Ep07: The 7 Books Leaders Should Be Reading 

We give you our top 7 book recommendations for when you’ve got some spare time and want to learn how other organisations lead. 

So grab a beer, a glass of crisp, white wine or a cup of tea, and let’s dive in

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The Transcript

⚠️ NOTE: This is an automated transcript, so it might not always be 100% accurate!

Leanne Elliott
Put us actually big in the US basketball or say the NBA.

Al Elliott
Suppose you have to be big to be in basketball

Leanne Elliott
Hello, and welcome to the truth allies and workplace culture podcast brought to you by oblong a consultancy dedicated to building workplace cultures in which your employees care as much about your business as you do. I’m Liam and I now welcome Hello, hello

Al Elliott
again. Hello. Oh, by the way, if you if you’ve listened from episode one drops an email podcast at oblong hq.com. Let’s know. If you’re the first one you’ll win a prize get

Leanne Elliott
a badge.

Al Elliott
Anyway, so what are we talking about today?

Leanne Elliott
Well as the day is a little bit of a bonus episode, really, it’s one that we hadn’t planned for. And we have others planned for that will be coming to you very, very soon. But we were thinking in our offices here, we’re getting a lot of out of offices, a lot of people that are on their jolly Bob’s, which is brilliant, we all need to rest and recharge. And I’m all for that. If you are a leader, a business owner, take that holiday, my friends, switch your phone off, do not check your emails, relax. Recharge is so so important for your resilience for your mental health. For your ability to run a business, you need to take that time. But if you really, really can’t switch off, then we have got for you seven of our recommended business books, stroke psychology books, that we will be either have read this summer, or we’ll be adding to our reading list.

Al Elliott
So what you’ll find is that the format of this podcast is a little different in the Leanne’s the expert. I’m not so what Leanne is a business psychologist 15 years loads and loads of things after a name that I don’t know what they mean. I’ve got no experience like that. However, what I have got is experience of building businesses and running businesses. So you’ll find that very much the format is that Liana will say something which might be quite scientific. And then I’ll be saying, but what does that actually mean for someone who runs a business? Although that’s probably not gonna be the format for today, because we’re only really taught well, it depends what kind of books you’ve chosen.

Leanne Elliott
My books are more of a psychology leaning. I’m not gonna lie, but they are not heavy, not academic or anything like that. But yeah, maybe if I throw out some terms, and then please pull me up.

Al Elliott
Absolutely. Okay, so And by the way, just mine are probably the opposite. They’re written with sort of reading age of seven, which is good for me because it takes me a little while to get through books. So tell us, Leanne, what is your first choice for leaders on holiday who can’t switch off and want to read something a little bit light? To make them a better leader is that’s probably not gonna be the title of our podcast.

Leanne Elliott
It’s not catchy. That’s our summer reading list. My first one is actually a really good one. If you are feeling on the edge of burnout, you really should be switching off my friend. But if you absolutely can’t, this is probably a good book to start with. So this is the Leaders Guide to resilience by Dr. Dr. Audrey Tang, released in 2022. And it is really just such an easy reading book. It’s not like a chapter by chapter book. It’s it’s full of like, like tips, strategies all rooted in psychological theory, of course, but really to help you as a leader and your organisation just withstand the pressures that this crazy world is throwing at us at the minute and continue to grow and thrive. It is brilliant. And if you don’t know of Dr. Audrey, I highly recommend you look her up on LinkedIn in on Tiktok and Instagram, she has some brilliant channels that are just really like just bite sized bits of wisdom that you can help to build your resilience to practice mindfulness. She is fantastic. And if you don’t believe me, then believe the industry because she’s also won the 2021 a Firebird, but winner prize and she’s also shortlisted for business book of the year 2022.

Al Elliott
Nice well done Dr. Tang.

Leanne Elliott
She’s also lovely she’s actually been on our on our other podcast. If you’re interested if you search asylos life Dr. Audrey Tang, you’ll find her episode and she is just fabulous. She is

Al Elliott
she is she’s brilliant and got her as a as a fellow nerd for cameras and an audio. She’s got great setup, and definitely fanboys over what she was over her setup. Okay, so my second or my first choice book number two is a classic, which I’ll be honest, you probably have you’ve almost certainly heard of you’ve probably read and it’s called Good to Great by Jim Collins. And it’s Why Some Companies Make the Leap and others don’t. Now this is probably going back. I don’t know maybe 15 years old this this this book, but the reasons why well let me tell you why first read it. I was reading it when I was building a company back in 2000. And, and ate. And I just didn’t know. And it didn’t know what culture was, I didn’t know how culture or company culture was going to have any kind of impact on profits on that kind of thing. And so we’re only a small company at the time. And I thought I sat down to read this, I think I read it almost like in one sitting. It’s just little short stories about companies that do things a little bit differently. And the lessons behind them. Um, he has written another one called built to last it might be this might be the second one, I can’t remember this the first or the second. But it’s really, really easy to read. It’s full of stories, which is what I love. And although they are right, they’re going to be a bit dated at this point. But there’s still some great lessons to be learned from them. So that’s mine, which is Jim Collins. Good to Great.

