What shapes a great workplace? Decades of organizational research point to one consistent truth: people-first environments outperform those driven solely by rules or rewards. As management thinker Peter Drucker once said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Whether it’s through clear communication, psychological safety, or values-driven leadership, the most resilient companies often center their human relationships. In fact, Gallup data consistently shows that engaged employees are more productive, loyal, and innovative. But how do leaders actually create that kind of culture? Many turn to practical resources—especially books—that offer tested frameworks and challenge old assumptions. In this roundup, professionals share the titles that reshaped how they lead, build teams, and rethink what it really means to support people at work.

Radical Candor: Honest Feedback Drives Business Growth

The book that reshaped my people strategy wasn’t an HR manual, it was Radical Candor by Kim Scott. It taught me that being “nice” isn’t kind, especially in leadership. That lesson became a game-changer during our early growth at Ignite Digital. 

We stopped sugar-coating performance feedback and started having honest, caring conversations. It fostered a culture where feedback wasn’t feared, it was expected. That shift helped us build teams that could handle pressure, learn fast, and own outcomes, exactly what helped turn Mississauga Foot Clinic’s SEO campaign into a 60% increase in organic conversions after we realigned internal workflows and communication.

We now look beyond the resume to find people who thrive on accountability and direct feedback. It’s why we’ve retained top talent across departments while scaling. 

One proof point; Our work with Just Bathrooms, which drove over 1,100% growth in organic traffic, came from a brutally honest internal brainstorm no one wanted to have but it changed the client’s trajectory.

Matthew Goulart, Founder, Ignite Digital

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Drive: Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose Unlock Team Potential

One book that fundamentally shaped my approach to people-centered HR is *Drive* by Daniel H. Pink. When I first read it, I was in the early stages of building out our team at Nerdigital, and we were wrestling with how to create an environment that didn’t just attract talent—but truly motivated and retained it.

What struck me most about *Drive* is Pink’s breakdown of what truly fuels people: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. It challenged a lot of traditional HR thinking around rewards and performance management. Instead of focusing solely on extrinsic motivators—like bonuses or rigid KPIs—we started asking better questions. What gives our team members a sense of ownership? How can we support their growth in a meaningful way? Are we connecting their work to a clear, inspiring mission?

That thinking led us to redesign several internal practices. We implemented flexible work structures where people have more control over their schedules and goals. We began conducting “growth mapping” sessions instead of annual reviews—focused less on evaluation and more on development. And perhaps most importantly, we worked harder to consistently communicate the *why* behind what we’re building.

The result has been more engaged people and a stronger culture rooted in trust and shared purpose. *Drive* reminded me that HR isn’t just about compliance or operations—it’s about unlocking potential. And when you build systems that reflect that, it doesn’t just benefit the individual—it lifts the entire organization.

If you’re serious about creating people-first workplaces, *Drive* is the kind of book that doesn’t just give you theories—it helps you rethink how your team works at a foundational level.

Max Shak, Founder/CEO, nerDigital

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Ask More, Say Less: The Coaching Habit

Michael Bungay Stanier’s “The Coaching Habit” completely transformed my understanding of people-centered leadership. One line jumped out at me: “Say less, ask more.” I immediately put it into practice in my team members’ 1:1s—particularly in high-pressure environments like fintech—while never looking back. Instead of offering up advice or making decisions, I had learned to ask a series of simple, open-ended questions, through which I could give people the space to think, take ownership of their answers, and feel understood. It was not about being soft—it was about being effective.

At Pagoralia, and in previous start-ups like ElegirSeguro or Kikoya, seems to improve trust at a much faster rate, coached more effectively, and also prevented me from micromanaging the fast scaling of people. It also transferred easily to the ontological coaching training I received, which focuses on not only what people do, but also, who they believe they are and how they see the world. HR can become a conversation, structural change can enable culture shift, stop managing roles and start managing identities.

Martin Weidemann, VP Fintech, Pagoralia.com

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People-First Companies Outperform Their Competition

People-First Isn’t Soft. It’s Smart.

