Top 7 Books for HR Professionals

03.07.2024

7 HR Books to Read to Improve Your and Your Team's Professional Development in 2024

The world around us is changing at breakneck speed, which also affects the work environment.

More and more workers are opting for hybrid work models or looking for fully remote positions, which can a challenge when leading a team. Sometimes it is difficult for young and more experienced personnel to find a common language, and differences at work do not end only with age, they can be based on gender, race and more.

This list of HR professional development books covers a variety of topics that can help you deal with new challenges in the work environment. These books are a perfect read for hot days at the beach or warm summer evenings. Get comfortable while you rest and start reading:

1. Leaders eat last

Author: Simon Sinek

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels valued during the day, then goes home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy or idealized idea. In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek has noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer becomes clear after talking to a Marine general. "Officers eat last," he says. Sinek watched as the youngest Marines ate first while the oldest Marines took their place at the back of the line. What is symbolic in the food hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: great leaders sacrifice their own comfort—even their own survival—for the good of those under their care.

Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best places foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates security inside the team.

Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking. Sinek also pays special attention to the millennial generation, showing their strengths and weaknesses and offering a handbook on how to communicate with and lead them. You can find the book here.

The book can be purchased from Orange bookstores, where you can shop with Edenred Bulgaria gift vouchers and cards.

2. Diversity in the Workplace: Eye-Opening Interviews to Jumpstart Conversations about Identity, Privilege, and Bias

Author: Bari A. Williams

The world has come a long way, but the work is far from over when it comes to diversity and equity in the workplace. To create a truly inclusive workplace, organizations need to understand the perspectives of different workers and the experiences and challenges they face. Otherwise, efforts to solve problems may simply create new ones.

Williams' book presents 25 real-life interviews to guide managers and leadership in creating a better and fairer workplace. This book explores the interplay of various aspects of personality (such as race, religion, culture, age, sexuality or gender expression, etc.)—along with unconscious bias, which is a belief one holds subconsciously, often without realizing it exists. .

This title can be found in English here.

3. Remote Works: Managing for Freedom, Flexibility, and

Author: Ali Greene and Tamara Sanderson

Until now, we planned life around our work but we can now plan work around our lives.

Are you worried when your team works remotely? Do you wonder if motivation and accountability will disappear? Are you trying to be a good leader in the new work reality?

Get ready to rethink everything you know about remote work, be even more productive and have your most valuable resource – your time.

With years of experience at DuckDuckGo and Automattic, as well as dozens of interviews with leading experts, Ally Green and Tamara Sanderson have created the best remote team management book yet. You can order "Remote Work" here.

4. Personality at Work: Individual Differences in the Workplace

Author: Adrian Furnham

Prof. Furnham explores the increasingly controversial role of individual differences in predicting and determining workplace behavior. Topics covered include the role of the IQ at the workplace as the best predictor of success, but also the importance of the social intelligence also known as emotional intelligence (EQ). The importance of personality traits and the influence of temperament on work performance, as well as methods for assessing work behavior and potential, were investigated.

“Personality at Work” is the only comprehensive multidisciplinary book evaluating the role of psychological testing in workplace management. Discover the book.

5. Brand Vision: How to Energize Your Team to Drive Business Growth

Author: David Taylor

Designed and implemented in a highly pragmatic format, "Brand Vision" shows you how to lead your team step-by-step in creating, rethinking and bringing to life a vision that will give a powerful boost to your new or dormant business. The practical tips, tools, and tricks in this book will help you turn inspiration into real progress.

Theses and ideas are illustrated with impressive examples of successes and failures, including brands such as T-Mobile, Dove, Porsche, Absolut, James Bond and others. You will find the book here.

6. Build It: The Rebel Playbook for World-Class Employee Engagement

Authors: Glen Elliott and Debra Corey

This Rebel Guidebook is a relatively short read at just 247 pages, but uses that time wisely to ensure readers get as much value as possible. Corey walks readers through every aspect of a successful HR department, readers will learn:

• How employee engagement helps companies perform.
• The key factors that drive engagement and how they work.
• What the world's most rebellious companies have done to break the rules of traditional HR and improve engagement.

This title can be found in English here.

7. The 8th habit

Author: Stephen Covey

From the author of the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

In the more than twenty-five years since its publication, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” has become an international phenomenon with more than twenty-five million copies sold. Tens of millions of people in business, government, and schools have dramatically improved their lives and organizations by applying the principles of Stephen R. Covey's classic book.

However, the world is a much-changed place. Being effective as individuals and organizations is no longer just an option – it is a requirement for survival.

Accessing the higher levels of human genius in today's new reality requires a change in mindset: a new way of thinking and a new skill set—in short, a new habit. The main challenge of our world today is this: to find our voice and inspire others to find theirs. This is what Covey calls the 8th habit. The eighth habit is the answer to the soul's longing for greatness, the organization's imperative for significance and superior results.

You can find more about the eighth habit of highly effective people here.

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