Excellent leaders always make time for learning new things. Recharging and refocusing as a leader requires taking time away from the workplace, but doing so is well worth it if you take the time to study a range of literature on the topic. For instance, it aids in identifying areas for improvement and equips you with resources for creative problem-solving and expansion. Have you reached the point where you can realize your full leadership potential? In order to develop into an effective leader, the following selection of books about leadership and management can be helpful, even for women in business.
What are Leadership Books?
Books about leadership are works that instruct readers on how to become talented and influential leaders in their respective fields. These books typically contain a variety of instructions, pieces of advice, and tales from professionals in the fields of psychology and business. In addition, they offer step-by-step directions on how to become a role model and a visionary.
Books About Leadership and Management
The following are the books on leadership and management in business that women and officeholders should read.
#1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Although Aurelius created it for his own benefit, the content that has survived serves as a manual for improving one’s lifestyle by eliminating extraneous things. However, Aurelius shows us how to focus on what’s important and remain true to our principles. Meditation can help you deal with stress by teaching you how to control your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
#2. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
This book recounts Viktor Frankl’s experiences as a prisoner at the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. Despite his ordeal, Frankl was able to maintain perspective and conclude that “there must be meaning in suffering.” He is also a symbol of the importance of acting on one’s own convictions when it comes to defining one’s purpose in life.
#3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Experiencing life is an exciting journey. Each of us should make it a goal to realize our own mythic potential (that is, what we have always wanted to accomplish). The tale of Santiago, a shepherd child, reveals what happens when we pursue our own legends: “the cosmos conspires in enabling you to reach it.”
#4. The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The lessons in this book will help you become a more effective leader by teaching you timeless techniques. Ethics, trust, and credibility are just a few examples.
#5. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Despite the fact that most businesses fail, there are exceptions. Jim Collins read through dozens of articles and interviews to pin down the specific cause. He compiled everything into one book to illustrate the traits necessary to build a prosperous enterprise.
#6. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a timeless read for any aspiring leader or successful individual. It could be considered one of the best books about leadership and management in business. By encouraging you to think differently, Covey walks you through the steps to achieve personal growth and changes your perspective by encouraging you to think differently. Independence, interdependence, and constant development are the pillars upon which this process rests, and they are what drive its forward momentum.
#7. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappo, built a wildly successful business by prioritizing customer satisfaction and hiring only the most talented individuals. Customer satisfaction and fostering a positive work environment were stressed. That resulted in happy workers and satisfied clients.
Hsieh was successful in undermining traditional business leadership while delivering satisfaction and massive financial gain. One such book that focuses on leadership is Delivering Happiness.
#8. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
This leadership book by Harvard professor and businessman Clayton Christensen lays out the steps necessary to implement “disruptive innovation.”
Christensen argues that in order to achieve this goal, businesses must put the demands of their customers in the future ahead of their own present interests.
#9. Tribes by Seth Godin
Before diving into any of Godin’s other works, start with Tribes. Through his blog, books, and everything else, Godin is spreading a winning formula for questioning the established quo to finish important work.
One of the best leadership books, because it inspires followers to follow in your footsteps, and makes its author memorable even after death.
#10. Drive by Daniel H. Pink
This is one of the few novels that actually teaches leadership concepts, as leadership is so dependent on the ability to inspire others. This is why Pink’s book is so important. Drive is a book stuffed to the brim with helpful advice on how to motivate yourself; the author recommends that you forego the use of rewards and punishment in favor of things like doing something you enjoy, gaining mastery over
#11. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The need to feel important is universal. Carnegie explains how to utilize this to win over and gain the favor of others in this book. It is a guide to having satisfying and productive conversations with other people.
The key to success is demonstrating an authentic interest in the individuals you meet and the tasks they complete. If you are successful in forging this bond, you will have made a new friend. As a result, it’s safe to say that How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the best books about leadership and management out there for novice leaders.
#12. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
It’s likely that you have the interpersonal skills to settle conflicts between employees with contrasting personalities. It takes a strong leader, like Abe Lincoln, to unite people with divergent viewpoints to form a team or organization, but he did it by abolishing slavery when the country was at war.
Lincoln, despite their disputes, was described by Kearns Goodwin as having surrounded himself with the best individuals possible. A leader should be humble but fearless, and he was both. Because of this, Team of Rivals may teach you a lot about being a leader.
