Leaders today have all kinds of learning resources at their disposal\u2014articles, videos, podcasts, and massive open online courses (MOOCs) to name a few. But a good old-fashioned book is still a great way to level up your leadership skills. So what are the best books on leadership?<\/p>\n
Over the last few years, we\u2019ve made learning a fundamental part of our company culture, sharing the best business books we can find.<\/p>\n
There are many good leadership books out there. Here are a few of our employees\u2019 favorites, with a little bit about why we think they are some of the top leadership books you can pick up and read to improve your skills, deepen your work relationships, and find more success on the job.<\/p>\n
Simon Sinek\u2019s best-selling 2009 book Start With Why<\/i> presents a simple but powerful framework for organizing your organization around why<\/i> you do what you do. For an introduction to the concept, check out this video, which happens to be one of the most popular TED talks ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sinek describes a \u201cgolden circle\u201d\u2014really three concentric circles, like a bullseye.<\/p>\n The outer circle represents what<\/i> you do. The middle circle is how <\/i>you do it. And the inner circle is why<\/i> you do what you do. Pretty simple, right? Yet Sinek says most organizations focus on the wrong parts.<\/p>\n Everyone knows what they do, he says, and most can explain how they do it. But most people don\u2019t really understand why<\/i>. And that, he argues, is the most important part of the golden circle. \u201cWhy does your organization exist?\u201d he asks. \u201cWhy do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?\u201d<\/p>\n Inspired leaders and organizations think, act, and communicate from the inside of the golden circle out. In other words, they start with why. And your why, he says, isn\u2019t to make a profit. It\u2019s something more than that\u2014a purpose, cause, or belief.<\/p>\n This, he says, is what separates companies like Apple from more ordinary computer makers. And it\u2019s what lets revolutionary inventors like the Wright Brothers and transformational leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. have such tremendous influence on the world.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean you should forget about the necessity of winning customers to focus on your why. Sinek says knowing, and acting on, your why is what will make your business successful.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t buy what you do. They buy why you do it,\u201d he says. \u201cThe goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.\u201d<\/p>\n So\u2014what\u2019s your why?<\/p>\n Kim Scott, the author of Radical Candor<\/i>, worked at Google and advised many other companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. In her book (and the podcast of the same name<\/a>, co-hosted with Russ Laraway) she describes an approach to interpersonal communication called…Radical Candor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Radical Candor is a way of communicating that Scott summarizes as \u201ccare personally, challenge directly.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n In other words, leaders can engage in radical candor by balancing two important things. On the one hand, they must show that they genuinely care about the person they\u2019re talking to. And on the other hand, they must be unafraid to challenge those same people clearly when disagreements arise.<\/p>\n Scott shares a helpful matrix<\/a> to demonstrate how caring personally and challenging directly works to create productive communication.<\/p>\n If you do both, you\u2019re in the Radical Candor zone. If you do neither, you\u2019ve wandered into Manipulative Insincerity land, where you neither care about people nor tell them the things they need to hear.<\/p>\n Caring without challenging leads you to Ruinous Empathy, which may feel safe but doesn\u2019t help people grow, because you aren\u2019t calling them out when things need improvement. And if you challenge people but don\u2019t let them know you care, you\u2019re in Obnoxious Aggression territory\u2014you may be speaking the truth, but your words won\u2019t sink in because you\u2019re coming off like a jerk and you\u2019re not inspiring your team to get better.<\/p>\n Wendy, who leads one of our teams of virtual receptionists, says the Radical Candor<\/i> approach resonated with her. \u201cI have a similar style,\u201d she says. \u201cMy team members know I am going to back them up, but I have a high expectation for them to be meeting stats. I will do everything I can to get them to that high level, and to have them challenge themselves daily.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah, who leads our recruiting team, says bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with her team members are a good opportunity to demonstrate both caring personally and challenging directly.<\/p>\n She makes these one-on-one meetings about the other person as much as she can\u2014even letting them create the agenda.<\/p>\n But when Sara has something important to go over with a team member, she doesn\u2019t wait for the one-on-one. \u201cI try to get them right away,\u201d she says, so that during the one-on-one she can focus on the person she\u2019s meeting with. \u201cI\u2019ve already taken care of those things,\u201d she says, \u201cso I am able to just focus my attention on them rather than thinking of all the things I\u2019ve saved up for this meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n A former US Navy nuclear submarine captain, L. David Marquet wrote Turn the Ship Around<\/i> to tell the story of his experience turning the USS Santa Fe around, taking it from \u201cworst to first\u201d in the Navy with a unique approach to leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n Marquet describes the culture on board a nuclear submarine as \u201cvery risk averse.