To excel as an exceptional leader, there are certain books that are a must-read for you. This is why we have chosen to point out six leadership books every professional looking to harness their full potential must read.
If you desire rapid advancement in your career, you certainly understand that you need to develop and continually refine your leadership skills.
Like John Maxwell famously said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Relentless commitment to developing your leadership skills is therefore an effective way to take the lid off your potential and improve every area of your life. [Tweet that].
Developing your leadership capacity will significantly enhance your productivity and performance. It will help you hone relevant skills such as communication, teamwork, decision-making, delegation, and many more.
This is why it is important to read relevant books on the subject and deliberately apply what you learn. This should be done not only at work but also in other spheres of influence.
Whether you’re wondering where to start, or looking to take the journey further, you will find these six recommendations helpful.
Six leadership books you need to read
Leadership Gold by John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell is widely recognized as a leadership expert, and Leadership Gold is probably his most comprehensive work on the subject.
As conveyed in the subtitle, Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading, Leadership Gold is a treasure trove of practical insights accumulated over four decades of learning, teaching, and living out the principles of leadership.
Reading the book feels like sitting with a seasoned mentor who is generously sharing his wisdom to equip the next generation of leaders.
Here’s one of our favorite quotes from the book: “To gain credibility, you must consistently demonstrate three things:
- Initiative: You have to get up to go up.
- Sacrifice: You have to give up to go up.
- Maturity: You have to grow up to go up.
If you show the way, people will want to follow you. The higher you go, the greater the number of people who will be willing to travel with you.”
Among other things, the book reinforces that leadership is first about your own all-round personal development. As such, you cannot influence or inspire others to pursue a path you are not committed to exploring yourself.
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Boundaries provides practical insights to help you take control of your life by knowing when to say yes and how to say no.
The authors explain that setting boundaries is an act of kindness and not selfishness. As guardrails and other physical boundaries protect you from physical danger, personal boundaries help to guard your spirit and protect your emotions.
We live in a world where many things compete for our time, energy, attention, and money. So we need to learn the fine art of distinguishing the things that deserve an investment of our resources from the ones that will simply leave us depleted.
This book will work wonders for your mental health and personal growth, both of which are crucial for professional advancement.
The Magic of Emotional Intelligence by Abiola ‘CHAMP’ Salami
Emotional intelligence is one of the most important leadership skills that everyone needs to master.
In fact, studies have shown that the lack of emotional intelligence could be the bane of many otherwise successful professionals.
For example, Big Think reports that 70% of lost customers and 75% of derailed careers are attributable to factors related to emotional intelligence.
As such, it is necessary for every professional to cultivate this crucial skill.
There aren’t many books that combine research-backed insights with real-life examples, personal stories, and other vivid illustrations to create the kind of potency that has put The Magic of Emotional Intelligence in a class of its own as a vade mecum on the subject.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Written by Stephen Covey in 1989, the core message of this book is that true and lasting change can only happen through a deliberate investment in personal development that culminates in character transformation as opposed to behavior modification.
Among other things, the book will show you how to take personal responsibility instead of worrying over matters outside your control. This will help to advance your career and improve your life.
The seven habits identified by the author include: being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, thinking win-win, seeking first to understand before being understood, synergizing, and sharpening the saw.
If you are looking to undergird your professional development with time-tested principles instead of switching between the latest fads and techniques, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People will give you a good foundation.
Here is one of our favorite quotes from the book: You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”
Work the System by Sam Carpenter
This book is an excellent guide on how you can simplify your life by adopting a systems mindset.
The author explains the need to think through the strategic objective, general operating principles, and working procedures for every aspect of your work. This will ensure that you spend less time and energy on killing fires so that you can be more productive.
You will also learn why giving your full attention to the task at hand is more effective than multitasking.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
We cannot possibly conclude this list without mentioning one of the most widely read books of all time—How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
In this 1936 book, the author shows that no man is an island and we need others to be successful. Therefore, it is important to cultivate strong interpersonal relationships to advance professionally and take the lead in your field.
This book provides lots of valuable advice and practical recommendations that you can apply to become likable in your workplace. At its core, it is about building relationships that facilitate personal and professional success.
Among other things, this book will show you how to make friends quickly and easily. It will also give you pointers on how to increase your influence, win people over, and avoid needless arguments.
Although you may have reservations about some of the techniques, if you go beyond the surface to unearth the underlying principles, you would have found a lasting treasure indeed.
Question: Have you read any of these books yet? If so, share your lessons with us in the comments below. If not, which of them do you want to start with and why?