Leanne Elliott
Lovely. See, what I love about this, though, is you’re already thinking about the relationship between leadership organisational performance when you remade 21

Al Elliott
When 2007 I would have been just turn 30 Just to see fresh faced,

Leanne Elliott
fresh faced in Yeah, great, great lessons, I’m sure it’s still very much applicable today. So number theory, my second choice is possibly it’s by possibly one of my favourite people in the world, let alone favourite psychologists in the world. And this the guy called John Ameche, and the book is called the promises of giants released in 2021. John amici, you may have heard of them, he is British, but he was actually big in the US basketball, or so the NBA

Al Elliott
especially have to be big to be in basketball.

Leanne Elliott
Oh, yes, you do. And he is indeed very tall. And that is kind of the analogy that he uses when talking about leadership is as a leader, you are a giant, and even a movement that seems quite, quite small, if it’s not considered if it’s not thought through, if it’s accidental, it can have huge impacts and can be very destructive, but he writes about it in a way that is very engaging, he shares a lot of his own life and experiences well, right through from when he was a child through his sports career now into his psychology career. It’s just brilliant. And there’s so many things that I’ve already taken from it. But I think one of the ones that really stuck with me is that you can’t, the most valuable piece of information someone can give you is helping you understand as a leader where you are right now. Because if you don’t know where you are, how’d you know how to get to where you going? I think it’s such a valuable lesson. It’s such a simple thing. But we’re so busy, as as as leaders as business owners that we often don’t look up and just check where we are. So some really great lessons in there as well. And again, if you don’t believe me, this was called by Adam Grant, another amazing occupational psychologist. He said, This is one of the most powerful books ever written about leadership. And I totally agree with him. If you’re unfamiliar with that, if you’re not in the mood to read on your holiday, I’d highly recommend checking out the Adam Grant had podcast work life, where he talks about lots of different organisational phenomena and your role as a leader within it. So that’s my number two, the promises of giants by John Amaechi brilliant,

Al Elliott
and we will put these in the show notes so you don’t have to write them down. If you’ve if you’ve gone to the beach without once you’ve gone to the beach already, then one of these is gonna be difficult for you to get but the rest of them should be available on Kindle. I would have thought. Yes, definitely. And if you’re on the beach listening to us then Well, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Yeah, it’s a good thing.

Leanne Elliott
If you’re listening to us. Sure. Why not? Order a margarita to yourself?

Al Elliott
Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so my my the book number three, for me is win several awards on official awards. First of all, the award for the most difficult to get hold of book because it’s not on Kindle. It is on hardback, which currently on Amazon is one pound 95 was a bargain. And as often paperback second award it wins is the most 80s cover. It is fantastic. I’m just gonna show Leann the cover now.

Leanne Elliott
Beautiful. Wow. It’s fabulous.

Al Elliott
It’s a man in a in a waistcoat with a tie, crouching down. It’s just everything you want from in from an 80s cover. And because it was written in the 80s and, and the third ward it wins is that it is kind of not the kind of book that I would normally pick up but I got recommended it. Essentially it’s by a guy called Ricardo Semler, who’s Brazilian his family’s Brazilian and they had a company called sembler in Brazil. Back in the 80s. He took over from his father, and he immediately made quite some substantial changes. He fired almost all of the managers like the C suite. He got rid of the receptionist, the secretaries, there was no dress code. The If the employees could actually set their own salary, and this is back in 1987, he took over, he even said that you can work anywhere you want. I mean, we’re talking 40 years ago, and this is remote working, and his company, some sembler. I think it went about 600% in a period of like five or six years, when back in the time when there was a recession, and it was tough and Brazilian economy was even tougher, really, really good book, a little more difficult to read, not quite as simple as some of the others. But oh my god, what a man what a legend. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. Actually, I might have to find out.

