In this blog post, I thought I would do something different and share with you 9 books that I recommend for anyone with a real interest in leadership.
Leighton On Leadership – Alan Leighton
- What I really like about this book is the range of tips and ideas throughout the book from a wide range of business leaders. This adds and complements the great insights from Alan Leighton, the former boss of Asda and Chairman of Royal Mail.
The Five Dysfunctions Of A CEO – Patrick Lencioni
- This book has it all. It’s a quick read, written as a fable, and really pulls out the 5 key things that get in the way of leadership success.
Working With Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman
- Reflecting back on my own career and now as a business owner, it has become clear to me just how much softer skills, emotional quotient or interpersonal skills matter to your success. In this book, Goleman shows how it all applies to the work environment.
The Goal – Eliyahu M Goldratt and Jeff Cox
- This is written as a story, like Patrick Lencioni’s book, but within the story are a ton of insights about what it takes to achieve results.
7 Habits Of Highly Effective People – Stephen Coley
- Simple, well written but with what appear really obvious habits. Sadly, these simple habits are not always applied when it comes to leading.
The Success Principles – Jack Canfield
- While not one that you might think would be on the list, the reason I have included this is that it contains a huge number of the attributes that are essential to leadership success.
Time To Get Started – Mark Fritz
- The real value of this book is that it provides some simple tips but, much more significantly, forces you to stop and think about what you are doing (or not doing) and why.
Time Management For Dummies – Clare Evans
- Don’t be deluded by the title. What I notice is that people, and especially senior people, struggle with getting things done. Clare does a great job at looking at the subject broadly and practically.
In Search Of Robert Millar – Richard Moore
- No, you won’t usually see this on the list of leadership books. Why I have chosen to include this book (which is actually about the career of a successful professional cyclist) is to show the personal commitment and desire needed to reach the top in anything.
Well, that’s my 9 favourites that I would put on the must read
list. What others would you add? Why not leave a comment with your recommendations?
