Leadership Books

"Leadership is influence." — John Maxwell

This is a list of my favorite and noteworthy best leadership books.

When I think of leadership, I think of influence, change, connection, conviction, inspired action, empowerment, decisive action, forward-thinking, and vision. The leadership books below help provide leadership skills, including mindsets, methodologies, and methods. I test many of the leadership books below while leading programs, projects, and initiatives at Microsoft.

I put the bulk of the list in categories so you can explore relevant leadership books and you can easily compare against your existing leadership books library.

Top 10 Best Leadership Books

Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
Flawless Execution
Leadership Gold , by John C. Maxwell
Leadership on the Line, by Ronald A. Heifetz
Principle-Centered Leadership , by Stephen R. Covey
The 5 Levels of Leadership, by John Maxwell
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell
The Essential Wooden, by John Wooden
The Leadership Challenge, by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The Leadership Test, by Timothy Clark

Getting Started

Leadership 101, by John C. Maxwell
Leadership on the Line, by Ronald A. Heifetz
Principle-Centered Leadership , by Stephen R. Covey
The 5 Levels of Leadership, by John Maxwell
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen R. Covey
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell
The Leadership Challenge, by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The Truth About Managing People…And Nothing But the Truth, by Stephen P. Robbins

Attitude

177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, by Steve Siebold
Attitude 101, by John C. Maxwell
Be the Hero, by Noah Blumenthal

Authenticity, Authentic Leadership

True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership , by Bill George

Change

John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do, by John P. Kotter
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip Heath
The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, by Michael Watkins

Character

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, by John C. Maxwell
The Right to Lead: Learning Leadership Through Character and Courage, by John C. Maxwell

Communication

20 Minutes to a Top Performer, by Alan Vengel
Crucial Confrontations, by Kerry Patterson
Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson
Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO, by Harrison Monarth
The New Articulate Executive: Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader, by Granville Toogood

Daily

Leadership Promises for Every Day, by John C. Maxwell
Make Today Count, by John C. Maxwell
The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day, by John C. Maxwell

Development, Leadership Development

Developing the Leaders Around You, by John C. Maxwell
Developing the Leader Within You, by John C. Maxwell
Effective Succession Planning, by William J. Rothwell
Harvard Business Review on Developing Leaders, by Harvard Business School Press
On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis
The 360 Degree Leader, by John C. Maxwell

Effectiveness

180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, by Charlene Li
Secrets of Effective Leadership, by Fred A. Manske
The Effective Executive, by Peter F. Drucker
What Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness

Emotional Intelligence, Compassion, Heart, Empathy

A Leader’s Heart: 365-Day Devotional Journal, by John C. Maxwell
Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman

Ethics

Ethics 101, by John C. Maxwell

Excellence

Good to Great, by Jim Collins
Greater Than Yourself, by Steve Farber
In Search of Excellence, by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman

Execution

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy
Flawless Execution
Know-How, by Ram Charan
Rework, by David Heinemeier Hansson
The Knowing-Doing Gap, by Robert I. Sutton

Executive Presence

Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO, by Harrison Monarth
The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, by Michael Watkins

Failure, Setbacks

Failing Forward, by John C. Maxwell

Influence, Rapport

Becoming a Person of Influence, by John C. Maxwell
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, by Guy Kawasaki
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, by John C. Maxwell
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion , by Robert B. Cialdini
Influence Without Authority
Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson
Insider’s Guide To The Art Of Persuasion, by Dr. Rick Kirschner
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin

Interpersonal Skills

Be a People Person, by John C. Maxwell
Get Them On Your Side, by Samuel B. Bacharach
Never Eat Alone, by Keith Ferrazzi
Winning with People, by John C. Maxwell