Leanne Elliott
Quite the Pioneer yet to be talking about that kind of people and culture, that level of sophistication of people and culture practices in 1980. That’s, that’s pretty cool. I need to add that to my summer reading list.

Al Elliott
Well, the good news is that I have it, I ordered it, and it came. And, and the and the book looks just as it is in real life as it does on Amazon. Excellent. So I’ll lend you that.

Leanne Elliott
So the next book on our list my choice and bear with me on this one, okay, because I know I’m gonna say the title and you’re gonna switch off, but bear with me. So it is called neuroscience for organisational change by Hilary Scarlett published in 2019. Now I know you hear neuroscience and you think, no, that’s just another level of psychologizing. I do not need in my life right now. Yeah, I understand. But the funny thing about it is it because it’s talking about neuroscience, or need as humans, our evolutionary need for connection at work of how best to manage our emotions, how we make decisions, how we communicate, it actually breaks it down in a way that if you do think all this stuff is dare I say, philosophy triggered them, it’s really going to show you that it is noise, you know, these types of things are rooted in our evolution as humans. And again, it’s not heavy, it’s not academic, it’s broken down to realise that the chapters, it does cover some of the actual neuroscience if you are interested. But it also then shows you how to actually apply that. And the way it’s structured is really, really good. People that I have met clients I’ve worked with who love this book are usually from some kind of technical field, finance, technology, perhaps, if that is your background, and you are facts, evidence person, then you’re going to love this, it’s going to explain the people and coach in a way that will be much easier for you to digest. So yeah, that’s my next choice neuroscience for organisational change by Hilary Scarlet.

Al Elliott
Fabulous. So is that our number fourth book?

Leanne Elliott
Oh, I’ve lost count 12345. I think that was number five, number

Al Elliott
five. So number six is a bit of a cheat this one. I’m sorry, I’ve not actually read this. However, I know that’s getting into the rules. However, I’ve seen lots of lots of people talking about it. And I’ve done a little sort of synopsis on Amazon. And it does look really good. And it’s called always time for coffee by Kate Minchin. Now the whole date, the subtitle is a Down to Earth Guide for frontline managers, team leaders and supervisors. kick started off in fringe theatre, and then move into ops management, then she went from Museum, and our passion is to help teams perform better. But I’m guessing that that the book is gonna be about how you actually do it or an interpersonal rather than going right, we’re going to set up all these different ways in which a team is now going to do things. She just sits down with people and goes yeah, of course I’ve got time for coffee, what’s going on? And this is very much if you listen to Leanne, in any of the format’s that she talks, she always talks about this idea that that being a good manager is not about shouting at people using a stick or even like a carrot is about just going Hey, how are you? What’s going on? You didn’t look quite as happy this morning, as you did last week. Is there anything up? And I think this is going to be really, really good book. She seems like a really cool person. She’s actually moved with a wife to New York. She’s originally English or British. And apparently they ride motorbikes all over the world and drink far too much coffee.

Leanne Elliott
And then we go sounds fabulous. Any any relation to Tim? Oh, great

Al Elliott
question. I don’t think so. I don’t think so. But it’d be fun if she was like a distant relation or something. She was in the theatre. So

Leanne Elliott
maybe that’s what I’m thinking. That’s what I’m thinking.

Al Elliott
I will tweet it later. And I’ll ask her if she has any relation to Tim and also mentioned that we’ve mentioned on this podcast and so she should tell the world while she’s on a bike about our podcast,

Leanne Elliott
maybe and I’m sure she’s never been asked that question before I’m sure it’ll go down fine.

Al Elliott
So on to the final number seven book What have you got

Leanne Elliott
so my final choice i to El amor rabbil. I also have not read this book, although I have recently purchased it and it’s on. It’s on my next read list. So yeah, I doubt it’s been recommended to me by an amazing executive coach, who Yeah, it’s just brilliant. And it’s I think when I tell you the subject, I’ll you’ll probably get why I want to read this and why I’m fairly confident is going to be a good read. So it’s called time to think listening to ignite the human mind by Nancy Klein, published back in 2002. But I think the lessons will still be very, very valid. So the idea is that the power of effective listening is just as you know, as a recognised tool, like you were just saying, our good manager is able to listen. So an anticline describes how we can achieve this as a step by step guide that can be used in lots of different situations. So again, the sounds very practical, very hands on and very action driven, which we like. So yeah, that’s my that’s my final choice. And I think, yeah, listening is absolutely key. And if you know, Alan, I, you’ll know that listening has been central to everything we’ve done together since 2007.

