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8 books to be an HR expert

The 8 books you should read to be an HR expert

There is much talk about the importance of reading, but not all books have the same quality, so it is important to know how to choose. In today’s article we want to help you and recommend books that we believe will help you to deepen about people management and HR.

These titles will keep you abreast of trends in talent management and good practices that experts use.

Books you should read:

  • The new formula of work: revelations from Google that will change the way you live and lead – Laszo Bock
Laszo Bock, author of the book and senior vice president of human resources at Google, is a celebrity in the art of managing people. And rightly so, it has managed to make Google one of the companies most admired for its talent management. The best thing about his book is that he doesn’t skimp on details about how to manage talent. Laszo makes a complete analysis of many processes in Google: how to create a work culture, design recruitment processes, manage performance… etc.

In addition, he does so by citing a lot of studies that support his reasoning; an effort that is appreciated.

It is a very useful book to know new trends in people management. It breaks paradigms and, above all, offers many ideas that can be inspiring.
  • Launching a revolution on leadership: mastering the five levels of influence – Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward
This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in improving their leadership skills.

The authors, through a large number of historical examples, articulate a step-by-step plan to create and maintain good leadership in any organization. Its purpose is to give keys to master “the different levels of influence”: learning, realization, execution, development of leaders, and development of leaders who develop leaders.

Unlike other books, it is full of prescriptive advice, quotes and anecdotes. In addition, it collects numerous ideas from other authors, a fact that makes this work a good thematic reference.
  • Managing people in the company: conceptual approach and practical applications – Javier Fernández Aguado
Javier Fernández Aguado is one of the most prolific and influential Spanish authors on management. With more than thirty books written, in his bibliography you will surely find one that captures your attention.

This work specifically studies the new role of people in organizations from a multidisciplinary approach. It addresses the essential issues that make up a modern management of human resources: selection, training, motivation and leadership. It also includes numerous examples that illustrate and complement its reasoning.

Despite being a book published long ago (in 1999), many of his ideas still have practical application today.
  • The five dysfunctions of a team – Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni uses a fable to present his theories in a short and easy-to-read book.

The story is about a woman, Kathryn Petersen, who enters a new job as CEO of a technology company. This is a new challenge full of many exciting challenges.

They are even more challenging when, to her surprise, Kathryn realizes she is surrounded by a totally dysfunctional team. Things will therefore be much more difficult than she expected, as she will have to face this unforeseen situation and reverse it as soon as possible.

With this entertaining story, the author teaches us why some teams does not work and what we can do to solve it. It does so from a model of five dysfunctions, through which the protagonist relies to redirect the company to the path of success.
  • Take care of them or lose them: get the best ones to work with you – Beverly Kaye & Sharon Jordan-Evans
Talent retention is one of the most important issues facing companies today.

This book is therefore very timely and useful in the current context. It offers 26 strategies (one for each letter of the alphabet) to address the real concerns of workers and keep them engaged in the company.
  • First, break all the rules: what makes the best managers different from others – Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
The best managers share a common denominator: they break with conventional wisdom and apply innovative methods to shape productive teams.

This amazing book, based on in-depth interviews, explains how the best managers select employees, set their expectations, help them develop and motivate them.

It is an excellent book to rethink many common reasoning today. In addition, it is full of revealing proposals to start managing teams differently.
  • The fifth discipline: the art and practice of organization open to learning – Peter Senge
The only sustainable competitive advantage for a company in the long run is its ability to learn faster than the competition. Hence the importance of building learning organisations.

This book describes the five disciplines that make up organizational learning: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning and systemic thinking.

It is a dense and conceptual book that encourages reflection. However, it presents a lot of good examples, so it can help us a lot to create learning-oriented organizations.
  • Giving to receive: the secret of success in business – Bob Burg & John David Mann
This story tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe, who longs for success. Joe is a born fighter, though sometimes desperate because he feels that the harder he works, the further away his goals seem to be. So, one day, exasperated by closing a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks the advice of an enigmatic character.

It is a tender and inspiring story centered on the old proverb of “giving to receive”. It contains great principles, not only about business, but about life.
There are many more interesting books to read and learn about HR and people management Too bad we can’t talk about everyone!
And you: Have you read any of the books we have proposed to you? What book do you think we left and you want to recommend us?

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