Leadership, Lessons in Leadership

Leadership (Harper Perennial Political Classics), by James MacGregor Burns
Leadership, by Rudolph W. Giuliani
Leadership (Tom Peters Essentials), by Tom Peters
Leadership 101, by John C. Maxwell
Leadership and the One Minute Manager, by Ken Blanchard
Leadership Gold, by John C. Maxwell
Leadership Is an Art, by Max De Pree
Leadership Lessons From THE BOOK, by Bill Bliss
Leadership on the Line, by Ronald A. Heifetz
Leading at a Higher Level, by Ken Blanchard
Management Rev Ed, by Peter F. Drucker
Maxwell Leadership Bible, by John C. Maxwell
On Leadership, by John William Gardner
The Essential Wooden, by John Wooden
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni
The Leader in You, by Dale Carnegie
The One Minute Manager, by Ken Blanchard
The Truth about Leadership, by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The Truth About Managing People…And Nothing But the Truth, by Stephen P. Robbins

Learning, Growth

The Fifth Discipline, by Peter M. Senge
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith

Principles, Practices, Strategies, Tactics

It’s Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks
Lead or Get Off the Pot!, by Pat Croce
Principle-Centered Leadership, by Stephen R. Covey

Purpose, Passion, Motivation

Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink
Start with Why, by Simon Sinek
Sun Tzu Was a Sissy
The 3 Keys to Empowerment
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen R. Covey
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell
The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene
The Art Of War, by Sun Tzu
The Leadership Challenge, by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, by Oren Harari

Reflection, Inner-Engineering

180 climbing the two ladders to inner strength & outer freedom, by Rob White
Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within, by Robert E. Quinn
Zengage, by David Zinger

Servant Leadership

Built to Serve, by Dan Sanders
Servant Leader, by Ken Blanchard
Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, by Robert Greenleaf
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership, by James Hunter

Situational Leadership

Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership, by Ken Blanchard
Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Self Leadership, by Ken Blanchard

Strengths

Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
StandOut: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution, by Marcus Buckingham
Strengths-Based Leadership, by Tom Rath
Transformational Leadership, by Gary Vurnum

Strategy

Strategy, by B.H. Liddell Hart
The Art and Discipline of Strategic Leadership, by Mike Freedman
The Lords of Strategy, by Walter Kiechel

Teamwork

Teamwork 101, by John Maxwell
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable , by Patrick Lencioni

Trust

The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen R. Covey

Vision, Mission, Values

A Simple Statement: A Guide to Nonprofit Arts Management and Leadership
Flawless Execution
Leadership on the Line, by Ronald A. Heifetz
Principle-Centered Leadership, by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen R. Covey
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership , by Bill George
Vision: Your Pathway to Victory, Gordon D’Angelo

