Reading List
This page contains some of the books I recently read. Only the really good ones make it on this list…
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, 2nd ed. by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
This books is a series of essays that show how to successfully foster a healthy and productive development team. Much of the book is common sense but it is nice to see it all laid out in one place. Now if I could only get rid of those “motivational” posters at my place of work…
First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
I enjoyed this book immensely and learned a lot from it. The book describes the results from a large scale study on successful managers.
My favorite gleaning was that a manager should Select for Talent, Set Expectations, and Motivate and Develop employees.
The research also uncovered twelve questions for measuring the strength of a workplace and the core elements needed to attract, focus and keep the most talented employees.
Where is your team on this list?
Base Camp: “What do I get?”
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
Camp 1: “What do I give?”
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
Camp 2: “Do I belong here?”
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
Camp 3: “How can we all grow?”
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
THE SUMMIT