10 Leadership Books That Can Change Your Life

Leadership success leads to overall success because you take charge of your life and decisions. Regardless of the position you hold in your firm, you must know how to lead. This is why so many books are dedicated to the art of leadership and winning people’s confidence in themselves. The seven books below are the best to help you get started on your leadership journey.

1. Stephen Covey's “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People”

One of the most essential leadership books ever written is Stephen Covey’s masterpiece. It has impacted millions for over 25 years, and these seven habits will make you a winner personally and professionally. The seven behaviors are related to proactivity, keeping end goals in mind, prioritizing, winning mentality, understanding before being understood, collaborating, and skill development.

2. Dale Carnegie's “How to Win Friends and Influence People”

It has been 80 years since the initial publication of this bestselling book, but it has become a timeless classic. Dale’s principles are very simple yet effective such as knowing who people are by name. Smiling, showing a genuine interest in people, and forming bonds. If you want to communicate like a pro, read this book.

3. Jim Collins' “Good to Great”

Jim Collins and his research team explored businesses whose transformative journey was about going from good to great and compiled the same characteristics in all of them. Excellent business traits have been described in this book, such as self-control, leadership, and excellence-oriented culture. It is worth reading the book to further your career in an organization.

4. The Arbinger Institute's publication “Leadership and Self-Deception”

An emphasis on self-awareness and deception defines the unique approach of this book. We must be aware of how our actions impact people, as the Arbinger Institute explains. You can start working on self-deception, working through it, and being more positive in life.

5. Sun Tzu's “The Art of War”

Interestingly enough, this book is short and concise but brilliantly written. It takes a certain level to read and understand it, but it can apply to any life situation, not just war. It was published over 2,500 years ago, so it predates all books on this list. Sun Tzu’s military strategy can be applied to business and other areas, such as knowing your opponent, understanding one’s weaknesses and strengths, and using deceit to your advantage.

6. Viktor Frankl's “Man's Search for Meaning”

In the aforementioned book, Victor Frankl explores human predicament and pursuing meaning. Viktor is a renowned Holocaust survivor, so this comes from a man who may have survived the greatest tragedies delivered from man to man. He explains how we can select our attitudes and find meaning in our lives in any given situation. This is a book about finding oneself, so it is a definite must-read.

7. “The New One Minute Manager” by Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard

This concise and accessible book, “The One Minute Manager,” provides guidance on people management. It emphasizes the importance of exploring specific objectives, provision of feedback, and identifying achievers. It is an essential book for management skills development.

8. Simon Sinek's “Start with Why”

Simon Sinek has authored several books on leadership and management, and this one speaks on the purpose of leadership that impacts businesses. What does leadership add to any business? That is the core idea of this book. Simon discusses understanding motivations and making others part of that process. This book will help you motivate others and instill core values, so you should read it along with his other books.

9. John C. Maxwell's “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”

John Maxwell states the 21 rules that define “good” leadership in this excellent book. Some of the 21 rules include persuasion laws, self-sacrifice, and reverence. If you want to be a better leader and hone the abilities that strengthen those skills, you must give this one a read.

10. Daniel H. Pink's “Drive”

Daniel Pink makes a hard case that motivation, in the conservative context, cannot work today because of its emphasis on penalties and incentives. People act on incentives but are not being incentivized by rewards and punishments. A new approach that works on mastery, autonomy, and purpose is needed, and the conventional approach should be dropped. If you want to inspire people the modern way and give your business an engaging feel, do read this book.

The ten books in this blog are among hundreds of excellent leadership books and are ones to get your feet wet within the leadership context. It applies to anyone in any position, and that person can build from their current role and attain greater success professionally and personally. Read the books, but you must also practice everything you have learned in real life and see how effective these are.

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