Issue No. 206 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Dec. 31, 2010) highlights my Top-10 books of 2010. And this reminder, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings. As you welcome in 2011, here's a recap of the books I reviewed in 2010 (Issues No. 170 to 205). To download a PDF of the chronological list of book reviews, visit the Book Bucket at the Management Buckets website. I reviewed 34 books and two DVDs in 2010.
Here are my Top 10 picks of the year for the books I reviewed. It's a tough assignment to narrow it down to 10, since all of us are at different levels of competency within the 20 buckets. But...maybe this will be helpful to you. Other than my top pick, the other nine are listed in alpha order, by author.
2010 Book of the Year
Required reading for every new hire or recently promoted team member, and his or her boss. The "START" acronym is brilliant. This book will prevent your hair from turning gray, unless it's too late. (Order from Amazon.)
9 More Books from 2010 (alpha order):
1) Owning Up: The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask, by Ram Charan (Read the review.)
Perfect 14-question outline for a board retreat. Poll board members on the questions via an advance online survey and ask them to read the book before the retreat.
2) The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen M.R. Covey (Order from Amazon.)
Stephen R. Covey's son adds volumes to the culture bucket literature. A must read.
3) The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande (Read the review.)
Read this book before your have surgery, enter a skyscraper, or fly on an airplane. You'll become a checklist zealot.
4) Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh (Read the review.)
I veto any client's plan to have 10 or more core values. Zappos.com's 10 core values is the only exception. They offer new recruits a $2,000 bonus if they quit anytime in the first three weeks of orientation.
5) Getting Naked: A Business Fable Abut Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty, by Patrick Lencioni (Read the review.)
800-CEO-READ named this their "Best Management Book of 2010." In typical Lencioni style, it doesn't disappoint. Superb.
6) Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory, by Ben Macintyre (Read the review.)
Reads like a spy novel, but this true story is a page-turner and delivers great insights on leadership and the importance of details, details, details. I called my review, "Operation Details."
7) The Steward Leader: Transforming People, Organizations and Communities, by R. Scott Rodin (Read the review.)
Absolutely the perfect companion to my 2009 Book-of-the-Year, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership (see Issues 168 & 181).
8) The Sower: Redefining the Ministry of Raising Kingdom Resources, by R. Scott Rodin and Gary G. Hoag (Read the review.)
Using the Servant Leader as context, Rodin and Hoag tag team this prophetic warning to all CEOs, boards and fundraisers: Don't kid yourself--God is in charge of the harvest, not you. A must read.
9) Insert your favorite book here!
2026 Update: Not sure why I didn't list a book under #9, so better late than never. I'm adding this today:
9) Pastorpreneur:
Pastors and Entrepreneurs Answer the Call, by John Jackson (Read the review.)
"In virtually every meeting, every service, every small group, and every one-on-one mentoring meeting, [leaders] need to include three components: vision, relationships, and programs."
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