Whether it’s curling up by a fireplace, sunbathing on the beach, or sitting on a flight or train ride to see the family, nothing beats reading a good book - especially those we can learn from!
Many of us are going to take time off during the holidays, and we wanted to share some great books as recommended by the Centaur Stage Season 2 guests (and host!) Whether you’re looking for some much needed down time, or in search of the perfect gift for your colleague, we hope you’ll enjoy these reads, all about teams.
The Fearless Organization, by Amy Edmondson
Our first guest of the season was Dr. Constance Noonan Hadley, an Organizational Psychologist. In her episode, titled What is a Team?, Connie suggested The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson. This book is an essential read on psychological safety, and it explains in great detail why this concept is necessary for innovation, high-performance, and happiness at work! through stories, case studies, and insights based on in-depth research.
Team Topologies, by Mathew Skelton and Manuel Pais
If your team is in the IT or software development field, then the book mentioned by Sam Yeats, founder of TeamForm, Team Topologies by Mathew Skelton and Manuel Pais - could be a great read for you. The authors share in this book organizational designs examples for those teams to optimize their performance, and to have efficient interactions between teams.
Lessons From Mars, by Carlos Valdes-Dapena
Sylvia Burbery , Regional President of Emerging & Seeds at Royal Canin, believes that the best book on teams is Lessons From Mars by Carlos Valdes-Dapena . Having spent more than 20 years working with teams, and six years researching Mars teams in specific, the author sharesa framework alongside a set of tools and techniques on how to systematically create efficient collaboration.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
Our last guest for the Team Dynamics Chapter, David Munir Nabti, the CEO & GM of Bloom EMEA, chose two books on teams. The first one is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. An almost modern day classic, the book explores in depth seven habits that can help people navigate their lives successfully. As some of these habits echo good characteristics for team members to have - such as thinking proactively and putting first things first, we are not surprised this book is beneficial for teams!
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals, by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling
The second book Munir recommended was The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling - a very useful read on goal planning and execution, and how to bring the best out of teams by helping team members focus on the end goal.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
The host of Centaur Stage, Marilyn Zakhour, CEO & Founder of Cosmic Centaurs recommends two books on teams. The first is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni, which dives deep into the dysfunctions of teams, and demonstrates how trust is the key for team members to share their ideas and create a profitable team through a pyramid framework.
High Output Management, by Andrew Grove
Marilyn recommended High Output Management by Andy Grove as a second suggestion. In her words, this book is a guide on how to manage and lead teams, regardless of their size. Grove’s insights are applicable across times and industries, with frameworks that take different situations into consideration; even Mark Zuckerberg is a fan of this book!
We hope that you’ll learn a lot reading these books during the holiday break, and come back with new concepts and ideas to get ready to take on the year with your team!