\u201d That\u2019s understandable, given the high stakes of a military vessel\u2019s mission. \u201cWhen we get the risk wrong, we die,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n When Marquet got command of his first submarine, the USS Olympia<\/i>, he spent 12 months training on that particular ship, studying every wire, every pipeline, and every control. \u201cI was literally the smartest person on the planet when it came to that ship,\u201d he says. \u201cWhy? Because as the captain, I wa going to give all the orders. We call it \u2018know all, tell all leadership.\u2019 The captain or the CEO knows all the answers and they\u2019re going to give all the orders.<\/p>\n Though this kind of leadership is common in the military and the corporate world, Marquet says it often doesn\u2019t really work that well. Leaders can\u2019t actually control other people\u2019s thoughts. \u201cThere are no Obi-Wan Kenobis<\/a> in here,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Marquet discovered the limitations of \u201cknow all, tell all\u201d leadership when he was assigned to take command of a different submarine, the USS Santa Fe<\/i>. Not only was the Santa Fe<\/i> considered the worst in the navy by various metrics, it was a different type of sub from the Olympia<\/i>. All his study was irrelevant. He no longer knew everything about the ship. He found himself having to admit that he didn\u2019t know things. \u201cThat was scary,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n At one point, during a drill, he ordered the sub to travel at two-thirds power while on the battery\u2014simulating what would happen if the reactor were inoperative. The problem? Unlike the Olympia<\/i>, the Santa Fe<\/i> didn\u2019t have a two-thirds speed setting on battery power. But Marquet\u2019s Executive Officer relayed his impossible command anyway, because the captain had ordered him to.<\/p>\n Marquet realized he had a problem. And he settled on a surprising solution. \u201cI decided I\u2019m never going to give another order on this ship,\u201d Marquet says.<\/p>\n \u201cI now think these words \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019 are the most important words any leader can say. Because those are the words that open the door to learning,\u201d Marquet says. \u201cAll learning starts with the assumption that we don\u2019t know. And when the leader says \u2018I don\u2019t know,\u2019 it makes it safe for the whole team to say \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019 I don\u2019t know, let\u2019s find out.\u201d<\/p>\n Rather than give orders like he used to, Marquet empowered his submarine crew to make decisions. They would keep him apprised of their actions by telling him and other officers what they intended<\/i> to do. \u201cWhen you say that, you own it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The most important thing in a company, Marquet says, is \u201cthe creativity, the passion, and the thinking of your people. You can\u2019t order people to do those things.\u201d Instead, he says, you have to \u201ccreate an environment where they can just do what they need to do without being told.\u201d<\/p>\n For Steven, who leads one of our virtual receptionist teams from his home office in Boise, Turn the Ship Around<\/i> is all all-time favorite. \u201cThe ability to empower people is largely significant in a remote model,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Another one of our picks for best leadership books is Crucial Conversations:Tools for Talking When Stakes are High<\/i>, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.<\/p>\n The authors maintain that \u201c…the root cause of many\u2014if not most\u2014human problems lies in how people behave when others disagree with them about high-stakes, emotional issues.\u201d<\/p>\n In response, the four authors developed the concept of \u201ccrucial conversations,\u201d defined as a situation in which opinions vary, stakes are high, and emotions run strong. Sound familiar? Crucial conversations<\/a> come up (or maybe more often, are avoided) in many contexts, including the workplace.<\/p>\n Over twenty years of research involving more than 100,000 people, the authors of Crucial Conversations<\/i> have concluded that \u201cthe <\/i>key skill of effective leaders, teammates, parents, and loved ones is the capacity to skillfully address emotionally and politically risky issues. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n The authors have identified some real benefits to improving how we handle these crucial conversations. Companies whose employees master this skill respond five times faster to financial downturns. They\u2019re two-thirds more likely to avoid injury or death due to unsafe conditions. And they save over $1500 and an eight-hour workday for each crucial conversation they hold rather than skip.<\/p>\n Getting better at handling crucial conversations has benefits that touch every part of life, from business to personal. But for remote teams, these conversations might be even more important.<\/p>\n Virtual teams need trust, and handling crucial conversations well helps build and maintain that trust. That\u2019s a big reason why Letty, who leads one of our teams of virtual receptionists, named Crucial Conversations<\/i> as one of her best management books.