CXO

8 leadership books to read in 2015

By · January 13, 2015, 4:30 AM PST · erincarson

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  • Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration -- Lessons from The Second City by Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton

    The Second City might be best known as the improvisation school that produced comedic greats from Bill Murray to Tina Fey. It also does leadership training for organizations that applies its 8 principles of improvisation to increasing teamwork, creativity, leadership, and more. Yes, And focuses on these ideas. Available February 3.

  • Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

    While this will probably won't be the last book about Elon Musk, it is the story so far of one of the most interesting figures in tech. Author Ashlee Vance snagged 40 hours of interview time with Musk, and got access to family and friends amongst the 300 touted interviews. The book also explores the question: "Can the nation of inventors and creators which led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition?" Available May 19.

  • How to Fly a Horse by Kevin Ashton

    Author Kevin Ashton dissects prominent inventions and innovations, pulling lessons from how creators -- who he says were ordinary -- approached what they did and wound up making important breakthroughs. Available January 20.

  • Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo! by Nicholas Carlson

    Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo! chronicles Mayer's optimistic start at Yahoo in 2012 and rocky times the company has slogged through in the past several years. Available January 6.

  • The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips

    The Misfit Economy gleans lessons in innovation and entrepreneurship not from the usual suspects (Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison) but from a more questionable crowd -- pirates, gangsters, hackers. Available June 16.

  • Leadership B.S.: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time by Jeff Pfeffer

    Stanford professor Jeff Pfeffer looks at "what’s wrong with the leadership-guru industrial complex," according to the Washington Post. Workplaces don't seem to improve, even after all the consultants, workshops, and, well, leadership books. Pfeffer explains why. Available September 2015.

  • Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra

    Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader covers how to make small changes in areas like job, network, and self in order to "step up to leadership." Ibarra also argues against the idea of "think first then act" and also discusses the idea of outsight, or the "external perspective you gain from direct experiences and experimentation." Available February 10.

  • ​Presence by Amy Cuddy

    Amy Cuddy, an associate professor at the Harvard Business School, writes about the simple power of posture. The idea is that small, nonverbal adjustments to the way people carry themselves can have an impact in everyday life, including in business. Available fall 2015.

Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration -- Lessons from The Second City by Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton

The Second City might be best known as the improvisation school that produced comedic greats from Bill Murray to Tina Fey. It also does leadership training for organizations that applies its 8 principles of improvisation to increasing teamwork, creativity, leadership, and more. Yes, And focuses on these ideas. Available February 3.

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By Erin Carson

Erin Carson is a Staff Reporter for CNET and a former Multimedia Editor for TechRepublic.

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