Being an effective manager is demanding and complex. Aside from thoroughly knowing and understanding your business, you need to understand people and their motivations, be a motivator yourself, and manage emotional and business-related issues at once.

The topic of good management has been covered over the ages in thousands of different books.

Here, we’ve selected the most recent (with the exception of one important classic) and most effective titles to get you on the path to being the best manager you can be, or to simply brush up your management knowledge.

Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday (2016)

In this modernist book, Holiday dissects traits of leaders throughout history, explaining how ego is a barrier to success, personal growth, and achieving great work.

The book is broken into three segments: Aspire, Success and Failure. It’s peppered with many examples, explanations, and excellent quotes from leaders throughout history. In particular, the book highlights examples where great leaders and mentors have put their egos aside to do amazing things.

Holiday’s major premise in this book is that the narcissist is his own greatest enemy, and that we must always remain ‘students’ – always learning, talking, doing and realising – to progress, grow, succeed and be the best leaders we can be.

Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive, Kevin Horsley (2016)

Author Kevin Horsley broke a world memory record in 2013, and in this insightful novel, he teaches readers how to use memory strategies to learn faster, be more productive and achieve more in less time.

The book explains clear and detailed methods on improving memory and establishing techniques to enable people to grasp and communicate information effectively.

The techniques are invaluable to managers who wish to operate effectively and efficiently.

Learning Leadership: The Five Fundamentals of Becoming an Exemplary Leader, James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner (2016)

Kouzes and Posner are the bestselling authors of The Leadership Challenge and their new book examines a fundamental question: How do people learn leadership? How do they learn to become leaders?

This book is a comprehensive guide to unveiling the inner-leader in everyone, and building a solid foundation for a lifetime of leadership growth and mastery. It offers a complete framework to help individuals of all levels, functions, and backgrounds take charge of their own leadership development and fulfil their potential.

Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, Daniel. H. Pink (2011)

In this book, Pink boldly states to forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people – at work, at school, and at home. In his paradigm-shattering book, Drive, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today’s world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Along the journey, Pink highlights companies that are applying new approaches to motivation, and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are revolutionising how to make the most of motivation.

How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie (1936)

A 60-year-old, must-have classic.

For managers, employees – indeed, anyone in business.

Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 15 million copies. Carnegie’s first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with advice that has carried thousands of now-famous individuals to extraordinary success in business and their personal lives.

Carnegie’s principles will guide you to achieve maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age.