5 steps towards better Employee Experience

IWD 2025:  WOMEN LEADERS AND SPEAKERS AT GROWTH FACULTY 

What Leaders Love About Patrick Lencioni's Team-Building Sessions

A great business book can change our life. As the saying goes _"Learn from the best, become the best."_

Over the years weve interviewed hundreds of top business book authors. They include the best business book writers in the world today, often featured on the _New York Times_ and _Wall Street Journal_ bestseller lists.

So, if you're looking for the best Christmas book gifts, the best holiday reads, or the most popular business books for 2022, this list of 10 top business books should do nicely.

This year, the themes of the 10 best business books in our list include challenges and behaviours of the **worlds best CEOs** , employee **retention and engagement** , leading a hybrid and **remote workforce** , changing our **habits** , reframing **regrets** , finding staff who **embrace change** , developing **self-awareness** , and personal **wellbeing.**

So read on for our recommended 10 books for 2022, and for a surprise treat, weve included a bonus 11th (with some great news) at the end!

[**Free Download** : 10 Leadership Qualities That Will Help Solve Challenges in 2023](https://thegrowthfaculty.ac-page.com/leadershipqualities)

[_My Life in Full_ by Indra Nooyi](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/Indranooyimylifeinfull)\*

Former PepsiCo CEO and Chair Indra talks in detail about the work involved to become and hold the position of a Fortune 50 CEO. She is candid about how executives climbing the **womens ladder** face many headwinds, but, having experienced many of her own, she says she 'won the lottery' with her progressive and supportive family and fair bosses.

Indra Nooyi shared behaviours of **bosses who were tailwinds** in her career:

_\- They looked at me as a talent**,**not as a woman._

_\- They didnt speak to the men in a certain way and me in another._

_\- They threw me the same challenges as the men and gave me the same unreachable goals!_

_\- They held us all to the highest standard. They made us feel like equal leaders._

_\- They never rolled their eyes at me, and never talked over me._

_\- They made me feel a valued member of the team._

_\- They did the human thing in supporting me as a human being with a family._

[_Smart Growth_ by Whitney Johnson](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/Learninganddevelopmentforemployees)

94% of employees say theyre **more likely to stay** at a company that invests in their learning and development. (Clear Company)

Whitney Johnson, author and CEO of Disruption Advisors, explains why it's so important.

There is a yearning, deep-bellied, to learn and grow," she says, explaining why she wrote her new book _Smart Growth._ "Starting to coast is a bad idea, comfort zones are the bane of growth,

Whitney says growth follows a **predictable path,** which she calls the **S Curve of Learning.** It starts at a launch point, moves to a sweet spot, then mastery.

[_Trust and Inspire_ by Stephen M.R. Covey](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/stephencoveytrustandinspire)

Stephen Covey says an innovative and agile culture for the future requires 'Trust and Inspire' leadership.

'Trust and Inspire' leaders see the whole person, and they see **leadership as a stewardship.**

1\. **They model**  who we are

2\. **They trust others**  how we lead

3\. **They inspire others**  connecting to our why

'Trust and Inspire' leaders know people have **multiple layers** , says Stephen. Body, heart, mind, spirit. When people come to work they bring their **whole selves** , **even** when in work mode.

[ _The Power of Regret_ by Dan Pink](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/danielpinkpowerofregret)

Daniel Pink is a _New York Times_ bestselling author and speaker. In our interview on _The Power of Regret_ : _How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward_ he tells us how regret is a **storytelling process** that we can use to our advantage to better our lives. [Amazon founder Jeff Bezos](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/Bezonomicsonepagesummary) used regrets to better his life **,** for example. In the 1990s he was deciding whether to leave his job to start his company on the fledgling World Wide Web. He told an interviewer he imagined himself at age 80 **regretting not having tried**.

_"I knew that would haunt me every day, and so, when I thought about it that way, it was an incredibly easy decision,"_ he told Jessica Stillman of _Inc_.

Daniel Pink told Growth Faculty this type of regret is a **boldness regret** , one of **four core categories of human regret.** The others include **foundation regrets, moral regrets** , and **connection regrets**.

[_The Virtual Leader_ by Takako Hirata](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/Thevirtualleaderbooksummary)

A survey by Microsoft of 30,000 workers found that **over 70% wanted flexible, remote work options** after the pandemic ended.

Takako says there are unique challenges for the virtual workforce and leaders must work hard to Identify when team members are struggling. In video conferencing, for example, all we see is a persons face - and Takako says "people are good at putting on a good face" during a short interaction.

*  **Reduced productivity.** Fails to meet deadlines, acts disengaged, late in responding to emails. 
  * **Longer work hours** - Gets buried in tasks; stays online longer which may signal they are trying to stay on top of their work. Encourage employees to wrap up their day at a reasonable time. 
  * **Looking tired and disconnected.** Take the time to schedule one on one meetings to understand their issues.

The International Business Development head at ROHTO Pharmaceutical Company, Takako Hirata has extensive experience leading remote teams, overseeing 5 subsidiary CEOs, dozens of direct reports, and more than 100 employees across 5 continents.

[ _Impact Players by Liz Wiseman_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/LizWisemanImpactPlayers)

Indispensable people exist in every organisation. Leaders know exactly who they are. They "play bigger" when others just do their job, and Multiplier leadership behaviours are a clue to building a team of such **impact players** says Liz Wiseman, author of _Impact Players_ and _Multipliers._

For this book, Lizs research team spoke to 170 leaders in 10 countries from companies including **Adobe, NASA** , **Salesforce, SAP, Splunk, Google, LinkedIn** , and **Target** about their most competent individual contributors.

