9 Must Read Leadership Books

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?

About the Author Duncan Brodie

Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.

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7 comments
Kimba Green says 14 April 2010

I have read all the books your suggested and I agree with your list.

Here are a few of my favorites that have changed my view for the better.

Total Workday Control – Michael Linenberger
Using Outlook to be organized. Good practical advice.

Crucial Confrontations & Crucial Conversations – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillian & Al Switzler
Both of these books title speak for themselves. We are no where if we can’t have those tough converstations.

Influencer – Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillian & Al Switzler
How do we and can we influence our team.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
Great book written in a fable style. Brings about the problems you face everyday when you are a leader.

Drive – Daniel Pink
Understand Motivation

Writing with Power – Peter Elbow
Older book but one of the best.

Blindness – Jose Saramago
Reminds us to see through others eyes and brings about empathy which is sometimes missing from leaders.

Mindsight – Daniel Siegel
Brings about understanding of how the brain works and why we are the way we are.

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