Investing in personal and professional development is critical to your development as a great leader. Reading a book written by a successful leader is an effective way to learn from others while growing as a person and a leader. We’ve identified nine of the best books on leadership to make your next read easier to find.
Strength-Based Leadership, by Tom Rath & Barry Conchie
Strengths-Based Leadership identifies three keys to being a more effective leader: knowing your strengths and investing in others’ strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting the four basic needs of those who need your leadership.
Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
Lencioni identifies five obstacles that prevent teams from excellence – absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. A must read for those who need help identifying and overcoming common people problems in organizations.
Good to Great, by Jim Collins
What makes the difference between a good organization and a great one? How are you different from everyone else in your space? Jim Collins helps you identify the key questions to ask your organization so that you know how to stand out from the crowd.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
No best books on leadership list would be complete without this classic. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity based on timeless habits. A great read for building strong inner and outer ethics of leaders.
True North, by Bill George
Great leadership begins with great self-awareness. Learning to discover and be your authentic self sets the course for leading others. George offers a concrete and comprehensive program for becoming an authentic leader and shows how to chart your path to leadership success.
Start with Why, by Simon Sinek
Beyond writing a book, Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work. He flips traditional thinking on its head about why organizations and people are successful and provides a new framework for building success.
Dare to Lead, by Brené Brown
Brown defines a leader as “anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential.” Dare to Lead quickly became another best seller for this 4 time best selling author.
Thinking Fast & Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
Understanding human behavior is crucial to lead self and others well. Kahneman helps readers learn their two systems of thinking, how decisions are made, and what vulnerabilities lead to bad decisions.
5 Levels of Leadership, by John Maxwell
Another long-standing best book on leadership, prolific author John Maxwell has often called the country’s No. 1 leadership authority. In this release, he identifies how leadership is more than a title and how to become a more influential, respected, and successful leader.
Once you’ve decided which book to read first, check out our other lists of best behavior books to develop better habits and best personal development podcasts to continue investing in your growth as a leader.
