10 Best Influential Leadership Books Beneficial for Every Stage of Your Career!

Education never stops, and continuing your education is one of the many steps to becoming a leader. Great leaders are the ones that never stop learning. But how to improve leadership and management skills? How do the leaders keep enhancing their skills? One of the key steps is through reading. As difficult as it gets to step away from their leisure time after spending hours in the office, these individuals do not forget to read. They primarily read leadership books that help them refocus and refuel themselves as a leader. 

If you are on a path of enhancing your leadership skills, the best leadership books can greatly help you. But what are these books? There are plenty of books by numerous authors. However, we have come up with a list of the top ten for you. So, start reading below to uncover these top ten books that can significantly help you become a better leader.

Top Ten Leadership Books

Reading is a journey, and to make this journey better, you must pick a book that interests you the most. That is why we present you with a list of the top ten leadership books. So, choose one or more or all of the following to move toward the path of leadership. 

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

One of the best leadership books is by John Maxwell. Yes, we are talking about his book- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. This book is ranked as one of the best ones of all time. It is a must-read for every entrepreneur, manager, and executive. In this book, John Maxwell shares his practical and easy-to-follow leadership advice. Also, this book helps you figure out your strengths and weaknesses. It allows you to identify what you have been doing right. Another reason this book is loved by aspiring leaders is that it helps to fine-tune the weaker leadership qualities.

Good to Great

Jim Collins’ Good to Great is next on the list of books that give an insight into what are leadership qualities and how you can gain them. This book is the ultimate pick for you to gain and brush up on your leadership skills. It follows a five-year study on how good companies become great, how they beat their competitors, and how they achieve long-lasting success. The book emphasizes the fact that success does not come overnight to anyone. It is a must-read for all the entrepreneurs and leaders who are tired and feel frustrated. It has helped numerous such individuals to reinvigorate drive and passion. 

Start with Why

Next on the list of books that help with how to gain leadership skills is Start with Why by Simon Sinek. It is a leading book on leadership. This book is applauded for helping the readers understand the importance of leading with a purpose. Start with Why is the ultimate book for all those who wish to refresh and revive their organizations. It is a game changer for the leaders as it explains the importance of putting purpose at the center of the business. This ensures that the employees and executives never deviate from the business purpose and goals. 

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is next on this list. It is an effective leadership book with a simple title but a philosophical nature. This book encourages the readers to examine themselves by challenging their perceptions, beliefs, and worldviews. It teaches the readers ways to be better, empathetic, and more connected humans as well as leaders. 

The Effective Executive

This book by Peter F. Drucker showcases that success is dependent on effectiveness. It shares the author's belief that inspiring change in the employees is a quality that no leader can lack. However, several businesses and leaders are still not able to positively impact their employees and organizations. Such individuals must read this book to learn how they can eliminate ineffective leadership traits. 

Think and Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is next on this list. This is ranked as one of the top ten leadership books. It helps the readers understand the unique mindset of high performers. This book is an amalgamation of Napoleon's 25 years of research, analysis, and understanding of what makes people successful. It involves 500 interviews that helped him write a formula for prosperity. The strategies listed in this book are easily applicable and extremely motivational.

Wooden on Leadership

John Wooden, a famous basketball coach, wrote the next book on this list. Yes, we are referring to Wooden on Leadership. This book is an inspiration for all those leaders who wish to become extremely successful using the right strategies. This book by one of the most successful coaches in sports history shares effective advice for leaders. It teaches business professionals the ways to build a great team while staying focused on ethics and morals. 

Extreme Ownership

Another book in this list of the best leadership books is Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.  This book is an excellent one that shares a unique message through real-life experience. This book offers instructions on how leaders can develop high-performing teams that complete even the most difficult tasks easily. 

Dare to Lead

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown is another leading book that leaders must read. It is an excellent book for leaders who are looking forward to building team culture. The author of this book shares her long-standing belief to be false that vulnerability is related to weakness. She writes in this book that being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness but represents courage and bravery. This is why this book is considered one of the best ones for leaders and managers who wish to build a healthy work environment for their employees. 

The Art of War

We will end this list with yet another worthy book- The Art of War. This excellent leadership book by Sun Tzu has inspired generations of strategic thinkers. It is a well-written book for military leaders that is helpful for any leader. Business owners and executives can significantly relate to and benefit from this book. This book takes readers through a journey of 13 chapters, each of which is dedicated to the steps in the strategic implementation process.

Also Read: Becoming the Leader Our World Needs: An Exploration of Luminary Leadership

Reading, learning, and education must never stop if you wish to keep excelling and advancing in your personal and professional life. It is no different for existing and aspiring leaders. So, if you wish to learn how to improve leadership and management skills, start reading one of these books today. However, we are sure that once you start reading leadership books, there is no going back. In no time, you will read them all and look for more such books. So, finish reading all these books before the Abroad team is back with yet another list of the most influential books for leaders. 


Previous
Previous

Developing Leaders to Create the World We Envision

Next
Next

Guided by the Ancients: Embracing Andean Wisdom in Contemporary Leadership