Recommended Reading: Leadership and Management

The staff at Donorly has compiled a Labor Day reading list—four books that tackle the subject of management and leadership in the nonprofit world and beyond!

First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently
by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Gallup presents its findings from an in-depth study of 80,000 managers at companies ranging in size from small, entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Whatever your own context, there is something to be gained from Buckingham and Coffman’s synthesis of lessons learned that can help you channel the talent and drive of your nonprofit employees.

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
by Adam Grant

Grant, a professor at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, suggests that people operate in one of three ways: as a taker, matcher, or giver. In this book, he explores how each of these styles impact success, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) makes the argument for the power of operating as a giver.

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t
by Simon Sinek

Why do some teams work together seamlessly while others are stuck in a cycle of paranoia and infighting? In this book, Sinek suggests that the health of the workplace depends on how its leader creates a “Circle of Safety” that engenders trust and a sense of security within the team so that it can focus on tackling the challenges it must face as a unit.

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
by Danny Meyer

Meyer’s success as a restaurateur is based on a philosophy that extends well beyond the restaurant industry. In this book, he tells the story of how he built his empire by using his philosophy of “Enlightened Hospitality,” an approach that calls for building strong relationships within the organization in order to best serve your target audience.