#13. Endurance by Alfred Lansing
In 1914, Edward Shackleton led a group of explorers to the South Pole. Even if the expedition failed, the story of the crew’s ordeal in the Antarctic’s frigid waters can serve as a guidepost for other leaders in similar situations. Consequently, Endurance is a classic that provides a wealth of useful advice for leaders.
#14. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Being vulnerable may not always indicate weakness. Neither embarrassment nor fear should prevent us from trying new things. Daring Greatly is Brown’s argument that the most important things are not succeeding but rather trying. Simply letting go of the effort is worse than trying and failing.
#15. The War of Art, by Steve Pressfield
In art, as in life, you will face many challenges. Everyone who has ever written a book, published an essay, started a business or made “art” has also felt tremendous amounts of anxiety. It’s human nature to put off important tasks, feel anxious, and question one’s abilities at times. The only way to win is to produce solutions and spread them over the world.
What are the Best Leadership Books for New Leaders in 2023?
Here are a few of the best leadership books for new leaders to read in 2023 include;
- Theory and Practice by Peter G. Northouse
- How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs
- Founders, and Game Changers by David M. Rubenstein
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
What Truly Makes a Great Leader?
Characteristics of a good leader are honesty, insight into oneself, bravery, regard for others, sympathy, and appreciation. They need to train themselves in agile methods, increasing their impact and communication skills and allowing them to delegate more responsibly. Examine the ways in which these essential leadership skills may be taught and honed at any level of your company.
What Personality Should a Good Leader Have?
To be a successful leader, here are the top five qualities one must possess;
- They are self-aware and prioritize personal development.
- They are able to help others grow.
- Good leaders inspire initiative, creativity, and long-term planning
- They have strong morals and a concern for their community
- They’re masters at communicating across cultural boundaries
What are the Ways to Become a Good Leader?
- Engage in open and honest communication
- Connect with those on your team members
- Foster personal development and professional growth.
- Maintain an upbeat disposition.
- In lieu of issuing commands, try instructing staff members.
- Define success goals and expectations for your staff.
- Provide honest critique on performance and progress made Seek comments about your managerial abilities.
- Keep your mind and heart open to new concepts.
Books About Leadership for Women in Business
For professional women, here’s a list of books about leadership in business you should read.
#1. Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons by Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Women in Leadership examines the difficulties women experience in achieving and maintaining leadership roles. These books examine why there are so few women in leadership positions of power in the modern world and what it’s like for those who do make it to the top. The likes of Hillary Clinton, Jacinda Arden, and Theresa May are just some of the world leaders whose interviews are collected here.
Like their protagonists, authors Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are also groundbreaking female politicians who can speak from experience about the challenges women face in the political sphere.
Females confront unique obstacles in their pursuit of and retention of leadership roles, which are examined in Women and Leadership. This book examines why there are so few women in positions of power today and what it’s like for the few women who make it to the top to execute their jobs. Hillary Clinton, Jacinda Arden, and Theresa May are just a few of the world leaders whose words are collected in this book. Authors Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are also influential women in politics, thus they speak from experience when discussing the obstacles women face in the political arena.
#2. How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
How Women Rise identifies typical roadblocks that women face in the workplace and offers solutions in the form of routines and strategies that can speed up a woman’s rise to the top position. Therefore, this book examines 12 harmful routines that keep women from advancing in their careers and offers solutions to overcome these obstacles. These book chapters help women readers overcome obstacles in their leadership such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, and about fear of self-promotion.
#3. Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel PhD
This book’s main goal is to dispel the widespread belief that women can only achieve success if they are always agreeable, selfless about leadership, and perfect. However, women are conditioned from a young age to be sociable and self-aware. This book reveals the deeply held assumptions that keep women from climbing the corporate ladder and provides actionable advice for changing that. Also, this book challenges the common belief that women can only achieve success if they are always nice, selfless, and never make waves.
#4. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
The book “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg is a best-seller for good reason. Sheryl Sandberg, an executive at Facebook, has spoken out in favor of empowering women in the workplace to be more outspoken, risk-taking, and confident. The book offers guidance on a variety of issues, such as mentoring, bargaining, and balancing work and personal life.
Sandberg’s books encourage women in leadership positions to “lean in” and take charge of the conversation rather than retreat when they encounter opposition. One of the most well-known books on women in leadership roles is Lean In. Sheryl Sandberg, an executive at Facebook, advocates for women in the workplace to be more outspoken, courageous, and risk-taking.
