A reading programme for first-time managers
Updated 2026-10-07
Most companies promote people into management and hope they work it out. A reading programme is one of the cheapest ways to help: a small group of new managers reading the same books and talking honestly about what they're facing. We've built this one around short, practical books, most of them by Indian authors about Indian workplaces, so people finish the reading and recognise the situations.
Who it suits
- Groups of six to twelve people who have started managing in the last year or so
- Companies running a new-manager or high-potential cohort
- Teams with mixed experience, if most people are new to managing
How it runs
- Six weekly sessions of about an hour, run by your own facilitator or by someone we arrange
- Four books, all chosen so a busy manager can keep up
- Discussion questions for each session, which we adjust for your group
- Copies sourced in the format you want and delivered to your offices
The books
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How to Lead OthersJohn Adair · 216 pages
Weeks 1 and 2. A short, clear model of what a leader does: keep the task, the team and each person in view.
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Gym of LeadershipAnil K. Khandelwal · 288 pages
Week 3. On building authority, for the impostor feeling most new managers have.
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Stories At WorkIndranil Chakraborty · 256 pages
Week 4. On being understood: using stories to explain why the work matters.
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What I Did Not Learn in B SchoolRajeev Agarwal
Week 5. The everyday judgement calls a classroom rarely covers.
A six-week outline
One way to run it. We change the order and pace to suit your group.
| Week | Reading | Focus | Discussion prompt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How to Lead Others | What a manager is for | Which of task, team and individual do you naturally neglect? |
| 2 | How to Lead Others | Putting the basics to work | What does one person in your team need from you that they aren't getting? |
| 3 | Gym of Leadership | Authority | Where do you feel least sure of yourself as a manager? |
| 4 | Stories At Work | Being understood | Think of an instruction that didn't land. What happened? |
| 5 | What I Did Not Learn in B School | Judgement calls | Share a decision from the last month you weren't sure how to make. |
| 6 | No new reading | Looking back | What have you changed since week one? |
Questions teams ask
- Can we change the books?
- Yes. We start from this set and adjust for your group's experience, sector and reading time. If a book doesn't suit your people, we'll suggest an alternative and say why.
- Do you run the sessions?
- Many companies use their own facilitator, and the discussion plan is written for that. If you want someone external, tell us when you ask for a quote and we'll tell you what we can arrange.
- What do you charge?
- It depends on group size, format and delivery, so we quote each programme. The quote shows what goes on the books and what comes to us, and nothing is ordered until you approve it.
- Can we run it without you?
- Of course. Our guide on running a reading group for new managers sets out the whole plan.
Get a quote for your group
Tell us about your group and we'll suggest the right version of this programme, with a price. Nothing is ordered until you approve it.