Traits of impact players include:

* While others do their job, Impact Players do the **job thats needed.**
  * While others wait for direction, Impact Players **step up and lead.**

[ _How to Change_ by Katy Milkman](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/howtochange)

Katy Milkman, PhD, is an award-winning behavioural scientist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Shes worked with dozens of organisations to encourage positive change including **Google, Walmart,** the **US Department of Defense** and the **American Red Cross**.

We all have bad behaviours and stubborn habits. Katy told our book club that we must identify our personal obstacles that are barriers to change. These obstacles to change are:

- **Impulsivity**  we favour instant gratification over larger long-term rewards.

- **Procrastination ** we falsely believe willpower will kick in.

- **Forgetfulness ** the average adult forgets 3 things each day.

- **Laziness ** we take the path of least resistance to solve problems.

- **Confidence ** sometimes **** we have poor self-belief.

- **Conformity ** we copy behaviours of those around us.

_The internal obstacles that stand in the way of change such as temptation, forgetfulness, underconfidence, and laziness, are like the symptoms of a chronic disease. They wont just go away when you start treating them. Theyre human nature and require constant vigilance,_ says Katy. __

So, the message is: It's not "Make the change' it's 'Keep making the change.'

[ _CEO Excellence_ by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller and Vikram Malhotra](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/CEOExcellenceMckinsey)

What stops a CEO being mediocre?

And what are the methods and mindsets of the worlds best CEOs?

Three McKinsey & Companys senior partners set out to find out for their new book, _CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest._

The McKinsey trio Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra conducted detailed interviews with a representative sample of **67 high-performing CEOs** and paired it with McKinseys data on 7,800 CEOs from 3,500 public companies across 70 countries and 24 industries.

Six key responsibilities of CEOs emerged:

*  **Setting the direction**
  *  **Aligning the organisation**
  *  **Mobilising through leaders**
  *  **Engaging the board**
  *  **Connecting with stakeholders**
  *  **Managing personal effectiveness**

_We concluded there is no clear pattern. The key takeaway was that despite their different approaches, every CEO at every stage of their tenure meaningfully tended to all six responsibilities._

[ _Onboarded by Brad Giles_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g0000004pAvEAI)

_Effective onboarding new team members is the starting point of building a great organization. Yet most companies do a terrible job of it._  Dr Kaihan Krippendorff, author and founder

 _Onboarded_.is the latest book from Brad Giles who will conduct a[ live virtual masterclass](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g0000004pAvEAI) in February 2023 for Growth Faculty called _Onboarded: Fast Track New Hires to Success._

His latest book teaches leaders how to **improve productivity** , **retention, profitability** , and **culture** using onboarding.

It also outlines the two main tools to use for **effective onboarding**.

Brad Giles has spent more than 20 years as a serial entrepreneur, strategic planner and leadership coach. Brad is also the author of _Made to Thrive: The Five Roles to Evolve Beyond Your Leadership Comfort Zone_ , a prescriptive guide on how to become a great leader.

[_The Mindful High Performer_ by Chelsea Pottenger](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/monthofmindfulnessChelseaPottenger)

Chelsea Pottenger is on a mission to have businesses prioritise their employees **mental health**. In _The Mindful High Performer_ Chelsea told a story of not making the NSW State Basketball team when a teenager, and being told by her coach Youre just not good enough.yet.

Chelsea says the yet was the gift, as it took the full-stop off how she saw her potential. She says psychologists have tweaked the _Practice makes perfect_ mantra to a more helpful:

_Practice makes progress\!_

**Building grit activity:** As yourself What am I not good at? Then add the word yet. It should look something like this: I cant..yet. However, if I..$actions$success still lies ahead.

Chelsea's book also deals with topics such as **meditation, sleep, mindfulness, nutrition, relationships** , and **digital distractions.**

And, a bonus best business book for 2022\!

[_The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/6typesofworkinggenius)

Global speaker Patrick Lencioni is best known as the author of multi-million bestseller [_The Five Dysfunctions of a Team_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/fivedysfunctionsofateam) $also highly recommended by Growth Faculty$. His new book for 2022 is _The 6 Types of Working Genius_ , exploring ways we can find **happiness and fulfilment** at work.

And, in **exciting news,** in 2023 Patrick Lencioni will explain in detail the areas of working genius concept and tool in his Global Headliner **live virtual event** for Growth Faculty  [6 Types of Genius in a Happy & Engaged Team. Book now. ](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g000000FJXCEA4)All our events are [listed here](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/?promoCode=Blog#liveevents).

_If you'd like to increase your professional and personal development join us with a_[ _12 month Growth Faculty Pass_](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans) _ _._ You get unlimited access to 40 live virtual events - PLUS 100s of videos, podcasts and book summaries On Demand. Join a community of knowledge seekers who are inspired by the best. Access $7500+ value for just $498 AUD. _[**_See who's up next_**](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/?promoCode=Blog#liveevents)[ **_._**](https://growth.lightning.force.com/lightning/r/Blog_Post__c/a1d4G000004oYwKQAU/view)

\*Indra Nooyi, _My Life in Full_ was published in 2021 and featured on Growth Faculty in early 2022 so is listed here. It's a highly recommended read for all CEOs and executives.

Our 10 best business books of 2022

Our recommended 10 books for business leaders

Keep informed
Stay Inspired

Our 10 best business books of 2022

Our recommended 10 books for business leaders

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired