The highest performing leaders seem to almost intuitively build strong, loyal cultures. As a result, their teams are able to move faster, be more innovative, and enjoy a sense of trust and belonging. And it’s all because of high engagement.
Gallup’s recent findings prove just how essential culture-driven engagement can be, noting that organizations with strong cultures enjoy four times the engagement of those that don’t. And engagement is critical because it keeps turnover low and employee satisfaction high.
While there are many ways as a leader to promote culture within a team or across a business, one of the most reliable methods is to build connections with employees. Yet that’s a tall order, especially for leaders who might have technical savvy but have difficulty communicating empathetically.
If you fall into that category, or you’re just interested in improving the way you make connections with your team members, consider reading any of the following books. Each one tackles a different communications element, allowing you to improve your culture-building capabilities with a little help from some supportive, enthusiastic experts.
1. “The Story Effect” by Danielle Krischik
This is one of those must-read books that just appeared in 2025. Author Krischik deftly illustrates the power of storytelling, as well as outlines how to become a more successful storyteller. However, Krischik doesn’t just write a breezy work. She dives into the science behind the art of storytelling to help readers understand both the why and how of communicating through stories.
You’ll appreciate Krischik’s humility and vulnerability throughout “The Story Effect.” (They’re both traits that have made her a top keynote speaker, and you’ll understand immediately.) Thanks to her openness and candor, you’ll have a much better picture of how to connect with team members on a personal level by the time you finish the book.
As a side note, “The Story Effect” is ideal if one of your annual goals is to build your emotional intelligence. Who can argue that storytelling isn’t all about finding and tightening emotional connections with others? With this thoughtful guide in your library, you’ll have a go-to playbook for tapping into your empathy.
2. “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle
It’s not unusual for groups to move toward a culture and then fall apart in time. Daniel Coyle uses real-world examples (e.g., winning companies, outstanding athletic teams) as examples of ways that leaders can achieve cultures that don’t disintegrate due to lost momentum in “The Culture Code.”
Perhaps just as critically, Coyle spends time discussing what doesn’t work when you’re trying to grow and sustain a culture. There’s no doubt that having a list of “what not to do” items makes just as much sense as having best practices. Therefore, if you’ve consistently found yourself constructing cultures only to see them disappear, you may uncover areas of opportunity while reading this book.
An added bonus to picking up this NY Times bestseller is that you’ll learn how to turn around a poorly performing culture. Often, leaders inherit cultures that aren’t always ready for prime time. If that’s your situation, you’ll be glad that you found Coyle in time to reverse course.
3. “No Rules Rules” by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
Frequently, we envision tight cultures as groups of people focused on collaboration. However, that’s not always the case. As Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer lay out in “No Rules Rules,” a culture can be built around freedom, personal responsibility, and extreme agility. In fact, the authors use Netflix as a poster child for scaling up by bucking the traditional workplace culture system and expectations.
As they explain, Netflix took so many different directions over the years that its culture had to remain adaptable. But the only way that could happen was if every team member could take responsibility to try and fail — or succeed. Netflix was radical in its approach to culture, and its longevity proves the wisdom behind ditching conventional organizational principles.
Even if your company won’t embrace the idea of every employee acting like the boss at all times, you can still learn quite a bit about culture and connection from this work. Consider testing some of the principles that made Netflix so iconic: You never know what will produce fruit until you try.
Culture isn’t a one-way street or a one-size-fits-most concept. You have to grow deep connections to forge deeper cultures at your organization. And these books will help you start.
