One of the best steps that you can take as a business owner or manager is to help your employees become more effective in their positions. There are many steps that you can take to promote increased productivity in the workplace, but one of the simplest yet most effective methods involves encouraging your employees to read business books. With these book suggestions, you can create a summer reading list for your employees to promote productivity in any work environment.
Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow, by Chip Conley
This innovative book takes a closer look at Maslow’s business hierarchy, and it provides you with important strategies and tips to implement this hierarchy into your own company. Written from the point of view of CEO and founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Chip Conley, the book explores everything from dealing with a collapsed business model to building better relationships with both patrons and employees. Amazon named the book one of its “Best Books of 2013 So Far.”
Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, by Jonathan Haidt
This is not necessarily a business-focused text, but its philosophical analysis can be used to promote productivity and general happiness in employees in the workplace. It is a book that analyzes different cultural and religious beliefs about happiness in general—beliefs that can then be applied by your employees in all facets of life.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
This is an instrumental book that takes a closer look at what it takes to achieve greatness in a professional arena. While its unique perspective is largely tied to the business owner or manager, it can be an important and beneficial book for others in the organization to read as well.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
This interesting book applies basic human behavior and philosophy to business trends and marketing practices. Its teachings are focused on the business world, and they can be used to help business owners, managers and others learn how to create or promote trends and to be leaders in their industry. However, it is important to note that these principles can also be applied to everyday life outside of the office.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh
This is a fascinating book that is just as suitable for entrepreneurs and business owners as it is for managers and staff to read. Written by a Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh, this book covers some of the many mistakes he’s made over the years. Behind each mistake, however, a valuable lesson is revealed. As an added benefit, the book focuses heavily on the importance of company culture.
Productive employees are often happy employees, and many of the books listed here relate to business and personal lives in some way. When looking for the right books to include on your company’s reading list, consider reading some of the best business book summaries as a first step toward finding great books. Summaries are a great way to find books that you want your employees to read for the benefit of the company. Finally, your summer reading list doesn’t need to stop when the sunny summer months end. Encouraging your employees to read books year-round about the importance of positivity and smart business models can work wonders when it comes to building a strong company culture.
