The Six Best Leadership Books to Have in Your Library

Leadership is a skill that can be developed in a myriad of ways. Those include training, education, and practice. At the same time, it also helps to read some excellent literature on leadership written by the masters of their craft. That being said, the following six books can help develop your leadership skills and create an impact in the real world.

1. Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”

This legendary book belongs in every leadership book list. It is an incredible book that has been in publication for over thirty years and has impacted easily over 25 million readers globally. Since it was released in 1989, readers have learned seven distinct behaviors people can acquire for improvement in both personal and professional effectiveness. Some of these habits include being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, always thinking of win-win situations, understanding first before being understood, collaborations, and honing the saw. Twenty-five million readers worldwide can’t be wrong.

2. Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”

There is a fine line between good and great, and therefore, those businesses that are successful want to take that journey. This book took five years of research in the making to figure out which businesses fit in the category of good or great. The best part is how Jim Collins explores the critical characteristics that each of these businesses exhibit, including solid leadership, disciplined culture, and stress on long-term goals. If you want to go from “good to great,” this is the book to read. 

3. Barry Posner and James Kouzes’ “The Leadership Challenge”

The Leadership Challenge is based on a leadership model that includes five distinct activities. Those include path modeling, encouraging a shared vision, challenging processes, allowing others to take action, and pushing the heart. This outstanding book is laden with excellent practical strategies and recommendations for leaders looking to develop their leadership skills. Every information presented in the book is compiled via credible research.

4. Simon Sinek’s “Leaders Eat Last”

“Leaders Eat Last” is an interesting yet effective title for a book that shares the same personalities. The book strongly advocates that managers are successful when they place their team’s benefits first and cultivate an environment of cooperation and trust that will be successful in the long term. The book is full of examples of leaders who have worked on this mantra, and it offers useful guidance on how to accomplish that.

5. Daniel Pink’s “Drive”

Daniel Pink explains in “Drive” how motivation connects with leadership. As the title suggests, it is about driving your teams toward success, and that is what makes a leader a solid leader. Motivating your team members through mastery, purpose, and autonomy is known to be impactful in the long term. The old-school way of reward and punishment will not work in modern-day businesses. You can learn how to drive teams effectively when you read this incredible book.

6. Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander’s “The Art of Possibility”

“The Art of Possibility” by the Zanders examines the idea of leadership from a highly creative outlook. Leaders who possess a possibility mindset and nurture innovation and creativity can accomplish outstanding results. The book offers superb hands-on tools and advice to leaders who are looking to bring about these two traits in their teams.

No leader is perfect, and there is always room for improvement, no matter how experienced he or she is. These six books are outstanding reading material that can greatly enhance anyone’s leadership skills through practical advice and strategies. One can step up his or her game by reading all of them and becoming successful in their career.

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