Top 10 Leadership Books to Read to Improve Your Leadership Skills

Leadership is a significant trait in building a flourishing career. Leadership brings forth the ability to incorporate efficiency in performing tasks. It also influences your associates to perform better. Contrary to tradition that more likely perceives males as leaders, today’s women are breaking the glass ceiling to ace top leadership roles across industries and sectors. According to a survey report, about 30% of female respondents belonged to leadership positions in the education sector in India. Contemporary females are gradually pacing shoulder to shoulder with males in achieving leadership roles.

So how can you build and nurture your leadership skills?

Books about leadership help readers to develop a mindset in leadership. Read on to learn about the top books for leaders that will help you become the ideal leader.

How do books about leadership help?

Books influence their readers’ worldviews. Leaders’ books hold content that helps in shaping leadership skills. Books about leadership provide proper guidance in exercising leadership expertise and coordinating effective teamwork. If you have a strong desire for leadership know-how, get your hands on the best books about leadership.

List of 10 Best Leadership Books

Here’s a list of the most popular books of all time that will furnish you with an in-depth insight into leadership skills:

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell

This book gives wise and practical suggestions like “leadership develops daily, not in a day” and explains rules by drawing instances. It contains guidelines for leaders that make them influential among team members. The book covers every aspect of leadership in a step-by-step format, making it convenient for readers to understand the concept.

The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently by Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy is renowned as a former NFL coach, and this leadership book is an asset of his work. The book illustrates how you can push others towards success with one clear principle: “Your only job is to help your players be better.” The Mentor Leader summarises every critical aspect of leadership that help in boosting team potential.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People gives a concise account of the modern-day hurdles that might obstruct the way to success. One of the top leadership books and a bestseller, this book enlightens readers into forming a holistic approach to untangling personal and professional problems. The book suggests solutions to problems and will help you endure challenges most effectively.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sanderson

A work of personal inspiration, Sheryl Sanderson’s Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will, is one of the most famous books about women's leadership. The book discusses women’s passive behaviour and highlights the career opportunities they miss. In her book, Sanderson motivates women to uphold themselves and look out for mentors to set their feet in the world of success. Despite the book being a few years old, the concepts attached to it are still relevant. An impactful quote from this exceptional work deserves mention: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will be just leaders.”

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown

This book contains lessons that will help readers develop the power of empathy and vulnerability, two critical traits for carrying out tasks in a team. Brown suggests here that taking control is not the definition of leadership. An ideal leader, instead, should recognise the potential in individuals. Dare to Lead is one of the most intellectual books everyone should read to become a confident and sensible leader.

Minority Leader: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams’s Minority Leader is one of the best leadership books and contains instructive measures for representing yourself as a leader in the world. The book combines memoir and instruction that guides readers in developing leadership skills more logically. For instance, the book suggests that your perspective can help you stand out as an impactful personality even in the most rigid institutions.

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Leaders need to undergo a lot of pressure during times of turbulence. Hence, every leader needs guidance to combat the issues that arise during crises. Leadership: In Turbulent Times is an analysis of the obstacles that the four American presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson, faced during their times. Goodwin’s book is a precious work that sets each president as an example by celebrating their struggles and achievements. This book is powerful enough to build a leadership perspective in the readers' minds as it reflects the triumphs of some great personalities.

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

A book that focuses on military principles, one such being officers of higher ranks eat after their men. This small gesture from the leaders’ end represents respect and support towards their teammates. This feeling, in turn, will raise loyalty among the team workers, and they will work in harmony with their respective leaders. Sinek, through his book, tries to illustrate the notion. This book is a work of excellence wherein Sinek co-relates trust with psychological safety as the key to success.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

Elevating yourself to the position of a leader does not convey the idea of getting a position in a pre-existing established organisation. Sometimes you may also have to set up a business from scratch. The Hard Thing About Hard Things is a compilation of the realities associated with entrepreneurship. In his book, Ben Horowitz addresses how to set up a business, create backup plans, make tough calls, etc. If you see yourself as a future entrepreneur, this book is undoubtedly one of the best leadership books for you.

Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee

Primal Leadership highlights the importance of emotional intelligence in the business world. The work suggests that leaders should navigate feelings and be able to empathise with employees. A leader must reflect emotional intelligence, diminish misunderstandings and help build a healthy relationship with the workers. The authors of the book are experienced professionals in the field of psychology and the business world. Hence, they illustrated their arguments through their thorough observations and experiences.

Conclusion

Books are your best friend if you are a keen reader as they help to instil a perspective of the content into the readers' minds. While the best books about leadership can help you improve your leadership skills, you can enrol in Amity Online programs to shape your leadership skills further with globally-recognised programmes. The programmes provide excellent guidance along with certifications to make your way in exercising your leadership credentials. Visit Amity Online for more details about the courses.