“So Many Books, So Little Time”
As seen on a T – shirt
“Not All Readers Lead, But All Leaders Read”
Attributed to Mark Twain by David Gergen during a book interview on CSPAN
“ As you know, the only things that will change you from where you are today to where you want to be five years from now are the books you read and the people you meet.”
Lou Holtz
“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book”
Henry David Thoreau
“You are the same today that you are going to be five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate, and the books you read”
Charles Jones
“Read in your field for at least one hour every day”
Brian Tracey

During my various training programs a number of participants invariably ask for recommendations regarding books that they should read. As many of you are aware, I have produced a number of extensive, comprehensive, and volumous bibliographies on a variety of topics. But the question usually boils down to this: “If I only have time to read one book (on this subject), what should I read?” That’s a VERY TOUGH question as there are lots and lots of books out there on all of the subjects related to management and leadership. In fact, there are thousands! The literature on leadership and management is rich and diverse. It is extremely difficult to select and recommend just one book on any major topic! In fact, in a couple of cases, I have cheated and listed more then one book.
However, in order to be responsive to my “customers”, I will attempt to do so! But please remember, these reflect my preferences and biases and do not necessarily represent the thoughts and recommendations of the Center, the CPM Program, or my colleagues. When you ask instructors in the fields of management and leadership for their recommendation of the “one best book” you are going to receive legitimate differences of opinion. These are my opinions!
ART OF CARING LEADERSHIP
Autry, James A. Love & Profit: The Art Of Caring Leadership. New York, New York:
William Morrow And Company, Inc., 1991.
ASSUMING A NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE/POSITION
Ciampa, Dan and Michael Watkins. Right From The Start: Taking Charge In A New
Leadership Role. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, 1999.
BALANCED SCORECARD – GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFIT AGENCIES
Niven, Paul R. Balanced Scorecard Step-By-Step For Government And Nonprofit
Agencies. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2003.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT/LEADING CHANGE/ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE
Black, J. Stewart and Hal B. Gregersen. Leading Strategic Change. Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2002.
Kotter, John P. and Dan S. Cohen. The Heart Of Change. Boston, Massachusetts:
Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

COACHING
Fournies, Ferdinand F. Coaching For Improved Performance. Revised Edition. New
York, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Fournies, Ferdinand F. Why Employees Don’t Do What They Are Suppose To Do And
What To Do About It. Revised and Updated Edition. New York, New York: McGraw-
Hill, 1999.
COLLABORATION-GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Linden, Russell M. Working Across Boundaries: Making Collaboration Work In
Government And Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, A
Wiley Imprint, 2002.
COMMUNICATION
King, Larry, with Bill Gilbert. How To Talk To Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The
Secrets Of Good Communication. New York, New York: Three Rivers Press, 1994.
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT/DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE –
COMMUNICATION
Horn, Sam. Tongue Fu! How To Deflect, Disarm, And Defuse Any Verbal Conflict.
New York, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT/RESOLUTION - GUIDE TO CONFLICT FOR
COWARDS
Ursiny, Tim. The Coward’s Guide To Conflict: Empowering Solutions For Those Who
Would Rather Run Than Fight. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2003.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION/MANAGEMENT
Weeks, Dudley. The Eight Essential Steps To Conflict Resolution. New York, New
York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1992.

CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
Kelley, Tom with Jonathan Littman. The Art Of Innovation: Lessons In Creativity From
IDEO, America’s Leading Design Firm. New York, New York, A Currency Book,
2001.
DELEGATION
Blanchard, Kenneth, William Oncken, Jr., and Hal Burrows. The One Minute Manager
Meets The Monkey. New York, New York: William Morrow And Company, Inc., 1989.
Oncken, William III. Monkey Business. Provo, Utah: Executive Excellence Publishing,
2000.
DIVERSITY
Zemke, Ron, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak. Generations At Work: Managing The
Clash Of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters In Your Workplace. New York, New
York: AMACOM, American Management Association, 2000.
ETHICS
Geuras, Dean and Charles Garofalo. Practical Ethics In Public Administration. Vienna,
Virginia: Management Concepts, Inc., 2002.
Harvey, Eric and Scott Airitam. Ethics 4 Everyone: The Handbook For Integrity-Based
Business. Dallas, Texas: The Walk The Talk Company, 2002.
FACILITATION
Schwarz, Roger. The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource For Consultants,
Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches. New And Revised Edition. San
Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company, 2002.
FEAR IN THE WORKPLACE
Ryan, Kathleen D. and Daniel K. Oestreich. Driving Fear Out Of The Workplace:
Creating High-Trust, High-Performance Organizations. Second Edition. San Francisco,
California: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998.

