The most recommended leadership books

This unusually formatted and provocative book delivers on its promise, which is that harnessing human imagination is a predictable, replicable process. Beginning with the first seeds of what gets our imaginations going (hint: when things aren’t chugging along as expected) to a recipe for how not to let those sparks die out as an idea becomes more mainstream, the book is chock full of examples, anecdotes, how to’s and more. And one of my favorite aspects of it is that it also has a multimedia guide to what BCG calls the “napkin gallery,” a virtual museum devoted to the earliest instances of some of the most important inventions ever commercialized.   

Why do women feel like we need to invite everyone to every party, throw weddings that are closer to our parents’ style than our own, and show up to networking nights that we know we won’t get anything out of?

I know this book is meant to be about hosting gatherings, but I’ve applied the principles to nearly everything I do in work and hobbies to add more intention, impact, and fulfillment. I’ve changed the way I sit at restaurants to encourage deeper conversations with friends. I’ve started to purposefully not invite certain people to certain parties since I know it would change the dynamic negatively for others. I’ve embraced the idea of “pop-up rules” at every event I host and expect guests to follow them so that the event is transformative and not boring.

Since reading Priya’s incredible framework, I’ve led extremely successful monthly events for my community, started… show more.

The editors and contributing authors present research and theory interspersed with unique personal experiences of the journey taken by first-generation students as they move through college. The volume provides the reader with up-to-date data on two- and four-year colleges, and discusses the intersection of first-generation status with varied student identities including LGBT, low-income, African-American, Latinx, Native American, and undocumented. The last section of the book offers an introduction to practices, policies, and programs across the U.S., and directs educators, policymakers, and administrators to make campuses inclusive for diverse first-generation college students. At the Intersection is a resource for understanding and effectively responding to first-generation students’ divergent, shared, and intersectional identities in order to understand and alter their access, retention, learning, and well-being on the college campus.

My colleague and fellow rower Cath Bishop draws upon her experience in high-performance environments to examine our societal-wide obsession with winning. As a rower at three Olympic games, a senior diplomat, and a business coach & consultant, Cath offers a fresh perspective on how we might redefine success – both personally and professionally – for the longer term. Instead of a win-at-all-costs approach, Cath suggests we broaden our criteria of success by moving to a more sustainable approach with clarity, learning, and connection at its heart. Here she proposes a new definition of success – The Long Win. 

I loved this book because we all want to achieve greatness, and it clearly identifies practices, strategies, and habits that can take a good team and make them great. It’s a reminder for me to be disciplined as a person, control myself with disciplined thoughts, and exhibit disciplined actions.

I like how Jim Collins emphasizes strategic focus, disciplined decision-making, and the importance of sustained excellence for long-term success. His "Hedgehog Concept" is a great reminder for me to reflect on what I’m deeply passionate about, what I can be the best at, and what drives my economic engine.

I wish I had written this book. Chip Conley takes Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and applies it to employees and customers. Sharing lessons from hotel leadership, Chip demonstrates how managers and frontline workers should prioritize primary needs of those they serve while stretching to address higher level belonging and self-expression needs. With precision and clarity, Chip Conley offers a template for assessing the wants, needs, and desires of others

Satire holds truth to power, provides levity during hard times, encourages political engagement, and creates a shared narrative in a world that seems like it’s circling the stupidest drain in the stupidest house in stupidtown.

Using existing satire scholarship, these and other arguments are presented in the context of the Trump era (2015 – who knows) in a dispassionate but unapologetically partisan manner. The conclusion is that political satire was a net benefit, even during moments that defied the laws of absurdity.

I found these arguments compelling but would have liked more discussion of the troll paradox – a term I just made up. The paradox: even if political satire unifies and supports resistance to malfeasance and hypocrisy, during the Trump era it also seemed to bring the targets of that satire immense joy. Sequel?

People often ask themselves, why study literature. What’s the use?

This is the only book I have ever read that attempts to show how literature applies to leadership and management. The authors, one a professor of Shakespearian literature, and the other a management consultant, attempts to show how Shakespeare’s play contain practical lessons for leaders.

The chapter I liked most talks about how and why the CEO doesn’t always want their successor to succeed, and how they sometimes sabotage their successor’s success.

This book was one of a few “game changers” in my career. In fact, we used this book to “gung ho!” our entire company of managers/leaders.

The premise of the book is how to create worthwhile work through the balance of cash and congratulations. It is a heartwarming and compelling story about a new manager of a factory that had poor results throughout except for one department that always met/exceeded their goals.

The new manager is taught by the department head the reasons why this department had so much success through 3 concepts: 1. The spirit of the squirrel 2. The way of the beaver 3. The gift of the goose. 

So often we get “stuck” because we think we have to come up with a really big idea in order to have an impact and to achieve substantial results. Nope! Linkner explains why it is a mistake to put pressure on ourselves to “Go Big.” It’s often the little ideas that lead to the best, most significant results. This book chronicles all kinds of amazingly accomplished people – Lin Manuel Miranda, Lady Gaga, Steven Spielberg, etc. Linkner’s story-telling will convince you to focus on small things and will help you unlock your creativity.