Something about the calendar flipping from December to January causes us to want to make changes in our lives. For those in management, New Year’s resolutions should include adopting better management habits.

Books on management can be a great resource for those looking to adopt better management habits for 2020. Consider the following management books, all of which were released within the past year.

The Psychology of Persuasion

If you are a company leader, it’s absolutely necessary for people to take you seriously and follow your direction. This requires the ability to be persuasive. In The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini explains the basic concepts behind this distinctive ability and how to become persuasive in the various ways you communicate. Cialdini writes about research that has shown why and how people are more willing to say “yes” to certain ways of communicating, and how you can apply the findings of this research to your job.

Don’t Bring It to Work

Every workplace has its assortment of characters, and it’s important to consider how people came to be these “characters”.

In this book, Sylvia Lafair writes about the personalities you can find in almost any workplace, from the ‘people pleaser’ to the ‘squeaky wheel’. Lafair also explains how these folks came to adopt their various personas. The book goes on to explain what to do when some of these personality quirks become pathological. It discusses how to look for behavior patterns, and how to examine your own habits.

Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

Netflix has well-known, counterintuitive guidelines that direct their hiring process, and this book explains how these policies are useful tools for team building in any industry. A former chief talent officer at Netflix, author Patty McCord explains Netflix hiring practices and how to apply them for your organization.

Most businesses, McCord writes, ought to be brutally honest and eliminate individuals who aren’t a solid fit for the business. As opposed to rewarding employees for doing their job, companies ought to give staff members rewarding work that they find inspiring. McCord also offers one particularly unique commandment: Don’t hire “brilliant jerks”.

Thinking in Bets

If managers had to know every single detail about a situation before making a decision, they wouldn’t get anywhere. Fortunately, there is a smart approach to making good choices when you are missing some key details. While there is, needless to say, a bit of chance that goes into making a decision based on partial information, it helps if you know how to take smart chances, in the same way, a professional gambler makes a living from smart risk-taking. Authored by former World Series of Poker champion, Thinking in Bets will help you make smart choices with partial information and under intense scrutiny.

We Can Be Your Dependable 2020 Staffing Partner

At Cornerstone, we’re ready to embrace the New Year and help our clients succeed through smart staffing solutions. Please contact us today to find out how we can make 2020 a successful year for your organization.