#5. How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and Life by Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston, and Geoffrey Lewis
One of the best books about leadership and management in business for aspiring female CEOs is How Remarkable Women Lead. Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston, both former consultants at McKinsey & Company, draw on their extensive experience to examine the habits of successful women in business. Nevertheless, the lives of outstanding women in the executive suite are used as examples of the book’s authors’ goals to show readers the path to leadership. The lessons in How Remarkable Women Lead can be used as a guide to achieving personal and professional success.
Christian Books About Leadership and Management
Many of you should not become instructors because you know that those who teach will be judged more rigorously. (3:1) What a greater honor it must be to shepherd, lead, and teach those who teach others. What you say and do must be infused with the Spirit’s life force. In a world worn down by the effects of the Fall, you have been entrusted with the responsibility of making disciples and erecting a haven. Consequently, to help you carry Christ’s image into your work, we’ve compiled a selection of some of the best books on leadership and management in business we could find. As you become his hands and feet in fields that are ready for harvest, we also, pray that you may be strengthened in your faith (John 4:35).
What Are the 7 Techniques for Good Leadership?
To help you manage your team more effectively, we’ve outlined seven essential leadership qualities.
#1. Interpersonal Communication
A leader’s ability to communicate effectively is crucial. The interpersonal communication subset of this set of skills involves paying attention to not just your words, but also your tone, body language, facial expressions, and hand gestures. It is important to be conscious of both your verbal and nonverbal cues when communicating with your team.
#2. Active Listening
Leaders who lack the ability to actively listen are failing at one of the most important communication skills. In other words, paying close attention to what the other person is saying and taking notes. As a result, you’ll be able to handle the wants, issues, and concerns of your team members more effectively. It’s a great way to make friends and influence people favorably.
#3. Goal-Setting
For leaders, one of the toughest challenges is galvanizing their troops behind a shared goal and inspiring them to work together to achieve it. Teams perform better together when they have goals they can all work toward, and they feel a greater sense of camaraderie when they succeed.
#4. Diplomacy
It is essential for a leader to be able to prioritize both team and company needs. To strike this equilibrium, managers must keep open lines of communication with both senior stakeholders and their direct reports.
#5. Conflict Resolution
When tensions and discord erupt amongst workers or departments, it is the responsibility of upper-level management to restore harmony and bring everyone back together. This calls for calm persistence, constant dialogue, and prompt action. Resolving disagreements as soon as they arise keeps morale high and productivity high.
#6. Motivation
Low morale and ineffectiveness in the workplace are often the results of stress and also, overwork. It is essential for managers to keep tabs on their subordinates and always push them to perform at their highest levels. Therefore, it’s crucial to lead by example and provide your employees with the freedom to pursue their own goals if you want to keep them motivated. Invest in your staff by learning about their individual career goals and providing them with the training and support they need to succeed.
#7. Decisiveness
Many decisions must be made by leaders. They might be as large as deciding when to bring on a new team member or as minor as deciding when to hold a meeting. Gaining the respect and support of your team is facilitated by making decisions quickly and actively. To develop this ability, it is necessary to quickly gather relevant data, consider alternative courses of action, and rely on your own prior knowledge, intuition, and experience.
What are the five Fundamentals of Leadership?
Here are the top core values that underpin effective leadership;
- Communication.
- Strategic and visionary thinking
- Empowerment
- Adaptability
- Self-awareness
What Leadership Style Goes by Books?
Project managers need to be able to lead effectively. It’s the deciding factor between mediocre and outstanding project team performance. The best project managers have the ability to persuade their team members with only a little formal power. They are also capable of shifting between different leadership stances as the situation calls for them.
FAQs
Is leadership a book genre?
Nonfiction works about leadership are their own subgenre. Self-help, business, communication, and about psychology books are all examples of leadership literature in business subgenres.
What is leadership literature?
Meaning that over time, scholars and practitioners have adapted and improved each theory and that no theory has become obsolete, as evidenced by the literature on leadership.
Can leadership skills be learned?
So, in short, that question has a positive answer. However, not in the conventional sense of in-house training programs offered by a wide variety of businesses. Learning to lead effectively requires actual leadership experience.
Related Articles
- 6 Elements for Effective Business Leadership
- HOW TO BE A LEADER: Becoming the Leader of Your Dreams
- LEADERSHIP VALUES: Importance of Values In leadership
Reference
