--- title: The Best Work and Management Books of the Past Year description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6121671/charter-best-work-and-management-books-2021/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-11-19T16:43:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-28T07:07:08.352Z og:title: The Best Work and Management Books of 2021 og:description: Over the past year, we've read more than 10,000 pages to cover 41 books. Here are our recommendations and takeaways. og:url: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6121671/charter-best-work-and-management-books-2021/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2cec271e69ca5f1/698a1fec16d88403ddc3a124/GettyImages-1350909641.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GettyImages-1350909641.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Best Work and Management Books of 2021 twitter:description: Over the past year, we've read more than 10,000 pages to cover 41 books. Here are our recommendations and takeaways. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2cec271e69ca5f1/698a1fec16d88403ddc3a124/GettyImages-1350909641.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- The information presented here is created by Charter, independently from the TIME editorial staff.  Time charter * [books](/partner-content/charter/tag/books/) ## books # The Best Work and Management Books of the Past Year by [Kevin J. Delaney](https://time.com/author/kevin-delaney/) Nov 19, 2021 4:43 PM UTC  CORTE MADERA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: A customer shops for books at a Barnes and Noble store on November 02, 2021 in Corte Madera, California. Global supply chain disruptions are threatening the book publishing industry ahead of the holiday season. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) CORTE MADERA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: A customer shops for books at a Barnes and Noble store on November 02, 2021 in Corte Madera, California. Global supply chain disruptions are threatening the book publishing industry ahead of the holiday season. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Justin Sullivan/Getty Images by [Kevin J. Delaney](https://time.com/author/kevin-delaney/) Nov 19, 2021 4:43 PM UTC In early December 2020, we started featuring a briefing on a new book about work or management every week. We’ve now covered 41 books, having read more than 10,000 pages. With the holiday season approaching, here are our recommendations and takeaways: **Best gifts for colleagues and friends:** * [_Did That Just Happen?!_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=37e3099295&e=cdf5361d9b) by Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Dr. Lauren Wadsworth—The detailed playbook for anti-racist, inclusive workplace practices that so many of us need. Chapter eight especially should be read by every leader. (You can [watch a workshop](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=70ee8d20f8&e=cdf5361d9b) with the co-authors from our recent Workplace Summit.) * [_Four Thousand Weeks_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=8b9a9091d0&e=cdf5361d9b) by Oliver Burkeman—This creative book cautions against obsessing over productivity and time management, though ultimately does include useful tips for getting things done. Among them: restrict your main to-do list to 10 items to force yourself to confront the tough choices about how you use your time. * [_Just Work_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=f0046d89a6&e=cdf5361d9b) by Kim Scott—Anecdotes and practices from this book stuck with us for weeks afterward, including Scott’s arguments for writing 600-word codes of conduct and for disclosing everyone’s salaries to their colleagues. (You can [watch a session with Scott](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=21a8f0edfc&e=cdf5361d9b) from the Workplace Summit.) * [_Think Again_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=d0355e49d9&e=cdf5361d9b) by Adam Grant—This is a highly readable, convincing guide on how to reassess our opinions and get more things right, avoiding the human tendency to hang on to old assumptions even when they’re wrong. * [_Beyond Collaboration Overload_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=d37eae3459&e=cdf5361d9b) by Rob Cross—Cross offers a timely caution against overdoing the connection and communication that are hallmarks of modern workplaces, including tactics like cutting time allotted for meetings in half and discouraging replies to emails. * [_Power, for All_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=19732da851&e=cdf5361d9b) by Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro—The two business school professor authors do an impressive job of providing a simple structure for thinking about how power works and encouragingly suggest that it’s possible to exercise it for good. To determine who really has power in an organization, they recommend asking, “Who do people go to for advice?” * [_Masters of Scale_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=8ff4622a95&e=cdf5361d9b) by Reid Hoffman with June Cohen and Deron Triff—Stemming from a popular business podcast by the same name, this book offers distilled lessons and memorable stories from dozens of companies. It’s largely uncritical of the founders, but is an entertaining, thought-provoking