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This article showcases our top picks for the Leadership Books For Business. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).
We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.
This product was recommended by Andrei Kurtuy from Novorésumé
I believe this book shows you the entire struggle of an entrepreneur from the ideation phase to execution. The personal story of the founder of Nike is an inspiring lesson for thousands of people around the world. Moreover, it teaches you to never give up on your ideas and how to turn your idea into a successful business. Coming from the owner of one of the largest shoe brands, this book gives you a complete insight into becoming an entrepreneur and encourages you to take a leap of faith in life. I read this book during my high school days but the struggle of Phil Knight has stayed with me during my entire life. It encouraged me to believe in my idea and turn it into a successful business while being an excellent leader.
The business environment was changing before Covid, but now these changes are happening at warp speed. We are in the throes of a pivotal moment, facing the greatest transformation in how we work since the early days of word processing and the desktop computer (the so-called Information Revolution). The role of a leader is no longer to be a task overseer and a reporter of results. Rather, the leader’s role today – at every level of every organization – is to be a people performance coach. To be successful, leaders must become people-centric. Humony is a word coined by author Steven Howard combining Human, Humanity, and Harmony to emphasize the leading of people and the need for leaders to create workplaces of wellness and harmony. Leaders need to excel at the human connection aspect of leadership. Humony Leadership shows leaders how to unlearn management and relearn to be human. This book provides leaders with the mindsets, skills, behaviors, and actions that will make them great people-centric leaders. It is the way to become the leader – and human – that your organization, family, and community need.
These authors walk through the different mindsets of life, including curiosity, biases, and reframing. It’s through these mindsets that we’re able to objectively look at our own lives and design them accordingly. So many people think leadership is all about dealing with others, but truthfully, a great leader is someone who knows themselves. For a great book that teaches you how to refine your inner leader, try Designing Your Life by Burnett and Evans.
All business leaders need to be highly-skilled in decision making for success. Further, they need to be confident in their decision-making. Make Better Decisions is an essential guide to practicing the cognitive skills needed for making better decisions in complex, modern age of data, algorithms, and AI.
This book is considered the bible by leaders in the business world. The author provides and offers a wide variety of subjects that makes a person not only lead effectively but become a better person as well. This book is to be read and thought to be self-help for everyone who likes to create change in one’s self and society. On top of that, this book explains in detail the habits that every one of us has to cultivate if we want to work productively and achieve success in life and the workplace.
This product was recommended by Ismail Kuden from Kuden Rugs
This book is about self-compassion and how to embrace our imperfections. It’s an excellent way to start; once individuals acknowledge this sense, they can engage others at that same level.
This product was recommended by Ismail Kuden from Kuden Rugs
This book provides insights on how to shift the reader’s mindset from converging on problems to thinking divergently about the possibilities in front of them instead.
Every leader needs to read this book. It is the most practical and applicable leadership book I have read in my 39 years as a leader. The book focuses on how to become more self aware of our own faults and biases as the true cause of problems. If we are not aware of those causes, then all of the initiatives we want to use to improve the organization end up making matters worse, due to our own self-deception. The book helps you be aware that the needs of others are not less important than our own needs. The book helps break the bad habit of exaggerating both our own strengths and the shortcomings of others in order to justify our behavior. The way to overcome self-deception is to always act on the instinct that we have to be a servant leader and help others.
This product was recommended by Jim Saliba from JamesSaliba
In the Six-Step Leadership Challenge, professional leadership coach and public speaker James Saliba believes that we learn best by doing. You need real, actionable advice to go from average to extraordinary leadership. He uses his years of insight in the technology industry, mentoring, coaching and research, to bridge the gap from knowledge to proper execution. The journey begins with understanding why leadership fails and ends with his unique plan of action. The Six-Step Leadership Challenge promises to work with your leadership style and a meaningful and actionable way to elevate your success.
This product was recommended by Todd Ramlin from Cable Compare
It didn’t take long for Extreme Ownership to become one of my favorite books of all time. The synopsis of this book can be taken from the title–it’s about taking ownership and responsibility for everything that happens in your life. This includes setbacks, successes, challenges and everything else you can think of. Extreme Ownership teaches readers to stop blaming others, and making excuses, and start solving problems. “Once people stop making excuses, stop blaming others, and take ownership of everything in their lives, they are compelled to take action to solve their problems,” said Jocko Willink. It reminds me of the story of William James. Born temporarily blind, had a stomach condition, couldn’t hear well and had back spasms, no one thought he would amount to much. He wrote in his diary one night that he would take responsibility for every single thing that happened in his life for the next year. Well, William James went on to become the father of American psychology.