A-Z Best Leadership Books

20 Minutes to a Top Performer, by Alan Vengel
177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, by Steve Siebold
180 climbing the two ladders to inner strength & outer freedom, by Rob White
A Leader’s Heart: 365-Day Devotional Journal, by John C. Maxwell
A Simple Statement: A Guide to Nonprofit Arts Management and Leadership
Attitude 101, by John C. Maxwell
Be a People Person, by John C. Maxwell
Be the Hero, by Noah Blumenthal
Becoming a Person of Influence, by John C. Maxwell
Built to Serve, by Dan Sanders
Crucial Confrontations, by Kerry Patterson
Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson
Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within, by Robert E. Quinn
Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
Developing the Leaders Around You, by John C. Maxwell
Developing the Leader Within You, by John C. Maxwell
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink
Effective Succession Planning, by William J. Rothwell
Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, by Guy Kawasaki
Ethics 101, by John C. Maxwell
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, by John C. Maxwell
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy
Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO, by Harrison Monarth
Failing Forward, by John C. Maxwell
Flawless Execution
Get Them On Your Side, by Samuel B. Bacharach
Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
Good to Great, by Jim Collins
Greater Than Yourself, by Steve Farber
Harvard Business Review on Developing Leaders, by Harvard Business School Press
In Search of Excellence, by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion , by Robert B. Cialdini
Influence Without Authority
Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson
Insider’s Guide To The Art Of Persuasion, by Dr. Rick Kirschner
It’s Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks
John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do, by John P. Kotter
Know-How, by Ram Charan
Lead or Get Off the Pot!, by Pat Croce
Leadership (Harper Perennial Political Classics), by James MacGregor Burns
Leadership, by Rudolph W. Giuliani
Leadership (Tom Peters Essentials), by Tom Peters
Leadership 101, by John C. Maxwell
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership, by Ken Blanchard
Leadership Gold, by John C. Maxwell
Leadership Is an Art, by Max De Pree
Leadership Lessons From THE BOOK, by Bill Bliss
Leadership on the Line, by Ronald A. Heifetz
Leadership Promises for Every Day, by John C. Maxwell
Leading at a Higher Level, by Ken Blanchard
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
Make Today Count, by John C. Maxwell
Management Rev Ed, by Peter F. Drucker
Never Eat Alone, by Keith Ferrazzi
On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis
On Leadership, by John William Gardner
Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, by Charlene Li
Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
Principle-Centered Leadership, by Stephen R. Covey
Rework, by David Heinemeier Hansson
Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Self Leadership, by Ken Blanchard
Maxwell Leadership Bible, by John C. Maxwell
Secrets of Effective Leadership, by Fred A. Manske
Servant Leader, by Ken Blanchard
Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, by Robert Greenleaf
StandOut: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution, by Marcus Buckingham
Start with Why, by Simon Sinek
Strategy, by B.H. Liddell Hart
Strengths-Based Leadership, by Tom Rath
Sun Tzu Was a Sissy
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip Heath
Teamwork 101, by John Maxwell
The 3 Keys to Empowerment
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen R. Covey
The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, by John C. Maxwell
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell
The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day, by John C. Maxwell
The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene
The 360 Degree Leader, by John C. Maxwell
The Art and Discipline of Strategic Leadership, by Mike Freedman
The Art Of War, by Sun Tzu
The Effective Executive, by Peter F. Drucker
The Essential Wooden, by John Wooden
The Fifth Discipline, by Peter M. Senge
The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, by Michael Watkins
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable , by Patrick Lencioni
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni
The Knowing-Doing Gap, by Robert I. Sutton
The Leader in You, by Dale Carnegie
The Leadership Challenge, by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The Lords of Strategy, by Walter Kiechel
The New Articulate Executive: Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader, by Granville Toogood
The One Minute Manager, by Ken Blanchard
The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, by Oren Harari
The Right to Lead: Learning Leadership Through Character and Courage, by John C. Maxwell
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership, by James Hunter
The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen R. Covey
The Truth about Leadership, by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
The Truth About Managing People…And Nothing But the Truth, by Stephen P. Robbins
Transformational Leadership, by Gary Vurnum
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership , by Bill George
Vision: Your Pathway to Victory, Gordon D’Angelo
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith
What Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness
Winning with People, by John C. Maxwell
Zengage, by David Zinger

Productivity

Living Space: Simple Steps to Transform Your Home

Living Space: Simple Steps to Transform Your Home

Whether you want to re-organize and declutter your living space or simply design a more effective home office, (or avoid costly mistakes when doing any home remodeling), Kathryn Weber can show you how, in her book, Living Space: Simple Steps to Transform Your Home [Kindle Edition]. Living Space is a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) guide to re-organizing your home in ways that support your wants and needs. Weber helps you creates better energy, the feng shui way.

By JD May 18, 2013 2 Comments Read More →

SWAT Mode for Extreme Productivity

SWAT Mode for Extreme Productivity

Are you able to outpace your problems and challenges or do they bog you down? If you’ve had a recurring challenge, or a small problem that somehow got bigger over time, you need to know how to use SWAT mode to nail your challenges and move on.

By JD February 20, 2013 4 Comments Read More →

8 Ways to Achieve Results—Instead of Just Wishing You Could!

8 Ways to Achieve Results—Instead of Just Wishing You Could!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Trevor Blake on 8 ways to achieve results more consistently and more effectively. In this post, Trevor outlines some of the ways you can approach how you make things happen in your life in a way that creates confidence, allows for the unexpected, and can lead to bigger results that you originally thought possible.

By JD February 15, 2013 5 Comments Read More →