read. * [_The Exponential Age_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=5face2c256&e=cdf5361d9b) by Azeem Azhar—This provides a very clear explanation of why it’s hard for humans to understand exponential change and how that’s a major blindspot at this unique moment when technologies are advancing exponentially and institutions are adapting much more slowly. [_For more on the future of work, sign up for the free Charter newsletter._](https://www.charterworks.com/newsletter/?utm%5Fsource=time&utm%5Fmedium=edit&utm%5Fcampaign=timelaunch) **Best gifts for a recent graduate or someone just starting out:** * [_The Long Game_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=54210c24df&e=cdf5361d9b) by Dorie Clark—This breezily presents very common sense advice about careers and business. Among Clark’s recommendations: adopt the “20% time” approach popularized by Google and devote that portion of your time to exploring new areas. * [_Unapologetically Ambitious_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=fea7decc22&e=cdf5361d9b) by Shellye Archambeau—This is a compelling, unflinching story of the career of someone with unusual self assurance, organization, and drive looking to share the key factors behind her success. * [_Futureproof_ ](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=2328a172db&e=cdf5361d9b)by Kevin Roose—Make sure to not skip the five-page appendix, where Roose shares his own goals based on the book’s nine rules for being happy and successful amid the spread of automation. The goals are very thoughtful and specific. **Most-read book briefings on our site this year:** 1. [_Leading at a Distance_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=71ce2c5c88&e=cdf5361d9b) by James M. Citrin and Darleen DeRosa 2. [_Did That Just Happen?!_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=e6b1ca68fb&e=cdf5361d9b) by Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Dr. Lauren Wadsworth 3. [_Think Again_](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=52114c7ff5&e=cdf5361d9b) by Adam Grant **Transparency:** * **Forty-seven percent of the books we covered over the past five months were written by a female author (down slightly from 50% during the previous six months), and 29% had a BIPOC author (up from 21%).** We track these statistics to be sure we’re featuring books from writers of diverse backgrounds, and are continually looking to increase them. * **We’ve earned $189.12 in Amazon referral fees this year** when readers purchased books after clicking on links in the email. We earned $35.60 in referral fees from Bookshop.org. We appreciate the support! We’re interested in hearing what your favorite books are to recommend. Please reply to this email with any suggestions. **You can read a** [**roundup of the first six months of book briefings**](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=a0cdf5617a&e=cdf5361d9b) **from June and find** [**all of our book briefings here**](https://charterworks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb9b19e527bec82c51c63bd2b&id=94c6a620db&e=cdf5361d9b). --- ## Read more from Charter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/) [Open article: What we learned from books in 2024](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7203876/what-we-learned-from-books-in-2024/)  ### What we learned from books in 2024 [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7203876/what-we-learned-from-books-in-2024/) [Open article: What We Learned From Books in 2023](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6551391/what-we-learned-from-books-in-2023/)  ### What We Learned From Books in 2023 [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6551391/what-we-learned-from-books-in-2023/) [Open article: The Reasons Behind the Gender Wage Gap Might Surprise You](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6333713/charter-the-reasons-behind-the-gender-wage-gap-might-surprise-you/)  ### The Reasons Behind the Gender Wage Gap Might Surprise You [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6333713/charter-the-reasons-behind-the-gender-wage-gap-might-surprise-you/) --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6121671/charter-best-work-and-management-books-2021/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6121671/charter-best-work-and-management-books-2021/"},"headline":"The Best Work and Management Books of the Past Year","datePublished":"2021-11-19T16:43:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T07:07:08.352Z","description":"Over the past year, we've read more than 10,000 pages to cover 41 books. Here are our recommendations and takeaways.","url":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6121671/charter-best-work-and-management-books-2021/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2cec271e69ca5f1/698a1fec16d88403ddc3a124/GettyImages-1350909641.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin J. Delaney","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kevin-delaney/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2cec271e69ca5f1/698a1fec16d88403ddc3a124/GettyImages-1350909641.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-1350909641.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6121671/charter-best-work-and-management-books-2021/","name":"The Best Work and Management Books of the Past Year"}}]}] ```