This product was recommended by Kirill Sajaev from AUQ.io
One of the best and most widely read books about leadership in 2018 was Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio. Dalio shares his philosophy on leadership and how it applies to both personal and professional situations. He describes the challenges he faced and how he overcame them to establish Bridgewater Capital, one of the largest hedge funds in the United States. Read this book on leadership to learn principles and techniques you can apply to your company, your goals, and your decision-making. Emotional intelligence and other related concepts are also covered.
This product was recommended by Davin Eberhardt from Nature of Home
This is an excellent business book through the lens of spirituality. August Turak does a beautiful job distilling the Trappist monks’ way of life into practical business advice. No other book does as well of a job showing how being of service and selflessness can lead to success. Which ultimately leads to a life well-lived.
The incredible, motivational autobiography of financial genius Eddie C. Brown, one of the greatest stock pickers and money managers in the country, is titled Beating the Odds.. In it, Brown’s shrewd survival of Brown Capital Management through the dot-com bust, 9/11, and the Great Recession is described. Brown describes how, despite insurmountable obstacles, he carved out his own route in life and eventually established his billion-dollar business.
This product was recommended by Dan Belcher from Mortgage Relief
This book is incredibly amazing since the author will provide each reader with a vision for their company and advice on how to lead others. It provides a clear picture or pathway for the entire organization, which is tremendously stimulating. It will assist readers in developing a plan that yields more useful outcomes.
This product was recommended by Dan Belcher from Mortgage Relief
This book gets right to the point, making it simple for readers to understand the overall concept. This book’s techniques for being the best leader can significantly improve one’s leadership.
This product was recommended by Mark Joseph from Parental Queries
This book is about creating a successful startup by learning from your failures and constantly iterating on your product or service. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to start their own business.
This product was recommended by Mark Joseph from Parental Queries
This book is about creating and sustaining a successful business by constantly innovating and staying ahead of the curve. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to grow their business.
This product was recommended by Mark Joseph from Parental Queries
This book is about being a successful entrepreneur by being lean and agile in your approach to business. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to start their own business.
This product was recommended by Brett Krauss from V-Count
The One Minute Manager is a great book for learning how to manage your time in a way that makes you feel like you’re not wasting any of it. The book is filled with practical advice on how to manage your time, delegate work effectively, and keep track of the important things that need your attention. It also contains some interesting insights into how our brains work when we’re working on multiple things at once—and why it’s so important that we know what those things are! This book has been around for a long time, but I still find myself referring back to it frequently when I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the different things I’m trying to juggle at work or home.
This product was recommended by Jean Will from NiaWigs
Business doesn’t have to align with your personal goals alone. Sometimes, there is an involvement of the community, and you must include them in your journey, which is why I recommend this book to help businesses with their game plan. It will teach them leadership and empowerment to maximize the potential of the people around them. It could be an individual, team, or whole organization, beneficial to their success and performance.
This product was recommended by Jean Will from NiaWigs
Money is crucial in having a business. However, you must also need logical and psychological preparation to help you succeed and make decisions. That’s why I recommend this book to work on that goal and enough information regarding the best way of business supervision.
This product was recommended by Morgan Lilker from Watches of Today
This book is incredibly useful for all things time management and organization when it comes to business. The book has been tweaked a few times since its publication in 2001, however, it still remains as one of the must reads for business owners today. Not only does this book help for leadership and business organization, it also translates directly into your personal life as well. It’s a great all-rounder.
This product was recommended by Lily Will from Ever Wallpaper
Not only do our own experiences could teach us what we should do and where we should go, but most of the time, it is someone’s experiences and knowledge that could lead us to the path towards success, mostly answering the question, of why they are in that place. Through this book, we can learn that it is not all about what, but it is why. Sinek wants us to give more attention to the why? or the reason rather than the what?. This is so that people can buy why you do it, not what you do, as Simon Sinek famously put it in this book, way to be more practical.
This product was recommended by Ben Grindlow from ProXpn
This book, written by Kevin Leman and William Pentak, is one of my most recommended books for leadership. It was about the interview of an inexperienced reporter with the most influential CEO in America about his seven management principles. It taught me as a leader and CEO how to lead my people so that they will get to understand that their job is not a mere job but something they should consider as a calling. Therefore knowing this will help them find purpose in what they do and have the motivation to work very well.
One book that is frequently cited as being helpful for business leaders is The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. This book focuses on the importance of setting a vision, inspiring others to action, and developing a shared sense of purpose within an organization. It also includes helpful tips and exercises for leaders to use in order to improve their own skills. While not every leader will find this book to be helpful, it is certainly worth a read for those who are looking for ways to improve their leadership abilities
