COE Summer Reading List 2025

The summer season welcomes more sunshine, more downtime, and the perfect opportunity to dive into a great book. Whether you’re recharging on vacation or taking advantage of a quiet moment between projects, this is your invitation to seek out inspiration to fuel your personal and professional development. 

To help you find that next great read, the Center for Operational Excellence asked some of our favorite minds—recent speakers, board members, and Fisher College of Business faculty—for their top book recommendations. The result is a thoughtfully curated COE Summer Reading List packed with insights on leadership, continuous improvement, and technology. 

For those who never stop learning even when the summer heat strikes, we hope these titles offer new perspectives and practical wisdom for your OpEx journey. 

Grab a book, stay cool, and let the ideas flow. Happy reading from COE!

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, Liz Wiseman

“Multipliers is an immediate value-add for anyone driving continuous improvement because it equips you with clear language and practical tools to become the kind of team member or leader who brings out the best in others. Instead of letting unintentional negative leadership traits—like micromanaging or hoarding decision-making—slow down progress, the book shows you how to create space for others to think, contribute, and grow. It’s especially powerful when leading change, as it reinforces a culture where ideas flourish, ownership increases, and people feel energized to do their best work.” - Anna Karousis, Director, IT Transformation at T. Marzetti

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, Ethan Mollick 

“This is a nice book on the current state of AI and some best practices on use. It also points to some potential future states and examines how it is (and will be) transforming the world.” - Dr. John Draper, Associate Clinical Professor of Operations and Business Analytics at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business 

People Solve Problems: The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem, Jamie Flinchbaugh 

“This book is a must-read for anyone trying to create a culture where problem solving actually sticks. Flinchbaugh does a fantastic job of shifting the focus away from tools and toward behaviors, mindset, and systems. It’s not about checking a box—it’s about empowering people to think critically and act boldly. I recommend this to leaders who are ready to stop chasing symptoms and start building real capability.” - Sarah Tilkens, CEO and Founder of The KPI Lab

How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, Clay Scroggins 

“This book creates a fantastic foundation of how to influence without authority and provides building blocks for how to lead with intention using basic behaviors.” - Dan Rudolph, Director, Internal Audit at Nationwide Financial

The Lean Tech Manifesto, Fabrice Bernhard and Benoit Charles-Lavauzelle 

“This book describes a lean business system that that brings the ability to scale Agile software development and innovation across multiple teams. Scaling agile processes has been a long-standing issue, and this book provides ideas for getting the most out of Agile.” - Dr. Peter Ward, Richard M. Ross Emeritus Chair in Management and COE Academic Director at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

Motivational Interviewing for Leadership, Jason Wilcox, Brian Kersh, and Elizabeth Jenkins 

“I have used Motivational Interviewing from the mental health field for several years as a change management strategy support. This book operationalizes this valuable skill set for leaders in a variety of circumstances. The topic is presented as part of transformational leadership, which is foundational for lean leadership.” - Cheryl Jekiel, CEO of the Lean Leadership Center

Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results, Drew Boyd and Jacob Goldenberg

“This book is great for learning to think creatively and innovatively to come up with new ways of doing something.” - Eric Tatum, Executive Director of Operational Excellence at JPMorgan Chase 

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, Patrick Lencioni 

“Every time we face challenges as a team, I refer back to this book. My copy (which my boss and I actually share) is covered in highlighter and Post-Its. It always grounds me—I can place myself in the viewpoints of other team members and have empathy and understanding for their positions. It has practical and realistic techniques for getting a team to work together effectively. Each time I reference it for a different group, I see new applications for the solutions that work best for that set of individuals. I like that it takes an operational and methodical approach but leaves the flexibility to insert any human, personality, and emotion.” - Julia Sebastian, EVP Operations at The Shipyard 

Every Patient Counts, Grey Dube and John Toussaint, MD 

“Great story on how two hospitals in South Africa lowered infant and maternal mortality, engaged teams, and improved patient satisfaction through building a management philosophy based on principles, behaviors, and systems that created a culture of continuous improvement.” - Chris Weisbrod, Network Director for Catalysis

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, Adam Grant 

“If you're interested in cultivating a long-term perspective on the development of people around you—whether as a leader, mentor, educator, or teammate—I highly recommend Hidden Potential by Adam Grant. This book goes beyond the surface of talent and explores how individuals can grow and thrive through the right environments, support systems, and mindsets. Grant offers powerful insights into how we can recognize and nurture potential in others, even when it’s not immediately obvious. It’s an inspiring and practical read for anyone committed to helping others grow over time.” - Dr. Hun Lee, Associate Professor of Management and Human Resources at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman 

“Four thousand weeks equals the average human lifespan. Burkeman, who was previously more of a time management and productivity guru, helps readers put their whole life in perspective, reflecting on their values, priorities, and what matters. This is one of the best books I read in 2024.” - Dr. Brodie Riordan, Principal at Ocular 

Managing on Purpose, Mark Reich

“Managing on Purpose fills a badly needed void in that it puts Hoshin in the context of a larger management system. It draws on the author's vast experience applying Hoshin at Toyota and in many other companies.” - Dr. Peter Ward, Richard M. Ross Emeritus Chair in Management and COE Academic Director at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

Can’t get enough book suggestions? See additional recommendations: 

• Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life, Ashley Whillans (Submitted by Dr. Brodie Riordan, Principal at Ocular)
• Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney’s Success, Tom Connellan (Submitted by Dan Rudolph, Director, Internal Audit at Nationwide Financial)
• Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve, Alison Fragale (Submitted by Anna Karousis, Director, IT Transformation at T. Marzetti)
• Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling, Edgar H. Schein (Submitted by Chris Weisbrod, Network Director for Catalysis)
• The Collaboration Equation, Jim Benson (Submitted by Dr. Peter Ward, Richard M. Ross Emeritus Chair in Management, The Ohio State University)
• The Insanity Trap: What Your MRP Consultant Won't Tell You, Jerry M. Wright (Submitted by Cheryl Jekiel, CEO of the Lean Leadership Center)
• Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results, Mike Rother (Submitted by Sarah Tilkens, CEO and Founder of The KPI Lab)
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin (Submitted by Julia Sebastian, EVP Operations at The Shipyard)
• The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About, Mel Robbins (Submitted by Eric Tatum, Executive Director of Operational Excellence at JPMorgan Chase)