The books listed here are full of great ideas and advice, and are likely to have a major impact on anybody who reads them. They are all classics in their field. Some were first published years ago, but are well worth searching out. They have the power to seriously change your thinking.

Moments of Truth       Jan Carlzon

Fascinating story of how inspired leadership can galvanize a whole company into producing exceptional, competition-beating results.

Quality Is Free      Philip B Crosby

Crosby demonstrates how delivering consistent good quality, far from adding cost, actually saves money. How to get things ‘Right First Time’ and achieve zero defects. Full of practical advice.

The Deming Management Method      Mary Walton with J Edwards Deming

Deming is the man credited with teaching the Japanese after World War II how to produce quality products which would beat the world. Discover here what he told them.

Up The Organization      Robert Townsend

Humorous but wise book on how to run corporations. Punchy, bullet-point stuff you will enjoy reading - and putting into practice.

The Effective Executive      Peter Drucker

The ultimate management guru lays out his views about how to use your management time to get the right things done.

Made In America      Sam Walton

An insight into how the down-home philosophy of Sam Walton laid the foundations for Wal-Mart, now the biggest corporation in the world.

In Search of Excellence      Tom Peters and Robert Waterman

First published back in 1982, this book still has a multitude of lessons and practical examples useful to any practising manager today.

A Passion For Excellence      Tom Peters and Nancy Austin

400 pages of practical stuff any manager can use. We defy any manager not to find here ideas he or she can use immediately in their job.

The Frontiers of Excellence      Robert Waterman

Looks in depth at several excellent companies to identify the ideas and practices that took them to world class standards of performance.

The IBM Way       Buck Rogers

Top IBM marketing executive for more than 10 years reveals the secrets that have made IBM the most consistently successful company on the planet.

Work and The Nature of Man      Frederick Herzberg

This is a classic piece of practical research into what really motivates people at work. Its key insights will undoubtedly influence how you manage.

The Richer Way      Julian Richer

Originally inspired by In Search of Excellence, Richer describes the practical techniques he uses to get every employee in his company delivering exceptional service to their customers.

Kaizen - The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success      Masaaki Imai

Continuous improvement has helped Japanese companies turn out products of world-beating quality and reliability. Maasaaki Imai tells you how it was – and is – done.

The Toyota Production System      Taiichi Ohno

For those in manufacturing companies this is absolutely essential reading. By the man who was the originator of their much-admired system right from the beginning.

Key Strategies For Plant Improvement      Shigeo Shingo

Part of the Toyota story, his publisher says : “If I could give a Nobel prize for exceptional contributions to world economy, prosperity, and productivity, I wouldn’t have much difficulty selecting the winner - it is Shigeo Shingo.”

Transforming Company Culture      David Drennan

This is a book that makes the whole business of culture change practical and understandable. Written for practising managers who need to make change happen, it is a book about what to do and how to do it.

The 12 Ladders to World Class Performance      David Drennan

Using twelve key benchmarks of world class practice, this book shows you how you can, step by step, steadily ascend the ladders to world class standards of performance.

How To Win Friends and Influence People      Dale Carnegie

Written many years ago now, but full of fundamental truths that will influence your business and personal relationships for the rest of your life.

Psycho-Cybernetics      Maxwell Maltz

A quirky title, but invaluable for demonstrating the importance of your self-image in determining your behaviour and ultimately your success in life.

Think and Grow Rich      Napoleon Hill

Hill was sent by one of the first American multi-millionaires to visit other millionaires to find out their secrets of success. Fascinating stuff.