There are several arguments surrounding leadership today. Many people believe that leaders are born, while others hold the opinion that leaders are made. Whichever class you belong to, leadership is a lifelong lesson that we must all make efforts to learn. Let us know Must Read Books for Leadership at Least 20 Books.
Books for Leadership
You would have heard the saying that “leadership is an influence.” As long as you have one person whose world you’re influencing, you’re a leader. By implication, you don’t have to wait until you’re called upon to occupy a big position before you begin to think as a leader.
One way to get yourself prepared for a leadership position is to study leadership by reading leadership books. Reading books about leadership can help you build your capacity and qualify you for esteemed positions in the future.
Must Read Books for Leadership at Least 20 Books
The books in our consideration include Dare to Lead, How to Be a Leader: Dare to Lead, 17 indisputable laws of teamwork, the truth about leadership, Attitude 101, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, 360 Degree Leaders, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Wooden on Leadership, Small Actions, Big Impacts, No Bullsh*t Leadership, Talent is Never Enough, Everyone Communicate, and so on.
Now let’s begin to look at those books one after the other.
List Of Must Read Books for Leadership at Least 20 Books
Dare to Lead
This book was written by Brené Brown. In this book, the author tells a life story she believes the readers need to step out for leadership positions. Why are many people stepping aside from leadership positions? You will find the answer inside this book.
17 indisputable laws of teamwork
This is one of the books written by the New York Times Bestselling author, John C. Maxwell. In this book, Maxwell discussed the unbroken lines that keep the strong team together. If you’re interested in leadership, this is a must-read book for you.
The truth about Leadership
In this book, the authors, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner set forward their decades of research on leadership forward for the world to learn from. It’s a book that fits into all situations and circumstances regarding leadership.
True North, Discover Your Authentic Leadership
Bill George who was the former CEO of Medtronic shares his leadership experience and what helped in leadership. Every aspiring leader will benefit from his wisdom.
Attitude 101
What Every Leader Needs to Know: In this book, John C. Maxwell laid out principles that leaders must master for them to lead well. When you’re talking about leadership, attitude is a core area that cannot be underestimated. According to him, a good attitude though not a guarantee for leadership success; bad attitudes necessarily spell failure.
Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
In this book, John C. Maxwell states the kinds of questions leaders should ask themselves about their capacity, for their people. He also emphasizes the need for leaders to develop their teams, build leaders around themselves, manage their work and relationships, and so on. It’s a must-read book for everyone interested in leadership.
The 360-degree leaders
In this book, John. C. Maxwell shed light on how leaders can develop their influence on anyone in the organization. Leadership has to be 360 degrees or nothing. He sends a strong message to middle-class managers to support their CEO’s vision, manage the incompetent superior, and so on. This is equally a must-read book like others earlier discussed.
The five dysfunctions of a team
This is a book written by Patrick Lencioni. The central core message of this book is to show that leadership success is achieved by the whole team, not one personal individual trying to arrogate success to himself. Thus, leaders should see their success as a collective effort from the entire team.
Wooden on Leadership
This book was written by John Wooden who was the former coach of UCLA Basketball. To John Wooden, leadership success depends on the physical, emotional, Psychological, and mental qualities of an individual.
Leading change
This book was written by John P. Kotter. According to Kotter, changes within an organization are inevitable. There are 8 steps itemized by Kotter for leading change that results in success. His principles have now become relevant to leaders, especially to those in the business circle from all over the world.
The first 90 days
This book was written by Michael Watkins where he discussed his strategies that can help new leaders in their new positions, and the common mistakes they need to avoid. It’s a book that helps you get smarter at work as a leader.
15 invaluable laws of growth
In this book, Maxwell discussed options that leaders can be confronted with in leadership positions. There are usually choices for leaders to grow but they can choose to retain the status quo. According to him, growth is an indispensable path to success in leadership.
How to be a positive leader– Small actions, big impacts
This book was co-authored by Jane E. Dutton and Gretchen M. Spreitzer. Their central message is how you can improve your leadership capacity by tapping into your inner potential.
Leaders eat last
This is a book by Simon Sinek where he bluntly tells the sacrifice the leaders have to make for their team to succeed. He suggests that leaders must build trust and mutual corporation among their team members if they were to succeed.
The truth about leadership
This book was coauthored by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner who both advised modern-day’s leaders to avoid the dangers of leadership fads. They recommend the need to go back to the basics and the fundamentals of leadership as practiced by world leaders many centuries ago. It cannot be truer than they have stated it here.
The Introverted Leader – Building on Your Quiet Strength
This book was written by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler. Kahnweiler tells us that introverted leaders among us can do much with their quiet nature. You have to learn what she teaches in this book and absorb them into your system – you’ll likely be a good leader afterward.
You, sometimes you lose
This is another classical book written by John C. Maxwell. In this book, Maxwell documented 11 principles that can save us in times of defeat. To him, failure is part of the process, but we must know how to manage them. If you don’t learn how to manage crises, you could find yourself mentally disturbed.
On becoming a leader
This book was written by Warren Bennis. According to him, many of the problems facing the world today are a result of leadership deficits. If we have well-equipped leaders, we might have the problem we have today in the world, but different approaches would have been deployed to solve them.
Start with why
This book by Simon Sinek is highly adaptable. As much as it’s adaptable to business, it’s a leadership book to the core. According to him, if you want your influence to spread and your ideas to be acceptable, you must establish you’re why strongly. In other words, the why is the drive behind your action.
Primal Leadership – Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
In this book, the author Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee considered emotional intelligence one quality needed for business and leadership success. It’s a book that has found its relevance in all walks of life. You will need it too.
Conclusion
Leading people without increasing your capacity will create a vacuum. In this article, we have listed 20 books written by best-selling authors that can help build your leadership capacity. I’ll advise you to lay your hands on as many of them as you can find because they will help you to lead well. No matter how many people you’re leading right now, you need to build long-term capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is best leadership book author to follow?
There are no many bad leaderships book authors in the world. But to mention one of the best you can start reading immediately, it’s John C. Maxwell.
- Are leadership books written by leaders?
Most likely. All of the authors mentioned in this article are people who have occupied one leadership capacity or another.
- How can I be a good leader?
Keep on building your leadership capacity. Never put off a small role assigned to you.
