30+ Books on Working Human

Here’s a fun stat for my fellow literary nerds: Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world. Iceland is so well-read, in fact, that it has a national tradition named Jolabokaflod: “Christmas Book Flood.” Books are typically given on Christmas Eve, and people spend the whole night reading.

I’m not sure we have that type of attention span in the U.S., but I like to think many of our blog readers are taking a much-needed break to unwind with family over the holidays. Perhaps you have a bit more time for long-form reading as work slows down before the end of the year.

If you’re looking for a book recommendation, you’re in luck. Many of our WorkHuman 2019 speakers are also accomplished authors, which is why I’ve updated The Official WorkHuman Reading List published earlier this year.

Use the list below as a guide to all the leading research on creating a more inclusive, productive, and human workplace.

1. “What Really Works” by Paul Batz
2. “The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are” by Brené Brown
3. “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone” by Brené Brown (check out my book review)
4. “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” by Brené Brown
5. “Rising Strong” by Brené Brown
6. “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts” by Brené Brown
7. “One Second Ahead: Enhance Your Performance at Work with Mindfulness” by Jacqueline Carter and Rasmus Hougaard (check out Rasmus’ guest post here)
8. “The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results” by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter
9. “How Performance Management is Killing Performance – and What to Do About It” by M. Tamra Chandler
10. “Power Your Tribe: Create Resilient Teams in Turbulent Times” by Christine Comaford (check out our interview with Christine here)
11. “Urban Monk: Exploring Karma, Consciousness, and the Divine” by Gadadhara Pandit Dasa (check out our interview with Pandit here)
12. “The Good Fight: Use Productive Conflict to Get Your Team and Organization Back on Track” by Liane Davey
13. “The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks” by Robert Emmons, PhD
14. “Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Support and Develop a Successful Workforce” by Ben Eubanks
15. “The Science of Story: Brand is a Reflection of Culture” by Adam Fridman and Hank Ostholthoff
16. “The New Science of Radical Innovation: The Six Competencies Leaders Need to Win in a Complex World” by Sunnie Giles
17. “What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation” by Gary Hamel (here’s our latest interview with Gary)
18. “The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line” by David Horsager
19. “Bring Your Human to Work: 10 Surefire Ways to Design a Workplace that is Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World” by Erica Keswin
20. “Happier Now: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments (Even the Difficult Ones” by Nataly Kogan (who recently spoke at our office)
21. “Lead by Greatness: How Character Can Power Your Success” by David Lapin (his guest post on D&I is here)
22. “Unlocking High Performance: How to Use Performance Management to Engage and Empower Employees to Their Full Potential” by Jason Lauritsen (check out his take on employee experience and recent visit to our Framingham office)
23. “The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career” by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathyn Minshew
24. “The Power of Thanks: How Social Recognition Empowers Employees and Creates a Best Place to Work” by Eric Mosley and Derek Irvine
25. “The Crowdsourced Performance Review: How to Use the Power of Social Recognition to Transform Employee Performance” by Eric Mosley
26. “A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He found a Place Called Home” by Steve Pemberton
27. “Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace” by Christine Porath (listen to our WorkHuman Radio episode with Christine)
28. “The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your team to Peak Performance” by Steven Rogelberg
29. “Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tearing Us Apart” by Howard Ross
30. “The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance” by Tony Schwartz
31. “No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results” by Cy Wakeman (listen to our recent interview with Cy)
32. “Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results” by Cy Wakeman
33. “The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves” by The Arbinger Institute

So snuggle up, get comfortable, and enjoy these must-reads on creating a more human workplace this holiday.

About the Author

Sarah is managing editor at Workhuman. When not writing about all things culture, leadership, recognition, and appreciation, she enjoys iced coffee, running, and spending time with her daughter, Mabel.

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