Introduction
Building on our 8 categories, we have created a list of useful resources. For each, we have recommended our ‘top resource’.
Our 8 categories:
- Vision
- Empowerment
- Values
- Experiments
- Leadership
- Feedback
- Happiness
- Organisation structure
Vision
‘Start with why’ by Simon Sinek
Type: book and TED talk (additional book on workshop approach to guide other organisations
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” In other words, it doesn’t matter what you do, it matters why you do it.
Sinek proposes that most organisations explain their offering the wrong way round.
Most companies explain what they do and how they do it. For example, Apple might say “We make great computers. They’re user friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. Want to buy one?”
Sinek proposes that organisations should first explain why they do it, followed by the how and the what. For example, Apple might say “With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”
Using examples from Martin Luther King Jr to Steve Jobs, this resource explains a process for enabling organisations to move past knowing what they do to how they do it to understand the why.
There is an additional book, ‘Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team‘ by David Mead and Peter Docker (in collaboration with Sinek) which is an easy-to-follow guide for helping people and organisations find their why.
Other resources:
- Olaf Lewitz and Christine Niedhardt, “Showing Up”
Empowerment
‘Drive: The surprising truth about what ‘ by Daniel H. Pink
Daniel Pink provides a clear explanation of why the traditional extrinsic methods of reward (‘carrot and stick’) no longer work, and the fact that employees today are intrinsically motivated around autonomy, purpose and mastery.
Other resources:
- Daniel Goleman, “Emotional Intelligence”
Values
‘Organizational Culture and Leadership’ by Edgar H. Schein
Type: book
Has a proven model to describe a culture, how it forms and the role of leadership on it.
‘Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose’ by Tony Hsieh
Type: book
As real-life example, this book shows how a different kind of corporate culture can make a huge difference in achieving remarkable results — by actually creating a company culture that values happiness – and then delivers on it.
Other resources:
- Ricardo Semler “How to run a company with almost no rules”
- Tobias Mayer “The people’s Scrum”
- Jurgen Appelo “Delegation Poker”
Experiments
‘Riding the Creative Rollercoaster: How Leaders Evoke Creativity, Productivity and Innovation’ by Nick Udall
Type: book
Compellingly maps a journey of experimentation. Captures complexity and human challenge of the journey. Identifies key elements. Creating the container. Framing a breakthrough question. Welcoming diversity and collective intelligence. Holding tension. Holding on for breakthrough.
Other resources:
- Klaus Leopold “Practical Kanban”
- Klaus Leopold “Kanban change leadership”
- Brad Store “The everything store”
- Gojko Adzic “Impact mapping”
- Ryan Babineaux, John Krumboltz “Fail fast fail often”
Leadership
‘The Responsibility Process: Unlocking Your Natural Ability to Live and Lead with Power’ by Christopher Avery
Type: book
Understanding HOW personal responsibility works in the mind is a key revelation for leading ourselves and others. Coaches will find the profound base on how to change their own lives, lead developers and develop leaders with intention and awareness.
Other resources:
- Delegation Boards make clear what you are delegating
- Psychological Safety article
- Edgar Schein “Organizational Culture and Leadership”
- William V. Joiner “Agility Leadership”
- Robert J. Anderson “Mastering Leadership”
- Peter Senge “The Fifth Discipline”
- John P. Kotter “Leading Change”
Feedback
‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable’ by Patrick M. Lencioni
Type: book (incl. questionnaire)
Easy to understand and explicit instructions for overcoming the human behavioural tendencies creating an effective team.
Other resources:
- Kim Scott “Radical Candor“
- Center for Nonviolent Communication
- Marshall Rosenberg “Nonviolent Communication“
- Peakon “Get feedback anonymously”
Happiness
‘Joy, Inc : How We Built a Workplace People Love’ by Richard Sheridan
Type: book
A real world example. Company alive and thriving and welcoming visitors. Lots of stuff you can steal and try. Many things that won’t work in your organisation so you’ll learn something. Great story.
Other resources:
- Jurgen Appelo “Management 3.0”
- Jurgen Appelo “Manage for Happiness”
- Tony Hsieh “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose”
Organisational structure
‘Freedom, Inc.: How Corporate Liberation Unleashes Employee Potential and Business Performance’ by Mr. Brian M Carney and Isaac Getz
Type: book
Lots of case studies (like reinventing organisations book). Practical principles. Less of a ‘model’. Unorthodox, pragmatic. Easy to digest in pieces.
Other resources:
- Frederic Laloux “Reinventing Organisation
- Edgar H. Schein “Organizational Culture and Leadership“
- Henrik Kniberg “The Spotify Engineering Culture – part 1”
- Henrik Kniberg “The Spotify Engineering Culture – part 2”
- Case studies from Forbes
- L. David Marquet “Turn the ship around” and video
Agile Coaching Retreats 