!
Best Wishes
REX

Rex Conger ⋅ Gilbert, SC Perry Memorial Hospital NR NH Pensacola ⋅ 50 years experience

Lincoln on Leadership - Best Book you will ever read!
Best Wishes
REX

Darrell Pope ⋅ Tampa, FL Dynamic Aviation ⋅ 46 years experience

I highly recommend "The American Icon" by Bryce G. Hoffman. There is also a good series short easy read books by Ken Blanchard which starts out with the "One Minute Manager", some one else recommended "Good to Great" which is also a must read.
V/R
Darrell

Tom Whitehill ⋅ Westford, MA Schneider Electric ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Ryan,

I'll second Good to Great by Jim Collins.

And add, Winning the Talent Wars by Bruce Tulgan.

Good luck with the new position!

michael dorsey ⋅ Woodbridge, VA U.S. Air Force, Technical Sergeant ⋅ 20 years served

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. As John Green from Cary, NC stated, Crossing The Chasm by Geoffrey Moore is also a good one. Both books can apply to any industry.

David Reagan ⋅ Cardiff By The Sea, CA City National Bank (Retired) ⋅ 30 years experience

Some excellent suggestions above. I would add General (USAF Ret) Perry M. Smiths "Rules & Tools for Leaders". A modified civilian version of his prior work on leadership.

Forrest Lykins ⋅ Wellsville, KS Johnson Controls JCI ⋅ 30 years experience

A short list of recommended reading:
Simon Sineks book "Leaders Eat Last" is good.
Malcolm Galdwell "Outliers"
Dale Carnegie "How to Win Friends and Influence People"
Jim Collins "Good to Great"
Buckingham and Coffman "First, Break All the Rules"
Stephen M. R. Covey "The Speed of Trust"

For strategy try "Certain to Win" by Chet Richards, it is an adaptation of John Boyd's military principles for business.

If you want to go someplace unexpected try"The Real Team Six" by Richard Marchenko.

Bruce Marks ⋅ Lewes, DE Center for Creative Leadership ⋅ 33 years experience

Ryan,

Lot's of good suggestions already. I would recommend Liquid Leadership by Brad Szollose. It has some great strategies for leading and managing in today's changing environment. Best wishes, Bruce (brucermarks@gmail.com)

Kent Watson ⋅ Monticello, FL U.S. Army, Chief Warrant Officer ⋅ 34 years served

Good afternoon Ryan, My best recommendation would be to read anything written by General Colin Powell, former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Leadership. I had the privilege of serving our great nation for nearly 35 years active duty, JROTC Department Head for three years, and a tour with Second Congressional District, U.S. House of Representatives. On active duty had spent time in advanced research and development for US Special Operations Command, US Space Command, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Had met many charismatic leaders, but you can never go wrong by following the Leadership advice shared by the Honorable/General Colin Powell. Very Sincerely, Kent T. Watson

Jim Schreier ⋅ Milwaukee, WI 212 Leadership/Career Coaching ⋅ 50 years experience

Human Side of Enterprise is excellent and as valid today as ever. I'd also strongly recommend "First Break All the Rules, What the World's Greatest Manager's Do Differently" Well grounded in "strengths" and very prescriptive in how to implement.

Keith Van Sickle ⋅ Menlo Park, CA Tensilica ⋅ 25 years experience

I'll echo Bill Nobles' answer - McGregor's "The Human Side of Enterprise" is one of the most important and relevant books about management and leadership ever written.

David Daugerdas ⋅ Palatine, IL IBM ⋅ 36 years experience

I agree with John above; Crossing the Chasm is an excellent book.

Mike Cottell ⋅ Glen Head, NY Michael T Cottell Consulting ⋅ 42 years experience

Hi Ryan, in addition to the great reads suggested to date, consider " Mindset" by Carol S. Dweck, PhD It has applications to both your professional and personal life, has both business and sports examples and is an easy, but influential read. Thank you for your service and Good Luck to you!
Best Regards, Mike

Bob Molluro ⋅ Wilmington, DE Benchmark Consulting Services ltd. ⋅ 30 years experience

Ryan my first recommendation is to follow Jay Abraham. He has the greatest Marketing mind on the planet as you will see. You can find presentations on YouTube. He also gives away tons of free stuff at https://www.abraham.com/. Most of the experts who have written books were mentored by Jay. Jay has been my mentor for more than 30 years. if you want to really learn how to think as a business person or executive listen to him carefully.
I would recommend if you are building a Strategic Business Plan that you read The Last Strategic Business Planning Process you will ever need. Written by Bob Molluro (that's me). It can be purchased as an ebook on Amazon.
Since you are a vet I would be happy to send you one for free. Just email me at ramco1@verizon.net. In October I will be conducting a two hour session for Vets who own businesses at a workshop at St Joseph's University in Philadelphia. I believe there are over 100 signups. The eight day workshop is all expenses paid for injured Vets. I will help them to build their business plan.

Bill Nobles ⋅ Basking Ridge, NJ Exxon ⋅ 30 years experience

Ryan, the book that most influenced my long Exxon management career was Douglas McGregor's "The Human Side of Enterprise," which remains as relevant today as when written 50+ years ago. In fact, my partner and I recently published "Questioning Corporate Hierarchy," which extends McGregor's principles to argue that managers have no fundamental reason to hierarchically control employees. It describes how six leaders emphasized freedom instead of control to out-perform the S&P 500 for three decades each by factors ranging from 6-10 in five different industries. The book is available on Amazon.com but if you will email your address I will be happy to mail a free copy. While your organization may not provide latitude to practice freedom our book offers ideas on how to capitalize on the principles these two books emphasize within traditional management cultures.
Best wishes for a successful career, Bill Nobles (billnobles@optonline.net)

John Green ⋅ Cary, NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

The best series of books I know of regarding this topic is from Geoffrey Mooore, Crossing The Chasm, Living on the Fault line, escape Velocity, Inside The Tornado. All great reads with contemporary examples.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=geoffrey+moore