Leadership is a learned skill. Even though it often seems like some are born to lead and others are born to follow, it is not always that simple. Leadership in this day and age is no longer about who is the loudest in the room or who is the most well-liked. Here, we offer ten books on leadership that prove that leadership is a powerful skill that everyone can and should learn.
The Black Belt in Leadership: 20 Tested Lessons from the Dojo to the Boardroom by Aslak de Silva
Aslak de Silva, a successful multinational CEO and a champion of martial arts, brings us The Black Belt in Leadership, a guide that combines the many lessons he learned from his martial arts training that help him become a successful business leader. De Silva includes personal stories and anecdotes from his own experience to give advice to those hoping to become strong and mindful leaders.
The Black Belt in Leadership shares that becoming a great leader is not all about who can deliver the toughest punches: It requires empathy, emotional composure, and a resolute awareness of both yourself and others. This is the perfect book for those who are just starting out in their career, as well as any professionals who want to see a shift. The Black Belt in Leadership is a book to guide everyone in the ways of the dojo.
Modern Leadership: Inspired by Mother Nature by Funké Nnennaya Michaels and Ndeye Absa Gningue
Modern Leadership gives a nuanced approach to women’s leadership by combining advice and wisdom that has been passed down for generations with modern business strategies. Funké Nnennaya Michaels and Ndeye Absa Gningue are both leaders and communicators who speak out on how we can learn how to be from the natural world, highlighting women’s powerful connection with Mother Nature.
Modern Leadership focuses on natural themes such as adaptability, harmony, and balance — all of which are concepts supported by natural environments and thriving ecosystems. Through this book, Michaels and Gningue provide a guideline for a unique business culture that enhances ideals of sustainability and the rules of life that have kept the earth spinning for centuries.
Graciously Assertive: How Becoming a Better Human Makes You a Better Leader by Yasmin Davidds
In addition to her career as an entrepreneur, psychologist, and author, Yasmin Davidds has been an advocate for empowering leaders for many years. In her book, Graciously Assertive, Davidds focuses on the tool of communication. It is a book for all people to learn to base their workplace communication on being empathetic and respectful, yet direct.
Davidds asserts that learning the skills that will enhance your workplace attitude starts from within. Graciously Assertive is a guide to compassion and to searching for the self, because you must know yourself before you can become an effective guide and leader to others.
The Way Up: Climbing the Corporate Mountain as a Professional of Color by Errol L. Pierre andJim Jermanok
With coauthor Jim Jermanok, Dr. Errol L. Pierre provides a guidebook to professional success, with a specific focus on individuals with underrepresented minority backgrounds. The Way Up is perfect for beginners with big professional aspirations who are not quite sure where to begin. Pierre begins with developing skills in an entry-level position, serving as a step-by-step guidebook that works up to high-ranking executive roles.
From advice on basic workplace behaviors that are required of professionals, including Zoom and virtual workplace conduct, to stories and lessons on professionalism, this book provides real-world examples that are applicable to anyone looking to advance their careers.
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George with Peter Sims
In True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, along with Peter Sims, shares advice on how one can become a true leader by strengthening their internal compass and sense of self. George and Sims interview over 100 successful leaders on their path to success and the many lessons that can be learned from them.
True North also acts as a guide and an interactive program to help readers create a ‘Personal Leadership Development Plan,’ which will focus on knowing your values, defining principles, motivations, and understanding who you want to be as a leader and how you can become the authentic leader you want to become.
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel dives into the patriarchal habits that are ingrained in society and often taught to young girls, which she argues ultimately lead to sabotage in womanhood. Frankel helps women unlearn bad habits, such as being overly polite, asking for permission, not questioning decisions, and people-pleasing. She encourages women to negotiate, say no to things that do not serve their goals, and be direct and confident in the workplace.
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office emphasizes how many of these mistakes are made unconsciously. By pointing them out and giving tips on how to change this behavior, Frankel encourages women to seek out a place alongside men and to play the game to win.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
It is a stereotype that, in order to be successful, you must be an extrovert and promotions and high-ranking positions will always go to the loudest people in the room who always know what to say. With Quiet, Susan Cain aims to redirect our societal focus on extroversion and point out the values that introverted people add to a workplace dynamic.
Cain pairs in-depth research on introversion versus extroversion with stories from highly successful introverts on how they sustain their lifestyle in a society that only values extroverts. She explains the caveats of a society that marginalizes introverted people, who are often highly insightful and creative. It is an incredibly quiet take on a phenomenon that may be the cause of many flaws in how society functions.
Unwritten Insights: A Career Playbook for Leaders of Color by Lenetra King
Lenetra King, a successful leader and CEO, is determined to help young BIPOC leaders step into themselves with the help of her career playbook, Unwritten Insights. In her book, King uses both research as well as interviews and stories from BIPOC leaders to gain insights about the challenges that these minority groups may face in their professional development.
Discussing significant elements such as how to creating a strong personal brand, strategizing how to self-promote, gaining a network of supporters, and more, King provides the tools needed to overcome setbacks and lead the corporate world.
First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
In First, Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman provide valuable insights for managers in the workforce, arguing that being an effective manager is often the best way to engage high-performing employees. They go against many of the well-known best practices of management, saying instead that a great manager knows how to play to each different employee’s strength and recognizes that they will be different with everyone.
Buckingham and Coffman use research from the Gallup Organization to provide figures and statements on what it is that puts certain managers above the rest. They then provide tips on how to apply these lessons to the reader’s own career and workplace situation.
That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together by Joanne Lipman
In That’s What She Said, Joanne Lipman argues that the best way to end the gender gap in the corporate world is with women and men working together to change the culture and develop a new norm when it comes to gender in the workplace. Lipman wrote this book in response to the #MeToo movement, where she recognized that many men were trying to make an effort to close the divide and make room for women at the top, but they weren’t sure how.
That’s What She Said is a deep dive into how men and women contribute to the workforce differently, and why there must be equal representation at the top. She uses extremely relevant anecdotes and studies that show the success of businesses that value female leadership. Lipman gives a realistic approach to how an industry can redefine gender roles and create a culture that values both genders for the essential qualities they each provide.
These books prove that what makes a good leader is the ability to self-reflect and learn from others around you. This is why the best leaders aren’t necessarily those who find it comes naturally, but perhaps it is those who take the time and use the resources available to them to grow into a leader who listens and respects all viewpoints. We hope these recommendations have brought valuable insights into your career.
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Find these books and more on our Fascinating Nonfiction Reads You Can’t Miss bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