<\/p>\n Our fifth pick for best leadership books for managers of remote teams (or any team) is John Maxwell\u2019s<\/a>The 5 Levels of Leadership<\/i>.<\/p>\n In the book, Maxwell shares his framework for five stages a person goes through on the lifelong journey of mastering leadership.<\/p>\n At Maxwell\u2019s first level of leadership, people follow you because of your position. They follow you, in other words, because they have to. For Maxwell, this level is an opportunity to work on ourselves as leaders. But it\u2019s just the beginning, and people who follow you only because of your job title, he says, will give you as little effort and energy as they can get away with.<\/p>\n At this level, people follow you because they want to. They follow you because you\u2019ve done the work to form good relationships. This kind of leader, Maxwell says, has learned to listen and observe, and often has an attitude of servanthood.<\/p>\n At level 3, you start to get results for your company\u2019s bottom line. You are effective as a leader, Maxwell says, because you produce.<\/p>\n The level 3 leader builds credibility by setting a good example, and is able to attract other productive people to create even more value. A level 3 leader builds momentum for your organization.<\/p>\n At level 4, a leader commits him or herself to developing people, having realized that people are the most appreciable asset in a company or other organization.<\/p>\n The level 4 leader, Maxwell says, understands that 80% of your success is in who you bring in the front door, and in positioning those people for success.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccessful people,\u201d he says, \u201cdiscover what they\u2019re good at. Successful leaders discover what other people are good at.\u201d<\/p>\n Maxwell\u2019s top level of leadership is all about respect. Here, people follow you because of who you are and what you have done.<\/p>\n Maxwell warns that reaching this level is a lifelong pursuit. \u201cLeadership is an always ongoing, always learning, growing process,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n In addition, your level of leadership may vary depending on which relationship you\u2019re considering. You may be a level 3 leader with one report, while still at level 1 with someone else who is new to the team.<\/p>\n For Rebecca, who leads one of our teams of dedicated agents, the book \u201cput into perspective what kind of leader I was. That book helped me get to that level with more people, and maybe go up a level or two.\u201d<\/p>\n She followed Maxwell\u2019s advice to use the framework to identify where she was as a leader with each of her team members. \u201cYou can\u2019t force someone to follow you,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s about connecting with them and also having humility. You have to look into yourself, and identify things in yourself. I think a lot of people don\u2019t do that a lot. It was an eye-opener for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Leadership is a big topic, and one that can take a lifetime of experience to master. A short list can\u2019t possibly cover all the good leadership books out there. Here are a few more that our team recommends.<\/p>\n Good Leaders Ask Great Questions<\/i> by John Maxwell<\/p>\n How to Win Friends and Influence People<\/i> by Dale Carnegie<\/p>\n Who Moved My Cheese?<\/i> By Spencer Johnson, MD<\/p>\n Lead Simply<\/i> by Sam Parker<\/p>\n Stepping: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything<\/i> by John Izzo<\/p>\n The Charisma Myth<\/i> by Olivia Fox Cabane<\/p>\n Disney U<\/i> by Doug Lipp<\/p>\n The Future of Management<\/i> by Gary Hamel<\/p>\n The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership<\/i> by Jeffrey K. Liker and Gary L. Convis<\/p>\n We\u2019ve had our say. Now we want to hear from you! What great books on leadership did we miss? Is there a book that changed the way you approach leading your team or company? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re wondering what kind of leader you are, here’s a quick roundup of several types of leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n Photo by\u00a0Tamarcus Brown<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Leaders today have all kinds of learning resources at their disposal\u2014articles, videos, podcasts, and massive open online courses (MOOCs) to name a few. But a good old-fashioned book is still…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[273],"class_list":["post-7565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-tips","wl_entity_type-article"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Golden Circle<\/h3>\n
People don\u2019t buy what you do<\/h3>\n
Radical Candor<\/h2>\n
What is Radical Candor?<\/h3>\n
Care personally, challenge directly<\/h3>\n
How our team uses radical candor<\/h3>\n
Turn the Ship Around<\/h2>\n
Know all, tell all leadership<\/h3>\n
Worst to first<\/h3>\n
The power of \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d<\/h3>\n
You can\u2019t order people to think<\/h3>\n
Crucial Conversations<\/h2>\n
What is a crucial conversation?<\/h3>\n
Why mastering crucial conversations matters<\/h3>\n
Crucial conversations on a remote team<\/h3>\n
The 5 Levels of Leadership<\/h2>\n
Level 1: Position<\/h3>\n
Level 2: Permission<\/h3>\n
Level 3: Production<\/h3>\n
Level 4: People development<\/h3>\n
Level 5: Pinnacle<\/h3>\n
Discovering your leadership level<\/h3>\n
More books about leadership we love<\/h2>\n
What are your top leadership books?<\/h2>\n