The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition) – John Maxwell is considered by many to be the #1 authority on leadership. In his best selling book, Maxwell breaks down 21 laws which every leader should follow. He does an excellent job of detailing the theory behind each law and supporting each with actual business stories. At the end of each chapter, he offers strategies to help you apply the laws to your own life. He describes the book as a toolbox for anyone looking to become a better leader.
New York Times Business Best Seller
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Most companies focus on ‘what’ they do instead of ‘why’ they do it. Simon Sinek describes why this type of ‘what’ thinking can be detrimental to leaders and companies. By focusing on ‘why’ your organization exists, you can more effectively build trust with customers and inspire employees. It is a thought provoking book that uses examples of successful leaders and companies who started with ‘why’. If you are looking for a leadership book that offers a new perspective on how to look at your business, this is it.
The One Minute Manager – This book is a management classic that has sold more than 13 million copies since it was first published. The One Minute Manager focuses on three simple principles: One Minute Goal Setting, One Minute Praisings and One Minute Reprimands. Each of these principles work together to provide a more effective management style that will inspire your employees to set goals and take initiative with little guidance. The One Minute Manager is a little over 100 pages but it packs a lot of useful information that will help you get the most out of your employees and organization.
Profit from the Positive: Proven Leadership Strategies to Boost Productivity and Transform Your Business, with a foreword by Tom Rath – This book offers 31 easy and actionable tools that will show you how to be a more productive and effective leader. The tools provided are based on extensive research done by the authors and supported by case studies of some of the most successful companies in business today. The book is written in simple language and provides easy to implement strategies that you can use immediately. If you are looking for a book to jump start you and your business, this is it.
Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders – David Marquet became the captain of the USS Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered Navy submarine that had one of the worst performing crews in the entire fleet. One day, he unknowingly gave an impossible order and the crew tried to follow it. When asked why the order wasn’t challenged, the crew responded with “Because you told me to.” That incident changed the way David Marquet forever looked at leadership. Instead of using a leader-follower approach, Marquet implemented a leader-leader approach. He empowered his entire crew to make decisions at every level and take responsibility for every task they did. By engaging his crew instead of simply giving them orders, the USS Santa Fe became the best performing ship in the fleet. This is a must read book for any manager looking for an effective way to create a more productive and happier workplace.
The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential – Best-selling author and leadership expert, John Maxwell, has written one of the most practical books on leadership ever published. The 5 Levels of Leadership breaks down leading into understandable steps and provides a clear game plan for leadership development. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership are Position, Permission, Production, People Development and Pinnacle. The book will show you the upside of each level, the downside, the best behaviors for that level, the beliefs that help a leader move up to the next level and more. This is a valuable, easy to follow guide that is essential for anyone who wants to become a better leader.
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Dont – Over time, we’ve seen a culture in business develop that focuses more on self-interests rather than effective teamwork. It has created an environment where many people are unhappy with their jobs, distrust trust management and simply aren’t inspired to go to work. Leaders Eat Last explains why our society has adopted this view and offers a new insight for change that focuses on developing a nurturing environment where employees feel protected, valued and trusted. Sinek asserts that we thrive when we feel safe among our group. He refers to this as the “Circle of Safety” which separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside. What is the payoff? A more collaborative and productive team where everyone has value and shares the same vision. Sinek offers a refreshingly different take on leadership that puts employees first and illustrates his points with many real world examples.