1 year ago
This article showcases our top picks for the Leadership Books For Educators. 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.

The Humor Hack by Michael K. Cundall Jr.

This product was recommended by Mike Cundall from North Carolina A&T University

The Humor Hack has thirteen chapters on how to use humor to be a better leader, a more effective teacher, and be more engaged with the world around you. It’s designed to be a friendly read, conversational in tone, and playful. The book covers topics like Designing for Levity where I cover the basics of making your space, office, classroom, or otherwise a space where levity will thrive. Levity starts small and soon laughter follows as we get more comfortable and make the space more amenable to humor. The next chapter, chapter 7, focuses on humor and leadership. It’s called, Lead with a Joke. I show how many of the qualities we associate with leaders like intelligence, authenticity, and empathy are strengthened with humor. Think of a workplace or boss you had who was funny, or where laughs were enjoyed. That’s a place you remember fondly. Unlike the job where there were few laughs and the boss never shared humor. In chapter 10 I cover teaching with humor. As an educator myself, I know the importance and effectiveness of humor in the classroom. I talk about how effective teacher use humor and how one can find easy ways to incorporate humor into their teaching. Finally, something unique to my book is the focus on using humor in digital spaces. It’s a cliche anymore to note how much we have to do over electronic mediums, so I write about how you can use humor in those spaces to good effect in areas as diverse as teaching, leadership, service, etc. The book is based on research but doesn’t get mired in the weeds. It has stories and tips, but isn’t just a collection of funny anecdotes. It’s a book written to help the reader explore humor and become more engaged.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

This product was recommended by Brian Williams from The Quotes Toolbox

This book provides 21 characteristics of leadership to consider to help develop a concrete action plan to strive to become a better leader. I applied the laws in all three segments of my career as an educator: classroom teacher, sports coach, and athletic administrator. Every aspect of an educator’s career involves leadership, whether it is working with students or other adults within the school, or outside such as parents and stakeholders. The 21 Laws give you practical advice and thought provoking questions to continue to improve leadership skills every day of your career.

Relationship Leadership by Eddie Mac

This product was recommended by Eddie Mac from Relationship Leadership

As Millennials become our next generation of leaders (happening now), the question is simple. Do they have the tools in their Leadership toolbox to successfully take the First Step of Leadership? Relationship Leadership is a culturally aware, diverse, and non-industry specific tool that delivers the skills for every newly promoted leader to become successful. It’s called Setting the Cornerstone and solves the problem of where to start and how to become a successful leader in today’s multifaceted workforce.

Trust Matters by Megan Tschannen-Moran

This product was recommended by Richard Clews from Pants and Socks

Although this book is written about school relationships between teachers, administrators, students, and parents, the main principle of building trust is applicable across many fields. The focus on trust is a good reminder of how credibility works and is earned and is important for any educator to remember. You may have the right answer and the right information, but if your audience, students, and colleagues don’t trust you, your attempts at educating will fall flat.

Tread Lightly, Lead Boldly by Diane Ketelle

This product was recommended by Jeffrey Zhou from Fig Loans

I recommend this book to every educator who wants to improve their leadership skills. The great thing about this book is it’s based on experience. The writer, Diane Ketelle, worked as a public school principal and district superintendent. In this book, she teaches how to build leadership capacity through taking an inquiry stance, where questions, students’ voice, and the process hold more essence than directions, teachers’ voice, and results.

The Principal’s Survival Guide by Susan Stone Kessler Ed.D.

This product was recommended by Jeffrey Zhou from Fig Loans

Principals are not born leaders. They learn how to be effective leaders, which is what the book demonstrates, plus how to solve problems involving parents, teachers, and students. You can learn actionable strategies to cultivate a positive relationship at school, whether teacher-and-parent or teacher-and-student.

