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books for new managers

The books most often recommended to first-time managers — covering the transition from individual contributor to leader, the conversations you've never had to have before, and the systems that scale a team without burning it out.

19 books, ranked by how many of the 4,800 notable readers in our index have publicly recommended each one.

  1. High Output Management
    36 people

    High Output Management

    Andrew S. Grove · 1995

    36 recommenders

  2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
    29 people

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    Stephen R. Covey · 2004

    29 recommenders

  3. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (New Edition)
    20 people

    Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (New Edition)

    Jocko Willink · 2015

    20 recommenders

  4. Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
    20 people

    Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

    Kim Scott · 2017

    20 recommenders

  5. The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
    19 people

    The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done

    Peter F. Drucker · 2006

    19 recommenders

  6. Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell
    14 people

    Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell

    : The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg &Alan Eagle · 2019

    14 recommenders

  7. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
    12 people

    Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

    Daniel H. Pink · 2009

    12 recommenders

  8. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
    8 people

    The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

    Patrick Lencioni · 1900

    8 recommenders

  9. Crucial Conversations
    7 people

    Crucial Conversations

    Kerry Patterson · 2002

    7 recommenders

  10. Dare to Lead
    7 people

    Dare to Lead

    Brené Brown · 2018

    7 recommenders

  11. Leaders Eat Last
    6 people

    Leaders Eat Last

    Simon Sinek · 2014

    6 recommenders

  12. Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
    6 people

    Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders

    L. David Marquet · 2013

    6 recommenders

  13. The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
    5 people

    The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

    Michael Bungay Stanier · 2016

    5 recommenders

  14. Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
    4 people

    Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

    Liz Wiseman · 2010

    4 recommenders

  15. An Elegant Puzzle
    2 people

    An Elegant Puzzle

    Will Larson · 2019

    2 recommenders

  16. The One Minute Manager
    2 people

    The One Minute Manager

    Kenneth H. Blanchard · 2016

    2 recommenders

  17. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
    1 person

    Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

    Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones · 2009

    1 recommender

  18. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook
    1 person

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook

    Stephen R. Covey · 2003

    1 recommender

  19. The First 90 Days
    1 person

    The First 90 Days

    Michael D. Watkins · 2013

    1 recommender

other contexts

Each context is hand-curated from the 4,800-recommender index — the books that recur most often when people who’ve been through this share what helped. methodology →