Leadership is a must-have scale for business owners looking to scale up beyond just themselves. These books on leadership are some of our favorites for the successful founder turned CEO.
In no particular order, here are some of the books we recommend:
- What Every CEO Must Know
The biggest threats to your business are the ones you can’t see coming. This book helps you identify the blind spots that quietly threaten your company’s success. By exposing these hidden pitfalls, you’ll gain the clarity needed to make confident, growth-driven decisions. In What Every CEO Must Know, Bill Miller distills over 30 years of… Read more: What Every CEO Must Know - Gita for the CEO
Gita for the CEO distills timeless principles from the Bhagavad-Gita into actionable insights for business leaders. With its ten sutra-like teachings, this book connects spiritual clarity with strategic leadership. Business owners and Entrepreneurs will find both inspiration and structure for navigating business challenges. Rather than abstract philosophy, this book offers practical tools for growth and… Read more: Gita for the CEO - Tribal Leadership
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization explores human dynamics within organizations. The book explains how groups, or “communities,” naturally form in companies and impact productivity. Leaders can harness these communities to boost both growth and team performance. As an entrepreneur, understanding these natural groups within your business can help you cultivate… Read more: Tribal Leadership - HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People
Managing people is fraught with challenges―even if you’re a seasoned manager. Here’s how to handle them. If you read nothing else on managing people, read these 10 articles (featuring “Leadership That Gets Results,” by Daniel Goleman). We’ve combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you maximize your employees’… Read more: HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People - Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader
You never dreamed being the boss would be so hard. You’re caught in a web of conflicting expectations from your subordinates, from those above you, and from your peers and customers. You’re not alone. As Harvard Business School’s Linda Hill and manager and executive Kent Lineback reveal in Being the Boss, becoming an effective manager is… Read more: Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader - Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Now in trade paperback, the hip, iconoclastic CEO of Zappos shows how a different kind of corporate culture can make a huge difference in achieving remarkable results — by actually creating a company culture that values happiness –and then delivers on it. Pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quit Make customer service the responsibility of the… Read more: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams. Kathryn Petersen,… Read more: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
Traction by Gino Wickman is a must-read for any entrepreneur or business leader who wants to create a successful company. In this book, Wickman lays out a simple but effective framework for creating a company that is focused, productive, and profitable. By clearly defining your vision, mission, values, and metrics, you will create a shared… Read more: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