FLORIDA HISTORY
Gannon, Michael. Florida: A Short History. Gainesville, Florida: University Press Of
Florida, 1993.
FUTURE
Barker, Joel Arthur. Paradigms: The Business Of Discovering The Future. New York,
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1992.
GOVERNMENT IN FLORIDA
Colburn, David R. and Lance deHaven-Smith. Government In The Sunshine State:
Florida Since Statehood. Gainesville, Florida: University Press Of Florida, 1999.
HISTORY – THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Maier, Pauline. American Scripture: Making The Declaration Of Independence. New
York, New York: Vintage Books, 1997.
INSPIRATION
Holtz, Lou. Winning Every Day: The Game Plan For Success. New York, New York:
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1998.
LEADERSHIP – ALTERNATIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Himsel, Deborrah. Leadership Sopranos Style: How To Become A More Effective Boss.
Chicago, Illinois: Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004.
LEADERSHIP – THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge. Third Edition. San
Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company, 2002.

LEADERSHIP – PRACTICAL/APPLIED
Schembri, Anthony J. Leadership For The Soul: Thank God It’s Monday. Longwood,
Florida: Gould Publications, Inc., 2004
.
LEADERSHIP – THEORY/OVERVIEW/SURVEY
Northouse, Peter G. Leadership: Theory And Practice. Third Edition. Thousand Oaks,
California: Sage Publications, Inc., 2004.
LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE (OR
EVEN WHEN YOU ARE)
Bellman Geoffrey M. Getting Things Done When You Are Not In Charge. Second
Edition. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2001.
LEADERSHIP/PRIVATE SECTOR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Welch, Jack With John A. Byrne. Jack: Straight From The Gut. New York, New York:
Warner Business Books, 2001.
LEADERSHIP/RELIGIOUS ASPECTS/SPIRITUAL/FAITH BASED
Blanchard, Ken and Phil Hodges. The Servant Leader: Transforming Your Heart, Head,
Hands & Habits. Nashville, Tennessee: J. Countryman, 2003.
McMichael, James F. The Spiritual Style Of Management: Who Is Running This Show
Anyway? Havana, Florida: Spirit Filled Press, Inc., 1996.
MANAGERSHIP
Buckingham, Marcus and Curt Coffman. First, Break All The Rules: What The World’s
Greatest Managers Do Differently. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1999.
MANAGING YOUR SELF/SELF MOTIVATION
Nelson, Bob. Please Don’t Just Do What I Tell You! Do What Needs To Be Done:
Every Employee’s Guide To Making Work More Rewarding. New York, New York:
Hyperion, 2001.

MEANING
Frankel, Victor E. Man’s Search For Meaning. Revised and Updated. New York, New
York: Washington Square Press, 1984.
MEETING MANAGEMENT
Lencioni, Patrick. Death By Meeting. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley
Imprint, 2004.
MOTIVATION
Daniels, Aubrey C. Bringing Out The Best In People: How To Apply The Astonishing
Power Of Positive Reinforcement. New And Updated Edition. New York, New York:
McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2000.
Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner. Encouraging The Heart: A Leaders’ Guide To
Rewarding And Recognizing Others. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Inc.,
Publishers, 1999.
Nelson, Bob. 1001 Ways To Reward Employees. New York, New York: Workman
Publishing Company, Inc., 1994.
Nelson, Bob and Dean Spitzer. The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook. New
York, New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 2003.
NEGATIVITY
Topchik, Gary S. Managing Workplace Negativity. New York, New York: AMACOM,
American Management Association, 2001.
NETWORKING
Mackay, Harvey. Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty. New York, New York: A
Currency Book, Doubleday, 1997.