Al Elliott
Huh? So can we can we tell them what

Leanne Elliott
that was your little key or, you know,

Al Elliott
talking of listening and communication? I think I might have missed that little cue. Yes. We both met at Samaritans No, I wasn’t a call. We both were volunteering Samaritans and we ended up doing all kinds of things mountains training team Leanne was on the selection team. We ended up being on the board. I will I run the branch and then also worked in the in the prison Strangeways more it’s called managed to prison now, and we got such a breadth of experience of listening and learning how to listen that it was just one of the most amazing experiences. So if you are looking for somewhere to volunteer and you’re in the UK, definitely think about Samaritans because it’s not you you’re not even giving back because you probably take out a bit more than you actually will give

Leanne Elliott
definitely we yeah, we’ve we’ve said many times to each other to our clients to people we now we’ve third lessons we learn in that five minutes Martin’s continue to be applicable to our our life and career today. So thank you Samaritans and to remind you again, that is time to think by Nancy Klein.

Al Elliott
Talking of reminding Shall we just go back over them one more time? Yes. Do you have your number one to hand

Leanne Elliott
so my number one was A Leaders Guide to resilience by Dr. Audrey Tang, everything you need to know about building your resilience, resilience in this crazy world.

Al Elliott
Man number two was Good to Great Why Some Companies Make the Leap and others don’t by Jim Collins, such a great book and inspiration on how you can change Small changes can make big difference in business.

Leanne Elliott
And number three was the promises of giants by John Ameche is a Sunday Times best selling you can get it on Kindle or in hardback. And it is just brilliant in terms of helping you understand your responsibilities accountabilities as a leader written from a very empathic viewpoint. It is it can’t be beaten it is the possibly the best book on leadership I’ve ever read.

Al Elliott
That was number three was it? That was number three. Number four for me was a book called Maverick by Ricardo sembler. How basically he sacked all of his managers told everyone they can work wherever they want for whatever salary they want, and then built and grew his business or his father’s business that he took over 6,000% during a session recession in Brazil, Maverick by Ricardo Semler.

Leanne Elliott
Number five was neuroscience for organisational change by Hilary Scarlett, if you think this stuff is pupil and culture stuff is fluff. I challenge you to read this and come back to me.

Al Elliott
Brilliant, and number six was always time for coffee a Down to Earth Guide for frontline managers, team leaders and supervisors by the nomadic Kate Minchin

Leanne Elliott
and number seven, my final pick time to think listening to ignite the human mind by Nancy Klein, all about the power of effective listening as a leader and a manager. Read it. We’ll read it together. We’ll check back in in a couple of weeks.

Al Elliott
Brilliant. I’ve got a tiny little bonus one, which is which has not been scripted. I know, which is a book by the founders of all the sorry, the Yeah, the founders of Basecamp, which used formerly 37 signals, and I forgotten his name David Hyneman. Henson, and you will be shouting at the other guy, Jason something. And it’s called remote and it was written about 12 years ago as a tiny little book. It’ll take you two hours, or maybe three beers to read through it. And it is just the story of how they 12 years ago turned their workforce into remote workforce and how they still are today. But we didn’t know we didn’t talk about that. So maybe you might make this maybe edit this bit out.

Leanne Elliott
Yeah, a little bonus. I’ve read that it is actually really short, easy and interesting read so yeah, a good one. If you’re you don’t want to engage I think too heavy while you’re on your holidays.

Al Elliott
Right so should we let these guys get on with as you say they are a margarita CES. Pina Coladas. Yeah. And if you are on holiday and listening to this, then drop us an email if you fancy up, send us some pictures of where you are podcast at oblong hq.com. And finally, if you’re interested in when you get back to work if you’re interested in the culture roadmap, which is something that Leanne has put together, which is amazing, and it basically will solve any problem you’ve got in your business that surrounded by people, then go to oblong hq.com forward slash roadmap, and it will blow your way. Guaranteed, or your money back. I know

Leanne Elliott
that marketing charm coming out. Cool. Well, as I said, we will put all of the links to where you can buy the books in the show notes. And I’m sure you’ll see it on our socials and LinkedIn as well. But yeah, let us know how you get on with them. Let us know what your favourite is at the seventh. And whoever gets the most votes for our books between owl and myself will also win a prize yet to be confirmed.

Al Elliott
Fabulous. Looking forward to that. Okay, so we’ll see you for episode eight next. And if you’ve got any ideas for guests, let us know podcast at our blog hq.com Bye for now