We are all in the process of setting our goals for 2020.  Regardless of the outcomes of 2019, we all wish for a better 2020.  Before we go through the formal process, here are 4.5 books (really 4 books) that can provide you insight and wisdom in setting up your plan and your year.  They all revolve around organizational health and provide you the opportunity to grow the impact of your organization by developing your team.  They are in no particular order. Enjoy the reading…take it to the next level for 2020.

Scaling Up by Verne Harnish

Over the past 30 plus years Verne has curated the best practices in organizational health. Personally, it has provided several of my organizations great tools that led to extraordinary growth and highly engaged teams.  In the past, Amazon has listed it as a best seller for nonprofit strategy. His book is an encyclopedia of best practices and is focused into 4 categories- People, Strategy, Execution and Cash.  Great how to book to reference when needed.  Verne has an entire community surrounding his methodology, including summits, coaches, online content and bootcamps:  www.scalingup.com and www.scalingupsocial.com.

The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

Patrick has written one of my favorite books of all time – The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The Advantage includes the best practices of The Five Dysfunctions and compiles the best parts of his other books.  This book is great to read with your entire team. It is like reading multiple books and counts as 1.5 books because it combines my favorite book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, with Lencioni’s other best practices.  We have in the past read this with our leadership team and implemented different tools along the way.  www.tablegroup.com provides tools and resources to support the book.

Engines of Impact: Essentials of Strategic Leadership in Nonprofit by William F. Meehan, III and Kim Starkey Jonker

These two Stanford professors provide great examples of organizations creating alignment and building great teams.  One of my favorite practical guides to building a high performing nonprofit.  They also have a website with free tools.  www.engineofimpact.org

 

Leaping of Reasons:  Managing Outcomes in a World of Scarcity by Mario Morino

Morino has been an innovator in his funding and leading of organizations.  He has created a community of nonprofit leaders and consultants to explore best practices around performance and outcomes of nonprofits.  As part of this journey, he co-authored a book Leap of Reason that provides insights on how to become a high-performance organization.  A website exists with specific tools to be used with the book and case studies. www.leapambassadors.org

Each of these books will provide new tools to implement into your organization.  They provide practical insights that can be implemented quickly although the impact will take a while.  Culture is a journey and these books will provide you the tools to create the culture that will drive the impact.