A People Manager’s Guide to Business as Unusual

Fresh perspectives and proven solutions for a new wold of work.

By Matt Davis June 26, 2021

If you're having trouble remembering all of those great business books you read last summer, you're not alone—so are we. Much has happened in the working world since then (to put it mildly).

Here are a dozen new titles with fresh perspectives and proven solutions to help people managers meet the challenges of the brave, new world of work.

Happy Reading!

	Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done Carrot Principle authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton explore the causes of workplace stress and anxiety and offer confirmed practices to reduce tension and cultivate calm. Organizations are under more pressure than ever to perform in today's fast-paced, ever-changing global climate. Anxiety at Work shows how everyone at all levels can work together to build an environment that fosters camaraderie and productivity. (Harper Business)
	The Culture Puzzle: Harnessing the Forces That Drive Your Organization's Success Corporate culture is critical to any organizational change effort. Business anthropologists and management experts Mario Moussa, Derek Newberry and Greg Urban offer a model for identifying the essential elements of any culture and show how to unlock its power by harnessing four key forces: vision, interest, habit and innovation. (Berrett-Koehler)
	Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose lays out an optimistic but pragmatic vision for how humans can survive in the machine age. He shares the secrets of people and organizations that have thrived during periods of technological change and how we can protect our personal future by staying ahead of the curve. Roose highlights the steps we all can take to spot coming changes. (Random House)
	How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be Time for a fresh start? Changing behavior is hard and seldom lasting. In eight smart, succinct chapters, Wharton professor and Choiceology podcast host Katy Milkman shows how behavior science can change you for the better. It's a great guide for managers who want to improve themselves or help others who are struggling. (Portfolio)
	I Love It Here: How Great Leaders Create Organizations Their People Never Want to Leave Clint Pulver knows a thing or two about what makes a great workplace. He has traveled the globe as "The Undercover Millennial" and has conducted 10,000 interviews to learn how great leaders create great companies that engender employee loyalty. Pulver's book is jam-packed with guidance and tools to help create the work environment that will motivate employees. Empathy and kindness are two crucial attributes to establishing a winning organization, he declares. (Page Two Books)
	Just Work: Get Sht Done, Fast & Fair* The author of the bestseller Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, Kim Scott, explores the impact of unjust leaders and organizations. In Just Work, Scott dives into how such hot-button issues as bias, prejudice and bullying undermine all organizations. The book details a system for responding to such problems, noting that everyone benefits when employees feel empowered to push against the barriers of sexism and racism. (St. Martin's Press)

	Managing Employees Without Fear: How to Follow the Law, Build a Positive Work Culture, and Avoid Getting Sued Workplace law expert Adam Rosenthal writes a manager's comprehensive, practical guide for building a positive, productive and legally compliant work culture. Rosenthal developed a step-by-step map to following the law in such potentially thorny situations as terminating and disciplining employees, having difficult conversations, conducting performance reviews, and managing remote workers. (SHRM)
	Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity and Boost Confidence (Without Appraisals) Performance reviews are widely used, universally despised and generally ineffective. No wonder so many organizations are abandoning their appraisal systems. Longtime CHRO Christopher D. Lee offers a proven framework and tool to help managers assess and enhance employee performance. Best of all, this book features dozens of ready-to-use templates to help make good management practice more accessible, practical and effective. (SHRM)
	The Power of Trust: How Companies Build It, Lose It, Regain It In business, responsibilities to investors, customers, employees and society don't always neatly align, and they can pull company leaders in different directions. Harvard Business School professor Sandra J. Sucher and co-author Shalene Gupta dig deep into the science behind trust and show readers a new understanding of what trust is, plus how it can be built and regained when lost. (PublicAffairs)
	Put Happiness to Work: 7 Strategies to Elevate Engagement for Optimal Performance Based on more than 10 years of experience applying top positive psychology and neuroscience research in the workplace, Eric Karpinski lays out an easy-to-follow program to enhance engagement and generate happiness on the job. Karpinski's strategies help leaders unlock the employee engagement that organizations need to thrive. This book is full of practical strategies for increasing engagement buy-in that will make you think about stress differently and help your team find more meaning in their daily lives. (McGraw-Hill)
	UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work Rework Work CEO Stacey A. Gordon delivers a thorough roadmap for building inclusive workplaces where people can thrive. Full of real-world examples, this book demonstrates how organizations can weave diversity, equity and inclusion into their DNA through the four A's: awareness, alignment, action and advocacy. (Wiley)
	Wellbeing at Work: How to Build Resilient and Thriving Teams Co-authored by Gallup chairman and CEO Jim Clifton and its chief workplace scientist Jim Harter, Wellbeing at Work explores the five key elements of an individual's welfare: career, social, financial, physical and community. The book advises managers on how they can help employees thrive by building organizational resilience and improving individual mental health. (Gallup Press)