Have a quick stroll in a bookstore and you tend to be overwhelmed by the dozens and dozens of leadership-related books. It seems like there are really a lot to write about it—from concepts like leadership development and leadership skills to success stories as told by leaders. Often, with plentiful of choices, we’re not sure what to get and read. In this article, we list down the top 10 recommended books for leaders to help you cut through the noise and decide which one to fuel your learning with.
1) The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield, Janet Switzer
This self-help book features a road map to personal growth in order for you to gain achievements. This coaches you with 64 timeless principles on how to boost and build self-confidence, survive and fight with daily challenges, choose to live with your life’s joy—passion and purpose, and realize all your goals. The key lessons here are to surround yourself with successful people, keep positive thoughts and take full responsibility of everything in your life.
2) How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This book teaches you the fundamental techniques on how to be a good leader by knowing how to respond without giving offense or arousing resentment in handling and communicating with different sorts of people. If you think that you’re friendly and influential enough, read this material to even more become an entertaining speaker, conversationalist and stir enthusiasm among your colleagues and “followers.”
3) The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker
A good leader gets the right things done, as specified in the title. Drucker explains the five classic important practices to follow and apply in order to be get to the results: manage time, set the right priorities, know how and where to utilize your strengths, get to the core of issues and plan your contribution to the organization and combine all these together for best decisions.
4) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
If you’re looking for personal and professional effectiveness, this book is your most rewarding choice. The author takes a writing style that guides you personally through seven habits that will transform the way you think and make you more productive. Covey explores the power of positive thinking, concepts of time management, and qualities to help you grow from being dependent to becoming independent to interdependent in life.
5) Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone
As we cannot avoid encountering clashes like difficult talks and negotiations every day, this book teaches us to stay balanced when faced with these trying situations. Stone explores the underlying concepts behind the structure of every challenging conversation and advises us how to defend ourselves without attacking or accusing other people negatively. If you are interested in elevating your communication skills to handle confrontations and such tense situations, grab a copy of this book.
6) The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
This book was written over two decades ago but still it proves to be a timeless piece, for those in the workforce especially those overseeing with managerial capacity. Concisely, it speaks of management techniques on how to increase your personal prosperity, job satisfaction and productivity.
7) Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
Want to conquer procrastination? Tracy tackles about your potential to overcome that laziness and motivates you into developing a habit that makes you accomplish more things than other people with less effort. Using advanced methods such as NLP and Alpha programming, this book conditions you to think that a consistent change in your behavior becomes a habit after doing it for 21 days consecutively.
8) Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina
Medina basically teaches you how our brain works through science. He provides with clear and interesting explanations on the difference of how men and women think, how we learn, what happens in our brains when we’re stressed and we’re asleep, why we forget things, and the like. Finish the book and you’ll know how to be more productive and effective not only as a leader but as an individual overall.
9) Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
Do things in a different angle and be remarkable. That’s the principal concept highlighted by Godin in this book. In marketing terms, you should practice differentiation of your product or service to get consumers’ attention. Look for innovate and unique business models to showcase a revolution instead of wasting money in advertising.
10) First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham
The title is certainly appealing. This amazing book tells about the one common denominator that all managers share, and that is the fact that they are not afraid to break the rules and play their personal favorites. Presented are career lessons for managers to improve their direct reports, leverage their strengths and manager the weaker points. After reading the book from cover to cover, you will be more confident in improving your workplace as manager and more importantly, as a leader.
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