The reason I wrote my book, Buried in Business, is because there weren’t any books out there quite like it. Sure, there are plenty of books to empower and motivate the individual. There are books about processes and organizational structure. There are thousands of great leadership books. But I didn’t want to write just another leadership book. I wanted to address the unique situations of the admin so we can dismantle the stigma and rebuild the internal frameworks of our businesses.
However, since my book has not yet been released, I’m going to recommend my top 5 books to read while you anticipate my big launch! These aren’t specific to admin, but the concepts are still relevant. You’ll find benefit for your own leadership style as well as concepts to share with your team.
Good to Great by Jim Collins
#1 Good to Great by Jim Collins
Every business-savvy person should read this classic, including your team. If you’ve already read it, read it again. This is one of those books that makes you nod your head in agreement, scratch your head in contemplation and smack your head when you realize you’ve been doing it wrong. At the end of the day, Jim’s concepts are universal and timeless. The problem is that we read his book, and experience our aha! moments, and quickly forget to apply the concepts in real life. Give this classic a fresh read, and take notes to keep his concepts front of mind.
#2 The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
This is a great one for both you and your admin to read. What makes it great is the strategy for the individual to identify their ONE priority and manage their own time. Gary Keller is the famous name behind the Keller-Williams Real Estate franchise. You can read this book knowing that it was meant for his agents: single, proprietary business owners. However, the concepts are universal for anyone wanting to take ownership of their day. One of the struggles of the admin is managing the barrage of disconnected tasks that land on their desk. This book helps the individual have agency over their time and tasks. By helping your admin get clarity on The ONE Thing that matters most, they can clear the clutter and tackle the most important tasks first.
#3 Death of the Org Chart by Walt Brown
This lesser known book and author brings immense value to organizational structure and staff accountability. Walt teaches you how to break down each position within the organization into roles, and further breaks down each role into 14 questions, creating a matrix of clarity and accountability. Once you get past the o-graph matrix, you realize just how simple and valuable it is to get this level of clarity on the positions and roles within your company. This is a must-read for building your job descriptions.
#4 Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
I’m throwing in another classic here. Who Moved My Cheese? is a particularly good read for admin as they constantly deal with the changing demands of leadership, especially the entrepreneurial leaders who love shiny objects. Change management is a struggle for many leaders and employees alike. This quick read helps your team adapt to organizational changes and helps you manage the changes for smoother transitions.
#5 Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
Brene Brown is one of my heroes, but you don’t have to be a Brene enthusiast to appreciate her work on vulnerability and leadership. Her real-life stories and down-to-earth way of explaining social concepts taps into your mind and heart. She has a way of making you want to be a better version of yourself while appreciating who you already are. She uncovers the vulnerability in all of us and humanizes our idols. It’s important for leaders to be inwardly sound before they can truly lead a team. Concurrently, it’s important for our teams to feel seen and heard as they navigate their own career paths. This is a book for leadership and a book for life.
So while the best for admin is yet to come, you can brush up and expand your leadership and organizational knowledge. I cannot wait to put the icing on this cake in 6 months. Happy reading!
