Note that I'm no longer updating this post.
For the current list, see this page.
Below is a list of books that have had a major impact on my professional development and to which I frequently refer in my work as a coach. Each item includes a link to the book, usually on Amazon, followed by links to any of my posts that focus on or reference the book. This list isn't exhaustive, but it's reasonably comprehensive. I also tweet about blog posts, articles, papers and other resources that I find useful, so follow me @edbatista.
I update this list occasionally, adding books as well as links to new blog posts of mine, and at some point I may sub-divide the list into categories, but at the moment I find that an alphabetized list strikes a nice balance between order and chaos:
42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role, Pam Fox Rollin (my post)
The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on What Matters, Peter Block
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman
Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman (a related post, another)
Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love, Robert Karen
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell (my post, part 2, part 3)
Changing for Good, James Prohaska et al
The Cluetrain Manifesto, Christopher Locke et al
The Coaching Manager: Developing Top Talent in Business, James Hunt and Joseph Weintraub
Coaching with the Brain in Mind, David Rock and Linda Page
Co-Active Coaching, Laura Whitworth et al (a related post)
Cognitive Therapy, Judith Beck
Comfortable with Uncertainty, Pema Chödrön (my post)
The Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Botton
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Kerry Patterson et al
Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain, Antonio Damasio (my post)
The Emotional LIfe of Your Brain, Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley
Exuberance: The Passion for Life, Kay Redfield Jamison
Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time, Susan Scott (a related post)
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, Peter Senge
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, Peter Senge et al
Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used, Peter Block
The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Companion, Peter Block et al
Gestalt Therapy: Perspectives and Applications, Edwin Nevis, ed.
Getting Things Done, David Allen
Harvard Business Review On Managing Yourself (a related post, another)
Harvard Business Review On Women in Business
Helping, Edgar Schein (one of the books I most recommend for any leader or coach)
The How of Happiness, Sonia Lyubomirsky (my post, a related post)
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini
The Inner Game of Work, Tim Gallwey (my post)
Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Peter Drucker (my post, another, yet another, still another, and another)
The Masterful Coaching Fieldbook, Robert Hargrove
Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, Daniel Siegel
More Than a Motorcycle: The Leadership Journey at Harley-Davidson, Rich Teerlink and Lee Ozley
The Neurotic Behavior of Organizations, Uri Merry and George Isaac Brown (my post)
The No Asshole Rule, Bob Sutton (my post)
The Organizational Behavior Reader, Joyce Osland et al
Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative, Scott Eblin
The Power of Resilience, Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein (my post)
Power Up: Transforming Organizations Through Shared Leadership, David Bradford and Allan Cohen (my post)
Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology, Christopher Peterson
Reading Book for Human Relations Training, Alfred Cooke et al (my post referencing an article in the book)
The Resilience Factor, Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte
Start Where You Are, Pema Chödrön
Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton (my post)
The Substance of Style, Virginia Postrel (my post)
Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, William Bridges (my post)
Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture, Grant McCracken (my post)
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, Bill George (my post, an earlier post, and an even earlier post)
What Should I Do with My Life?, Po Bronson (my post)
When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chödrön (my post)
Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes (free download), Andy Goodman (my post)
Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones (a related post, another related post)
The World According to Peter Drucker, Jack Beatty
Work Matters: Women Talk About Their Jobs and Their Lives, Sara Friedman (my post)
Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin and Robert Cialdini (a related post)
Your Brain at Work, David Rock
Photo by joguldi. Yay Flickr and Creative Commons.
