5 Favorite Positive Psychology Books for Business Leaders
Sarah A Scala, M. Ed & OD, ACC
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
As my blog and newsletter readers know, I read and enjoy a lot of books each year! I am always looking to learn new skills and ways to keep growing my business, offering career coaching, executive coaching, and leadership development. Here are my 5 favorite books on positive psychology. These are excellent reads for Coaches, HR leaders, CEOs, and Business Managers - anyone who works with people, really.
My choices for best books on positive psychology:
Flourish
Flow
Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life
Man’s Search for Meaning
Now, Discover your Strengths
Flourish by Martin Seligman
Seligman is known as the founder of positive psychology. I read this book 9 years ago after reading his earlier book, Authentic Happiness. I enjoyed this book so much that I bought a copy and decided to add Optimism, Resilience, and Grit as a speaking topic for my clients to help them move through the emotional impacts of change. I have taught and spoken on this topic at conferences and events all over the country. Here is a link to a quick video of me speaking on the topic.
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
I first read this book at age 20 when I was in undergraduate school, and again last year as part of a curriculum for a coach training program I attended at the Gestalt International Study Center. This book shares the research and FLOW model which defines flow as the sweet spot where there is not too much anxiety or boredom.
Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life by Barb Fredrickson.
I enjoyed this book and appreciated learning about her defined positivity ratio which helps people understand how much positivity they need versus negativity. My number is five positive things for every one negative thing.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
This classic book shares Frankl’s experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII and the psychological attributes of prisoners that helped them endure their captivity prior to being freed. This book also includes his idea of “meaning”, and is a must-read book on positive psychology.
Now, Discover your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham.
I read this book 10 years ago and found it to be helpful in understanding my personal strengths and those of my team members. The book includes a link to take Gallup’s StrengthsFinder Assessment. Research indicates that focusing on people’s strengths is much more effective and productive than trying to correct weaknesses, and a great place to start is in defining what your top strengths are.
* Disclosure: Sarah Scala Consulting may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, and/or link to any product/ service from this website at no cost to you.
What are your favorite books on positive psychology? Please share the best books you have read in the comments. If you have specific questions, ask me. I'm happy to help.
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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and executive coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.
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