Below are my top ten books that I recommend in the field of leadership and management.They are a mix of practical tools as well as insights behind great leadership. All of them have greatly helped me personally.
Let me know if you have any questions on them. What are your favourite books on the topic? I’d love to hear from you.
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Bill George – True North This is a great book on the foundation of leadership, on finding your compass and the personal guiding star, the true north. Leadership expert and former Medtronic CEO Bill George takes you on a journey to discover your own true north which is the basis for consistent decision making and creating a vision. |
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Ken Blanchard – The One Minute Manager This is a classic. Three principles, all of which can be implemented in one minute per day. A fast read but very powerful – it changed my approach in dealing with the members on my team. |
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Richard Templar – The Rules of Management A very practical book with selected tools. Highly practical and easy to read in bite sized one-page tips. From the “Rules of Work” series. |
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David Sibbett – Visual Leaders David Sibbett has done great work in the field of graphic facilitation. This book highlights how the modern leader can you visualisation for clarifying strategy, running great and engaging meetings and much more. A fresh approach to leadership tools. |
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Marcus Buckingham – The one thing you need to know… This is one of the best, insightful and practical books on management and leadership, and also on the difference between the two. A lot has been written on this, often with the tone: We are over-managed and under-led. Buckingham does not go into this direction but highlights that management and leadership are two distinct and equally important functions in an organization. |
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Stephen Covey – The seven habits of highly effective people The leadership classic and one of the books with the most misleading titles ever written. If you don’t know this book you might assume this is a productivity book. Far from it. Steven Covey has distilled 7 habits that we all can integrate into our lifes, in order to lead others and ourselves. This book has changed the lives of many people, including my own. |
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Tom Rath – Strengthfinder 2.0 There are plenty of personality tests out there. The strengthfinder is one of the well-researched ones, drawing on the deep knowledge of the Gallup organisation. Buying this book allows you to take the online test which will highlight your unique strengths – and what strengths others might have. a big leadership insight. |
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Henry Mintzberg – Mintzberg on Management Henry Mintzberg is one of the more vocal of. Known for his criticism of MBA programs he has written several highly enlightening books. This classic summarizes his views on management. |
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James Kouzes, Barry Posner – The Leadership Challenge Another classic, now in its 5th edition. Full of practical advice on the topic of leadership it is one of go-to books recommended by most authors and leaders. It explains how great leaders “get people moving”. |
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Carol Kinsey Goman – The Silent Language of Leaders This is a book on a different side of leadership. How does body language affect the success of a leader? What are the silent and nonverbal signs of leadership? Especially if you are already versed in the “active” side of leadership (creating a vision etc.) this book will be a great addition to your leadership perspective and “toolbox”. |
The above book links will point you to amazon.co.uk where you can directly order these books via amazon with free shipping also to continental Europe. They are affiliate links.
Picture: istockphoto.com
