The best books to make you an amazing leader, listener, and human being

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent 20 years leading global teams in Silicon Valley, and I had few role models for empathetic, human, and inclusive leadership. I was committed to being the leader I wished I’d had all those years. I had a lot of success, a big VP-level job, and I loved my work. Then, I got a new manager who bullied, undermined, and silenced me. I decided I wanted to help leaders do better. I became an author, speaker, and consultant focused on inspiring leaders to create an environment where everyone is heard, seen, and respected.


I wrote...

The Boldly Inclusive Leader: Transform Your Workplace (and the World) by Valuing the Differences Within

By Minette Norman,

Book cover of The Boldly Inclusive Leader: Transform Your Workplace (and the World) by Valuing the Differences Within

What is my book about?

Organizations have made public commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, yet their leaders rarely have the skills to lead inclusively. I am committed to changing that by sharing some of the most important things I discovered over the decades I spent in the corporate world.

This is not a book about quick fixes or paying lip service to the hot topic of inclusion. This is for leaders who want to boldly transform the workplace and are willing to leave their comfort zones. As a leader, you will learn to maximize your team's potential and build an innovative, collaborative, and vibrant team culture.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Indivisible: How to Forge Our Differences into a Stronger Future

Minette Norman Why did I love this book?

As I listened to the audiobook version of this book, I felt optimistic and hopeful, which is not a common feeling when I read business, leadership, or DEI books. I found the whole book to be an invitation to do better as a leader, a community member, and a human being.

I felt a strong call to action without the usual shaming or blaming that I’ve found in too many recent books. I wanted to sit down and have a conversation with Denise, even though I had never met her. After finishing the book, I felt inspired, uplifted, and committed to taking ownership of my role in making our world more inclusive and indivisible. 

By Denise Hamilton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Indivisible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time

Minette Norman Why did I love this book?

I could not stop listening to this book, read by the author, Rob Volpe. It’s filled with compelling, entertaining, and moving stories of Rob’s interactions with people from all walks of life as he conducts consumer insights interviews. To me, the book is not only a masterclass in both storytelling and empathy but also a book about the power of listening with an open mind and heart, which is why I believe it should be a leadership must-read (even if it’s not technically a leadership book).

I loved Rob’s personal stories and was fascinated by the stories from his consumer interviews. You have to read it to witness how Rob seamlessly moves from a conversation about an interviewee’s brother’s ghost to preferences in soup flavors!

By Rob Volpe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tell Me More About That as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's time to shape up your empathy muscle.

Empathy is in short supply these days-and it's hurting us. From the rise in workplace bullying to increased anxiety and depression, a lack of empathy for one another is wearing away at the gears of society, grinding us down to the nubs. The very technology that is supposed to keep us connected is actually driving us apart, with face-to-face interactions on the decline, and news filtered through an echo chamber that shelters us from other points of view.

But all is not lost. Just as physical workouts strengthen your body, there are…


Book cover of The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business

Minette Norman Why did I love this book?

I discovered this book several years ago when I was leading a global team across North America, Europe, and Asia and desperately trying to navigate cultural differences and communication styles. The book was eye-opening for me as the author shared real-world examples of misunderstandings and differences in how people from different cultures interact in the workplace.

I especially appreciated Erin’s guidance for leading people in highly hierarchical cultures as I was trying to figure out how to get my large team of leaders in China to speak up about what was really going on (and I was going about it all wrong). For me, this book is the book to make us all better, more open-minded citizens of the world.

By Erin Meyer,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Culture Map as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Whether you work in a home office or abroad, business success in our ever more globalized and virtual world requires the skills to navigate through cultural differences and decode cultures foreign to your own. Renowned expert Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain where people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together.When you have Americans who precede anything negative with three nice comments French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans who get straight to the point ( your presentation was simply awful") Latin Americans and Asians who are steeped in hierarchy Scandinavians who think the…


Book cover of Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up

Minette Norman Why did I love this book?

When I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author, Stephen Shedletzky (aka Shed), I was prepared to read with a critical eye because I had already felt I knew a lot about building psychologically safe team cultures. However, as soon as I read the opening of the book, where Shed shares the story behind Boeing’s 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, I was hooked.

I appreciated the depth of the book. It’s not only about why leaders need to create a psychologically safe environment in which people can speak up and how they can do it; it’s also about how they make it worth taking the risk of speaking up. I loved the stories and found the whole book highly compelling.

By Stephen Shedletzky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Speak-Up Culture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We know the impacts of poor leadership: lackluster performance, missed opportunities, deleterious cultures, and, in some cases, disaster. While these issues are all too common, leaders also possess an immense opportunity. They can create a speak-up culture, one in which people feel it is both safe and worth it to share their ideas, concerns, disagreements, and even mistakes-all for the betterment of the organization.

Speak-Up Culture is for leaders at all levels? from senior executives who believe in putting people and purpose first; to mid-level supervisors who wish to lead better and nurture the voice of their people; to aspiring…


Book cover of Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully

Minette Norman Why did I love this book?

As someone who has been silenced at various times in my career, I was immediately drawn to this book. I expected it to be about how to find our voices, but it was so much deeper and more nuanced than that. I loved how Elaine talked about how there are times when silence serves us well, and I especially appreciated her exploration of how we silence others, often unconsciously.

I appreciated the way Elaine shared her own journey of unlearning silence, as well as many stories and case studies throughout the book—it stayed out of the theoretical and felt grounded in real life. I also loved the optimistic and inspiring invitation in the conclusion. Count me in!


You might also like...

I Am Taurus

By Stephen Palmer,

Book cover of I Am Taurus

Stephen Palmer

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Philosopher Scholar Liberal Reader Musician

Stephen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written from the perspective of the mythical Taurus, from the beginning at Lascaux to Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and elsewhere. This is not just a history of the bull but also a view of ourselves through the eyes of the bull, illustrating our pre-literate use of myth, how the advent of writing and the urban revolution changed our view of ourselves, and how even bullfighting in Spain is a variation on the ancient sacrifice of the sacred bull.

I Am Taurus

By Stephen Palmer,

What is this book about?

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. In I Am Taurus, author Stephen Palmer traces the story of the bull in the sky, starting from that point 19,000 years ago - a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull. Each of the eleven sections is written from the perspective of the mythical Taurus, from the beginning at Lascaux to Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Spain and elsewhere. This is not just a history of the bull but also an attempt to see ourselves through…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in diversity, empathy, and presidential biography?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about diversity, empathy, and presidential biography.

Diversity Explore 13 books about diversity
Empathy Explore 145 books about empathy
Presidential Biography Explore 19 books about presidential biography