Commanders' Recommendations

In the course of leading the SAF, many of our Commanders had come across books that had given them great insights, reinforced their values and had impacted their own personal and professional development in one way or another. These books are specially selected and recommended by SAF Commanders.

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1. “Against the Tide: Rickover's Leadership Principles & the Rise of the Nuclear Navy”, Dave Oliver, 2014. [Hard copy]
2. “Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest”, Stephen E. Ambrose, 1992. [NLB][Audiobook]
3. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity”, Katherine Boo, 2012. [E-Book]
4. “Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking”, Malcom Gladwell, 2005. [NLB]
5. “Build to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies”, Jim Collins, 2002. [Hard copy]
6. “Coaching for Performance: Growing Human Potential and Purpose”, John Whitmore, 2009. [Hard copy][E-Book]
7. “Command in War”, Martin Van Creveld, 1985. [Hard copy]
8. “Common Sense Training: A Working Philosophy for Leaders”, Lt. Gen Arthur C Collins. Jr., 1998. [Hard copy][E-Book]
9. “Community: The Structure of Belonging”, Peter Block, 2008. [E-Book]
10. “Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew: Citizen Singapore: How to Build a Nation”, Tom Plate, 2010. [Hard copy][E-Book]
11. “Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments and Bad Behavior”, Kerry Patterson, 2013. [Hard copy]
12. “Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior”, Kerry Patterson, 2005. [Hard copy]
13. “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants”, Malcolm Gladwell, 2013. [E-book]
14. “Dialogue Gap: Why Communication Isn’t Enough and What We Can Do About It, Fast”, Peter Nixon, 2012. [Hard copy][E-Book]
15. “Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us”, Daniel Pink, 2009. [NLB][E-Book]
16. “Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research”, John W. Creswell, 2002.[Hard copy]
17. “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage”, Alfred Lansing, 2002. [Hard copy][Audiobook]
18. “Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used”, Peter Block, 2011. [E-Book]
19. “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything”, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, 2005. [Hard copy]
20. “Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success”, Adam Grant, 2013. [NLB][E-Book]
21. “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap -- And Others Don't”, Jim Collins, 2001. [Hard copy]
22. “Good to Great and The Social Sectors: Why Business Thinking is Not the Answer: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great”, Jim Collins, 2005. [Hard copy]
23. “Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck: Why Some Thrive Despite Them All”, Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen, 2011. [Hard copy][Audiobook]
24. “Handbook of Simulator-Based Training”, Johan Riemersma and John Van Rooij, 1999. [E-book]
25. “Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design, Implementation, and Applications”, Kelly S. Hale and Kay M. Stanney, 2014. [E-Book]
26. “Difficult Conversations”, Douglas Stone, 2010. [NLB][E-book]
27. “How Will You Measure Your Life?”, Clayton M. Christensen, 2012. [Hard copy]
28. “Human Performance Enhancement in High-Risk Environments: Insights, Developments, and Future Directions from Military Research”, Paul E. O’Connor, 2010. [Hard copy]
29. “Infantry Attacks”, Erwin Rommel, 2014. [Hard copy][E-Book]
30. “Lead On! : A Practical Guide to Leadership”, Dave Oliver, 1992. [Hard copy][E-Book]
31. “Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box”, Arbinger Institute, 2010. [Hard copy][E-Book]
32. “Leadership Without Easy Answers”, Ronald M. Heifetz, 1994. [Hard copy][E-Book]
33. “Leading Change From The Middle: A Practical Guide to Building Extraordinary Capabilities”, Jackson A. Nickerson, 2014. [E-Book]
34. “Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights on China, The United States and The World”, Lee Kuan Yew, 2012. [Hard copy][E-Book]
35. “Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life”, Nick Vujicic, 2010. [E-Book]
36. “Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela”, Nelson Mandela, 1994. [Hard copy][Audiobook]
37. “Mind Mapping for Dummies”, Florian Rustler, 2011. [E-Book]
38. “Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from The Gulf War”, William G. Pagonis and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank, 1992. [Hard copy]
39. “On China”, Henry Kissinger, 2011. [Hard copy][E-Book]
40. “On Staff Work” in Pointer Supplement, Ng Chee Khern, 2009. [Hard copy & E-Article]
41. “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions”, Dan Ariely, 2009. [NLB][E-book]
42. “Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges”, Dean Williams, 2005. [NLB, E-Book]
43. “Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches”, John W. Creswell, 2014. [Hard copy]
44. “Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences”, Nancy Duarte, 2010. [Hard copy, E-Book]
45. “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic”, Stephen R Covey, 1990. [NLB]
46. “Shadows of The Neanderthal: Illuminating The Beliefs That Limit Our Organizations”, David Hutchens, 1999. [Hard copy]
47. “Singapore: The Air-Conditioned Nation”, Cherian George, 2000. [Hard copy]
48. “Society's Breakthrough! : Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All The People”, Jim Rough, 2002.[Hard copy]
49. “Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle”, Dan Senor, 2009. [Audiobook]
50. “Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self Interest”, Peter Block, 1993.
[E-book]
51. “Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds”, Carmine Gallo, 2014. [Hard copy][Audiobook]
52. “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business”, Patrick Lencioni, 2012. [E-Book]
53. “The Answer To How Is Yes: Acting On What Matters”, Peter Block, 2002. [E-Book]
54. “The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence”, Josh Waitzkin, 2007.
55. “The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work”, Peter Block, 1987. [NLB][E-book]
56. “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization”, Peter M. Senge, 2006. [Hard copy][E-Book]
57. “The Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life: Welcoming the Soul and Weaving Community in a Wounded World”, Parker J. Palmer, 2004. [E-book]
58. “The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceives Us”, Christopher F. Chabris and Daniel Simons, 2009. [NLB][E-book]
59. “The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm”, William R Manchester, 1983. [Hard copy]
60. “The McKinsey Engagement: A Powerful Toolkit for More Efficient and Effective Team Problem Solving”, Paul N. Friga, 2009.[Hard copy]
61. “The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking”, Roger L. Martin, 2007. [Hard copy]
62. “The Path of Least Resistance for Managers: Designing Organizations to Succeed”, Robert Fritz, 1999. [Hard copy][E-Book]
63. “The Prince: The Original Classic”, Niccolo Machiavelli, 1961. [E-Book]
64. “The Process of Physical Fitness Standards Development”, Human Systems Information Analysis Center, 2000.[Hard copy]
65. “The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained”, Nigel C. Benson, 2012. [NLB]
66. “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”, Malcolm Gladwell, 2000. [Hard copy]
67. “Thinking Fast and Slow”, Daniel Kahneman, 2011. [NLB][Audiobook]
68. “Transformative Scenario Planning: Working Together to Change The Future”, Adam Kahane, 2012. [E-Book]
69. “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption”, Laura Hillenbrand, 2010. [E-Book]
70. “Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America”, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsu, 2007. [Hard copy]
71. “We Were Soldiers Once and Young: La Drang, The Battle That Changed The War in Vietnam”, Harold G Moore, 1992. [Hard copy][E-book]