One book that deeply shaped how I approach HR is Firms of Endearment by David B Wolfe, Rajendra Sisodia, and Jagdish Sheth. It flips the traditional idea of shareholder primacy on its head—and makes a solid business case for leading with humanity. What stuck with me wasn’t just the stories, but the data. Companies that put people first (employees and stakeholders) consistently outperform those that don’t.

That insight helped fuel how we built The New Workforce. We don’t see people-centered practices as perks. They’re core to the model. When you treat talent like partners instead of line items, you don’t just get a better culture, you get better results.

Kraig Kleeman, Founder, CEO, The New Workforce

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Leaders Protect People, Not Just Manage Them

Book: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.

This one hit me hard. As someone running an addiction treatment center, I don’t have the luxury of just thinking in spreadsheets and productivity. I work with people who carry heavy stories—both the clients and the staff. Leaders Eat Last reminded me that leadership is about protecting your people, not managing them.

Before reading it, I thought being a strong leader meant keeping everything moving at all costs. But that mindset burns people out, especially in behavioral health. This book made it clear: if your team doesn’t feel safe—emotionally, mentally, and professionally—they won’t perform. Worse, they won’t stay.

We changed a lot after that.

We removed the “clock-in, clock-out” mentality. Instead of top-down HR policies, we focused on trust and transparency. I sat down with staff, listened more, dictated less. We built an environment where people felt seen and supported, not just hired to fill roles.

It reshaped how I look at HR entirely. HR isn’t a department—it’s your culture. If your people don’t feel cared for, they won’t care for others. In our field, that’s a disaster. Recovery depends on real human connection. And that starts from the top.

Leaders Eat Last gave me the backbone to run this place like a team, not a machine. We’re not perfect, but the loyalty, energy, and passion I see from my staff now—that’s proof it works.

Andy Danec, Owner, Ridgeline Recovery LLC

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Trust Employees, Focus on Meaningful Work

One book that has had a big impact on my people centric HR approach is “Work Rules!” by Laszlo Bock, the former SVP of People Operations at Google. What I love about this book is how it challenges the idea that people need to be tightly controlled by rules and policies to perform well. Instead it says trust employees, give them autonomy and focus on meaningful work and you’ll get higher engagement and better business outcomes.

One of the key takeaways that has shaped my work is Bock’s concept of data driven empathy. He argues that we should use people analytics not to micromanage but to understand what matters most to employees—whether it’s flexibility, recognition or growth opportunities—and then design HR practices around those insights.

After reading Work Rules! I started rethinking everything from recruitment to employee development. For example we changed our onboarding process to focus less on compliance checklists and more on helping new hires feel connected and purposeful from day one. We also introduced more transparent feedback systems and encouraged managers to act more as coaches than gatekeepers.

This book reminded me that great HR is about creating environments where people can do their best work and feel good doing it. It’s not about perks—it’s about culture, trust and treating employees like capable, thoughtful adults. Work Rules! gave me the mindset and practical tools to make HR more human and it continues to guide my decisions today.

Sovic Chakrabarti, Director, Icy Tales

About Humane HR Perspectives

Our round-up series “Humane HR Perspectives” examines the fundamentals of humanising human resources (HR) from the perspectives of top authorities within and relevant to the industry. Q&A sessions with founders, CEOs, HR professionals, business leaders, and other significant players who are influencing the direction of HR are included in every edition.

Throughout the employee life cycle, we address a wide range of subjects in this series, including recruitment and selection, onboarding, training and development, performance management, employee engagement, pay and benefits, and more. We also go over important topics like compliance, change management in the workplace, morale and welfare, workplace communications, and diversity and inclusion.

The “Humane HR Perspectives” series offers insightful advice and practical examples to help develop a more encouraging, productive, and successful workplace—whether you’re an HR professional, a business leader, or just someone who is enthusiastic about creating a great work environment. Join us as we explore the approaches, difficulties, and triumphs that characterise HR humanisation and acquire unique access to the knowledge and experiences of individuals spearheading the movement.

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