OUTSOURCING
Greaver, Maurice F. II. Strategic Outsourcing: A Structured Approach To Outsourcing
Decisions And Initiatives. New York, New York: AMACOM, American Management
Association, 1999.
OUTSOURCING HUMAN RESOURCES
Cook, Mary F. Outsourcing Human Resources Functions. New York, New York:
AMACOM, American Management Association, 1999.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
Coens, Tom and Mary Jenkins. Abolishing Performance Appraisal: Why They Backfire
And What To Do Instead. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.,
2000.
PERSONAL STYLE/PERSONALITY TYPES
Isachsen, Olaf and Linda V. Berens. Working Together: A Personality-Centered
Approach To Management. Third Edition. Irvine, California: Institute For Management
Development, 1995
PRESENTATIONS/PUBLIC SPEAKING
Jeary, Tony. Inspire Any Audience. Dallas, Texas: TPG, Inc., 1996.
PROCRASTINATION
Blanchard, Ken and Steve Gottry. The On-Time; On-Target Manager: How A “Last
Minute Manager” Conquered Procrastination. New York, New York: William Morrow,
HarperCollins, Publishers, Inc., 2004.
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT/ADMINISTRATON – APPLIED
Ashworth, Kenneth. Caught Between The Dog And The Fireplug, Or How To Survive
Public Service. Washington, D. C.: Georgetown University Press, 2001.

RE-ENGINEERING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Linden, Russell M. Seamless Government: A Practical Guide To Re-Engineering In The
Public Sector. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994.
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Autry, James A. The Servant Leader: How To Build A Creative Team, Develop Great
Morale, And Improve Bottom-Line Performance. Roseville, California: Prima
Publishing, 2001.
SIX SIGMA
Pande, Pete and Larry Holpp. What Is Six Sigma ? New York, New York: The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2002.
SPEAKING UP AT WORK
Ryan, Kathleen D., Daniel K. Oestreich, and George A. Orr III. The Courageous
Messenger: How To Successfully Speak Up At Work. San Francisco, California:
Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, 1996.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Bryson, John M. Strategic Planning For Public And Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide
To Strengthening And Sustaining Organizational Achievement. Third Edition. San
Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, 2004.
TEAMS
Scholtes, Peter R., Brian L. Joiner, and Barbara J. Streibel. The Team Handbook. Third
Edition. Madison, Wisconsin: Oriel Incorporated, 2003.
TEAMS – DYSFUNCTIONS
Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team. San Francisco, California:
Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company, 2002.

TIME MANAGEMENT/SELF MANAGEMENT
Tracy, Brian. Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways To Stop Procrastination And Get More
Done In Less Time. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2001.
WALK THE TALK/PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH-TEACH/VALUES
Harvey, Eric and Al Lucia. Walk The Talk: And Get The Results You Want. Third
Edition. Dallas, Texas: The Walk The Talk Company, 2003.
WORK OUT: BUSTING BUREAUCRACY/PROCESS
IMPROVEMENT/PROBLEM SOLVING/CHANGE
Ulrich, Dave, Steve Kerr, and Ron Ashkenas. The GE Work-Out. New York, New
York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2002.
“Good leaders tend to be good teachers who use various means to exercise
“teachership” responsibility. Another way to exercise teachership is to establish and maintain a reading program. It is often said that the really tough jobs cause people to burn up intellectual capital because these individuals stay so busy that they have little time to read, research, or reflect. Leaders who manage their time well can continue to read and gain insights from the best books and articles related to their fields. Leaders should read good history, biographies, and autobiographies, as well as books on management, leadership, strategy, planning, and the long-term future.
Consequently, one of the subjects that should be addressed periodically is a discussion of the best books that you and your associates have read over the past year. You should have cerebral energy and should demonstrate that energy not only by establishing a systematic reading program for yourself, but also by encouraging associates to read valuable material. In this way, you can demonstrate to all of your associates your commitment to a serious reading program. When you read a particularly outstanding book, buy a number of copies and give them to key associates. In addition, establish a system that ensures that the better professional journals circulate throughout the organization.”
“If you read two books each month, you are doing a good job of maintaining cerebral energy and intellectual curiosity.”
Perry M. Smith
Howard M. Rasmussen
Revised 11/24/04