Relentless by Hamish Brewer

This product was recommended by Jeffrey Zhou from Fig Loans

Hamish Brewer draws inspiration from his experiences to empower educators, families, and their children to pursue a better future. This book presents tips for teachers to make learning appealing to students, overcome the obstacles of teaching, and leave a legacy of excellence!

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

This product was recommended by Catherine Wilde from Soul Care Mom

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier is a great leadership book for educators because it provides a framework for how to have more effective conversations with colleagues, staff, and students. The book is based on the premise that we all have inner coaches who can help us find answers to our challenges if we know how to access them. The Coaching Habit provides seven questions that can be used in any coaching conversation to help draw out these inner coaches.

The Principal by Michael Fullan

This product was recommended by Adam Enfroy from AdamEnfroy

Effective leadership works from the top down, and Fullan’s book details the lessons that the individuals at the top of the educational food chain need to learn and utilize in order to create a leader-driven place of learning in which everyone can, and should flourish. It’s the only leadership book that any educator needs to read and learn, word for word.

From Cotton Fields to University Leadership by Charlie Nelms

This product was recommended by Kathleen Fletcher from Kitty Baby Love

This book, written by Charlie Nelms, tells his story from growing up in poverty and working in cotton fields to becoming the first African American chancellor at his university. The story is incredibly captivating to read and it’s easy to forget that it isn’t a work of fiction. However, the main thing I took away from the book was that everybody is capable of achieving great things if they put enough work and effort into their goals. This is the mentality that I have tried to instill in my children and, after reading the book, I was more committed than ever to making sure they achieved as high as possible in school.

How to Read People Like a Book by James Williams

This product was recommended by James Anderson from Veritas Buyers

The book begins with an explanation of the various personality types (If you done the Jung test you already know it). It is always a good idea to see which one best suits you. It also addresses the Keirsey temperament sorter, which I was unaware of until I read it. It gets even more interesting later on when we learn how to read lies in people (what a useful skill! ), face and body gestures, and verbal cues. You will no longer look for crossed arms in the same way after reading this book. This book contains some fantastic information. Learning to read other people is extremely useful in my job. Some of these children are considering suicide, which is more of an exception than the rule.

Leadership by Peter G. Northouse

This product was recommended by Sarah Beaumont from Indoor Home Garden

I really enjoyed how this book didn’t limit its leadership narrative to only those who own businesses, but it spoke about leadership in every walk of life. I also liked how it presented a variety of concepts that the reader can use to understand how to be a leader. It didn’t state that one tried and tested approach is the only way for leaders to succeed, but that there is a range of ways that everyone, including educators, can successfully lead others.

The Aspiring Principal 50 by Baruti K. Kafele

This product was recommended by Tim Absalikov from Lasting Trend

The book will be of good help to both new and aspiring principals. The author gives valuable pieces of advice on all the topics. They include maintenance, budget management, the school’s website improvement, etc. The book will help the reader find the answer to whether he is ready to be a principal.

The Zen Teacher by Dan Tricarico

This product was recommended by Dan Tricarico from The Zen Teacher

Just because teachers and other educational leaders live and work in a fast-paced profession, doesn’t mean their life has to feel rushed and crazy. *The Zen Teacher* provides practical, easy-to-use techniques to help teachers and educational leaders slow down and create a sense of focus, simplicity, and tranquility in the classroom—and life. Use this book to learn how to maximize your performance while lowering your stress, improve the quality of your life both personally and professionally, focus on what matters and let go of things you can’t control, and find time to take care of yourself, so you can be at your best!

Finding Your Leadership Style by Jeffrey Glanz

This product was recommended by Brett Robinson from Wired Clip

This book allows its readers to find out what works best for them when it comes to leadership, which is far more helpful than telling people how to lead. It encourages educators to find the method that comes most naturally, which in turn will make them the most effective leaders they can be because it mirrors their own values as people!

Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

This product was recommended by Erin LaCkore from LaCkore Couture

The power of mindset is a straightforward but revolutionary concept that world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., found after decades of research. In this outstanding book, she demonstrates how our perceptions of our skills and talents may have a significant impact on our chances of success in virtually every aspect of human effort, including job, school, sports, and the arts.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This product was recommended by Colton Horn from Breinfuel

No one can become a great leader without mending their everyday habits. This book by James Clear is one of the best sellers in the market and I would 10 on 10 recommend it to educators for learning and teaching leadership.

Introduction to Leadership by Peter G. Northouse

This product was recommended by Jen Wan from Soteri Skin

The reader is given a clear, succinct overview of the difficulties in exercising leadership in this book, along with practical advice on how to improve as a leader. Creating a vision, fostering a positive environment, paying attention to members of outgroups, and overcoming challenges are just a few of the important leader tasks that are the focus of this text.

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

This product was recommended by Kathleen Ahmmed from USCarJunker

After spending years training thousands of busy managers across the globe in everyday coaching skills, Michael Stanier takes all his experience and pours it all into this book that shows you how to effectively unlock potential in others. However, instead of simply doling out typical advice and suggestions, this book comes well-rounded in current behavioral science that it does well to provide a fascinating framework that demonstrates how saying less and asking more can help you to develop coaching methods that will produce transformational results for helping others, even in times when communication seems difficult.

Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael Fullan

This product was recommended by Kevin Wang from InYouths LED Mirrors

As the world of education is in a perpetual state of change, leadership on all levels can be challenging. Successful educators praise Fullan’s work because it provides five simple concepts that every great leader may utilize to manage complicated transitions in a chaotic setting. Fullan’s strategies for creating and attaining goals in the face of change will convert teachers into extraordinary leaders both within and outside the classroom.

The Power of Positive Leadership by Jon Gordon

This product was recommended by Oberon Copeland from Very Informed

The Power of Positive Leadership by Jon Gordon is an inspiring book that explores how positive thinking can transform both individuals and organizations. These are just a few of the many excellent books on leadership that are available, but educators who are looking to improve their leadership skills will find all three to be valuable resources.

School Leadership That Works by Robert J. Marzano

This product was recommended by Lorie Carson from Real People Finder

How can school administrators put these strategies to use in running their institutions daily and under the pressure-filled circumstances that come with significant transformation initiatives? In School Leadership That Works, Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty respond to these and other queries. The authors’ list of 21 leadership duties that significantly impact student achievement is based on their review of 69 research published since 1970 that fit their criteria and a recent poll of more than 650 building principals.

Strategic Talent Leadership for Educators by Amy A. Holcombe

This product was recommended by Ronald Williams from BestPeopleFinder

“Strategic Talent Leadership for Educators” is an excellent resource to develop human capital through illustrative, case studies, and practical tool kits for the topics discussed. The best thing about this guidebook is that it not only facilitates educators to mentor talent in leadership roles but also it serves the general masses to learn the leadership of the modern era. The strategic implementation of the strategies related to human capital development gives confidence to educators to learn and develop frameworks that best align their expertise with goal setting and measuring the impacts of what they deliver to their learners. I highly recommend this unique book for educators to mentor strategic talent leadership based on creativity and ingenuity.

From Teacher to Leader by Starr Sackstein

This product was recommended by Raven Cobb from Clearstep, Inc.

From Teacher to Leader: Finding Your Way As a First Time Leader Without Losing Your Mind (Dave Burgess Consulting) by Starr Sackstein is one of the best reads of all time. You may make the best choices for yourself and the people you care about with the guidance of Starr Sackstein’s wisdom in “From Teacher to Leader”. Sackstein challenges you to reflect as you strive for both personal and professional progress in this very interesting book.

David Friedland

Bit of a gear addict.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Don't Miss

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

The Best Leadership Books For Business

This article showcases our top picks for the Leadership Books For Business.
Photo by Lars Bo Nielsen on Unsplash

The Best Leadership Books For Athletes

This article showcases our top picks for the Leadership Books For Athletes.