Top 10 Best Leadership Books
Since our Top 20 Best Self Help Booksblog was such a huge hit, I decided to
dig a little deeper into different categories of personal development to provide you
even more specific lists of must read books!
The top 10 leadershipbooks will be the first of several blogs in this
“series” that will help guide you on your personal development journey. And there’s
no better topic thanleadershipto kick it off!
As a kid in my early wenties, I was nervous, or even fearful, about the idea of being a
leader. The thought of public speaking was terrifying to me. I had a lot to
learn and a lot of re-wiring to do in the 6 inches between my ears before I could even
“see” myself in such an influential role.
So how did I do it? Simple.I buried myself in books and applied what
I learned. The following list of the top leadership books is a mixture of the
bestselling leadership books of all time and the leadership books that made the biggest
impact on my life.
If your favorite book is missing, let me know!
(Note: as a courtesy, each book title will lead you to Amazon.com where you can order the
book)
Top 10 Best Books
on Leadership
1.On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
(1989) Professor Bennis conducts hundereds of interviews
with thought leaders to answer the question: What is a good leader?
Bennis didn’t just limit his interviews to executives (like many
leadership books), he included entrepreneurs, psychologists,
philosophers, etc… Due to his broad research and definition of
leadership, this hits the top of my list.
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2.The Art of War by Sun Tzu (5th century
B.C.) Who hasn’t heard of this book, right? It’s
amazing to think it was written in 5th century B.C. Many generals,
Presidents and CEOs have pulled knowledge from this book over hundreds
of years. This book is an Ancient Chinese was manual made up of 13
sections, each highlighting a different aspect of battle strategy. This
timeless classic leadership book is full of insights into how not
only to set goals but also achieve them. The basic premise is to take
action swiftly as a strategy versus making lists. How many of us
spend much of our day preparing to prepare? Sun Tzu says
“ACT!”.
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3. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (2002) You may
have heard me say, “Vulnerability is the number one quality I look for
in a leader.” Goleman digs deep on this concept in this leadership
book. He applies emotional intelligence to leadership and how we
can use our emotions in a positive fashion to lead others. After
multiple case studies, he states that leaders with “resonance,” the
ability to channel emotions in a positive direction, are the most
effective and inspiring leaders. This is a very interesting twist
to most leadership books and is often overlooked when looking at
becoming a great leader.
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Pink is bringing motivation back into leadership while so many other are
focused on leading by fear or through incentives. Now, it may sound a
little wishy washy to some of you in the beginning, but as he backs it up
with multiple scientific findings, you get drawn in and remember why Zig
Ziglar and Jim Rohn are still popular today. This is a refreshing
read on an old topic. It brought me back to basics and I hope it does
the same for you! Just treat people like people and not assets.
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5.Losing My Virginity: How I Survived,
Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson
(2011) The genius autobiography
of one of my favorite heroes! Boy, does Richard Branson know how
to make a living ling, right? Ever wonder where he came up with the name
“Virgin” for his first business? It was a joke between Branson and
his friends about being virgins in this business world. He’s
created companies all over the world following his own rules for success
and with no central headquarters, ensuring no hierarchy and as little
bureaucracy as possible. It’s an amazing and riveting read for a
leadership book or any book, for that matter. He’s genius and a
great mentor through the written word!
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6.Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell
(2005) These
principles and practices are available for everyday leaders in every walk
of life. It is a lofty calling to lead a group—a family, a church, a
nonprofit, a business—and the timeless principles in this book will bring
positive change in your life and in the lives of those around you.
You will learn the true definition of a leader, the traits of leadership
and the difference between leadership and management.
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7.
Delivering Happiness:
A Path to Profits, Passion and Purposeby Tony Hsieh
(2009)
This fun-loving entrepreneur may be as well-known for his unconventional
management principles as he is for his Zappos shoe empire. Tony Hsieh’s
high-minded manifesto: The workplace can and should be a place where
employees find personal fulfillment. To that end, Hsieh focuses on
fostering happy, passionate, and communicative staffers. When set against
the success story that is Zappos—where there’s a free Zappos library, and
feel-good training seminars—it’s clear Hsieh is onto something.
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8. Never Give In! The Best of Winston
Churchill’s Speeches by Winston S. Churchill
(2003)
This collection of speeches are a terrific reminder of Churchill’s ability
to inspire. Curated by the legendary statesman’s grandson, these rousing
addresses span Churchill’s career from World War I to his honorary
induction as a US citizen in 1963—and teem with energy and charisma. Even
in the face of grave uncertainty—an impending Nazi invasion, bombings in
London—Churchill exuded resilience and courage. The speeches are also
striking in their candidness. He had no speechwriters or spin-doctors.
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9. Wooden on Leadership: How to Create
a Winning Organization by John Wooden (2005)
Easily the most successful college basketball coach in history, 10-time
NCAA champion John Wooden was beloved by UCLA players and fans as both a
coach and mentor. His “Pyramid of Success,” a triangular diagram
illustrating 25 behaviors he saw as critical to personal achievement, is
widely cited by management consultants and teambuilders worldwide. Though
Wooden authored seven leadership books, this one most pointedly applies to
the workplace. Wooden offers both concrete tips—each chapter concludes with
a bulleted list of actionable steps—and “big picture” inspiration.
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10.21 Irrefutable Laws of
Leadership by John
Maxwell (1998) Maxwell provides 21 hard-hitting laws of leadership
he developed over 30 years of leadership successes and mistakes. He
highlights leadership lessons from the worlds of business, sports,
religion, politics and military conflict.
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Top Personal Development Books:CLICK HERE
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