Winner
Layered Leadership
Lawrence Armstrong
Larry Armstrong didn’t just want to build a great company within his industry; he wanted to build a great company, period. And under Larry’s creative, layer-based leadership approach, Ware Malcomb has become a global leader in the industrial building sector—one of the world’s most successful and admired businesses of its kind.
Central to this success is a firm commitment to developing and training well-rounded leaders. Larry’s vision for competitive excellence is animated by investing in and caring about the development of the whole person and their surrounding community. Now, in Layered Leadership, Larry distills the secrets and internal processes of Ware Malcomb’s “whole brain leadership” culture and its fearless Strategic Growth strategy.
Winner
Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning
Keith F Keating
Hidden Value is helping learning and development professionals rediscover their purpose, reclaim their power, and reframe how they communicate their impact. Too often, L&D is viewed as a cost center rather than a strategic driver. This book provides a practical roadmap to shift that perception by teaching readers how to identify, measure, and communicate the true value of learning. Through actionable frameworks like the Value Creation Compass, compelling stories, and real-world examples, Hidden Value empowers readers to align learning with business outcomes, elevate their voice in strategic conversations, and make their contributions visible and valued. It’s not just a book—it’s a movement to transform how organizations see the role of L&D. Readers walk away with renewed confidence, clarity, and tools to make learning a lever for growth, resilience, and innovation in their organizations.
Winner
Ideas to Action: Unlock your organization's hidden genius to ignite innovation and accelerate results
Rick Tucci
"Ideas to Action" helps people succeed by transforming how they see themselves at work—from passengers waiting for change to drivers of innovation. It equips employees at every level with a simple, five-step framework to turn their ideas into measurable results, building confidence, purpose, and a stronger voice in shaping the future of their work.
For leaders, it provides a roadmap to close performance gaps and accelerate growth without costly consultants or slow, top-down initiatives. For employees, it delivers practical tools to overcome frustration, take ownership, and see their contributions make a real difference.
In the age of AI and automation—when frontline jobs are too often devalued—"Ideas to Action" offers a better way: redeploying human talent toward problem-solving and collaboration. The result is stronger organizations, more engaged people, and workplaces where dignity, trust, and resilience thrive.
Finalist
Secrets for Hiring Right
Mike James Lejeune
Secrets for Hiring Right empowers leaders and entrepreneurs to build thriving organizations by mastering the art of selecting people who align with both culture and purpose. The most important decision any leader makes, whether running a Fortune 500 company or launching a new venture, is who to invite onto the team. Too often, hires are made because of comfort, connection, or convenience. Success is discovered in choosing talent whose values and hearts resonate with the mission. Secrets for Hiring Right equips readers with practical tools to build teams where innovation grows, trust deepens, and progress feels natural instead of forced. Its impact extends beyond business. When people are hired for who they are, not just what they do, they find deeper meaning and confidence in their work. That change strengthens families, communities, and industries, proving that the right hire doesn’t just fill a role. It changes lives.
Finalist
The Resilient Culture: How Collective Resilience Leads to Business
Michael Mackay Richards
Liane Stephan, Chris Tamdjidi, Silke Rupprecht
We truly hope The Resilient Culture will transform workplace wellbeing, by giving employees the tools to manage stress, prevent burnout, and thrive in their careers. Instead of viewing resilience as just pushing through challenges, the book teaches practical skills to shift mental and physical states, helping individuals stay focused, energized, and motivated. And in doing so, boosting their personal and career development.
Outlining 12 key resilience skills, the book empowers employees to handle pressure, improve performance, and build healthier work habits. And in the process, support their personal growth and self-actualization journeys. The book also helps leaders create supportive environments where teams feel valued and engaged. Written to have real-world impact, The Resilient Culture moves beyond surface-level wellbeing initiatives, offering a proven framework for lasting personal and professional growth. Offering a tonic for burnout and overwhelm at work.
Finalist
Maneuvering Monday
Ivanna Mikhailovna Rosendal
Anne Katrine Carlsson Sejr
Maneuvering Monday helps those in business by equipping them with a realistic and relatable lens through which to navigate organisational life. Rather than offering overly simplistic “quick fixes,” the book immerses readers in a story that mirrors the complexity of workplace change: messy dynamics, conflicting agendas, and the unpredictability of human behaviour. Through Marie’s journey and the experiences of her colleagues, readers gain practical insight into how to build resilience, adapt strategies, and foster cultures where employees feel connection and growth.
The book empowers leaders and employees alike to recognise that transformation is not the product of one heroic leader, but of collective effort, learning from mistakes, and persistence in the face of setbacks. By encouraging readers to reflect on their own workplace challenges, Maneuvering Monday inspires more authentic leadership, better collaboration, and workplaces where people genuinely want to stay and contribute.
Finalist
Returning Well: A guide for working parents and their managers
Kirstie Sneyd
There are recognised challenges on returning to work after parental leave, ranging from managing guilt and feeling overwhelmed to dealing with missed career opportunities. Despite changes in legislation and an increase in workplace policies, progress in supporting parental returners is still limited. This practical, evidence-based guide sees the return to work as a shared responsibility: aimed at professionals who are returning after taking parental leave and managers who are supporting these parental returners. Grounded in psychological research, this book provides examples and practical tools and techniques for new parents to equip themselves for both going on parental leave and returning to the workplace. For managers there is clear guidance and checklists to effectively support these returning parents.