Introducing the top five most useful books for a leader in healthcare.
Being a leader in healthcare is one of the best jobs ever. It is a job that asks and requires you to stay on top of your game. Getting the job is the start of learning new skills and building a set of capabilities beyond the clinical or beyond being technically capable.
Knowing your learning style is part of your self awareness discovery. Knowing where to start with your leadership learning can be a minefield. There are a plethora of books, articles, podcasts, TED talks and more.
What I’ve got for you here is a place to start in the midst of all that noise. I’ve read a number of leadership books and always consider them in relation to healthcare.
As I read, I’m asking:
How relevant and practical is this?
Is there something I can pick up and try and use with my team?
Is there a leadership approach that I can put into practice that is going to support my team, my career and my work at the moment?
My collection of Leading in Healthcare book recommendations is a list of 156 books, These 5 are a focused sublist if you want to know what to pick up today. What are the essential foundation books for you as you start your leadership in healthcare? If you’ve been leading for some time, these books are worth a revisit. A second or third reading will always give you a new idea or insight because you are a different person this time around.
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
This is about you as a leader, it’s about how you show up and create the environment for people to do great work. This book contains several references to Brené Brown’s previous books, so it’s a good catch-all of her work. I’m a declared fan and have even met her on a book tour several years ago. I have run a successful workshop series with small groups of leaders using the read-a-long workbook. Book a chat with me if you’d like to hear more about how they went and my advice if you are thinking of reading this book with your team.
Switch by Dan and Chip Heath
A coaching client recalled to me that all leadership is, is leading change. If you’re not involved in change yet, you soon will be and there is a lot of advice and positive approaches that you can pick up from this book. I like that there is a reminder to focus on the bright spots - that has stuck with me since I first read this book. Secondly, I like that the environment is included in how to think about change. There are as many books on change as there are on leadership and this won’t be the only one you read in your career. It is though a good foundation, with a repeatable model that has been tried and tested in healthcare settings.
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Another topic that I frequently hear from leaders is that of feedback. Both receiving and giving feedback as a challenge. It’s a bit part of leadership and as one coaching client told me this book was a ‘gamechanger’ for them. I wanted to be a kiss-ass boss, so the book covered drew me in and I was an early convert. I love love that it starts with you receiving feedback in the first instance. I love that it’s about caring for people. And it gives tools, ideas and resources for how to have clear and useful conversations. This can be applied to 1:1 situations and team meetings. There is a great website, with podcasts, blog resources and training. I’ve completed a course with Acumen Academy that walks through the elements and chapters.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Building your team is your main job as a leader in healthcare, and yes, there are plenty of books on teamwork and team development. It’s one of my favourite topics so why this book? Simple and easy to read. Practical ideas and suggestions depending on where your team is at. Plus it places trust as a foundational component. I see the lack of trust as a core issue for so many challenging situations, so it’s a great introduction to this core topic. (Dare to Lead covers Trust in more depth). Patrick Lencioni’s style isn’t for everyone, the storytelling approach is common with his books. They all include a model and tools that are practical and relevant.
Joy at Work by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein
Tidying expert and bestselling author, Marie Kondo, and organizational psychologist, Scott Sonenshein, team up to bring joy to work. I was a Marie Kondo fan and Scott Sonenshein is a genius. This book is about organising your professional life. When you step into leadership the amount of ‘stuff’ increases from every direction. Knowing how to organise that buys you time. A lot of time. It also increases the confidence you create in your team and with your boss. This book looks at how you organise from different perspectives and there is a lot to take from it. Find the one tweak for you and then build on it.
When I first read this book, I created a series of social media posts with the key points. I’ve pulled them together below.
There you have it, the first five.
No Simon Sinek, Adam Grant, Jim Collins or……the list could go on.
These 5 will give you a good start, a foundation of ideas and concepts that you’ll build on as your career develops, evolves and changes.
Want to chat about your leadership career and what’s the best next book for you? Challenge me to find the book for you in a 15-minute conversation.
