Best book in Leadership

The best book in leadership is a matter of opinion, but some of the most popular and well-respected books include:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins
• Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
• Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
• The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner
• Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree

Here are summaries of some of these books:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a classic leadership book that has sold over 25 million copies. The book outlines seven habits that can help you become a more effective leader. These habits include:
  • Be proactive
  • Begin with the end in mind
  • Put first things first
  • Think win-win
  • Seek first to understand, then to be understood
  • Synergize
  • • Sharpen the saw
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins is a business book that explores what makes some companies successful while others fail. Collins found that the most successful companies, which he called "good to great companies," had a number of common characteristics. These characteristics included:
  • Level 5 leadership
  • The flywheel effect
  • The hedgehog concept
• Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a biography of four American presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman. Goodwin argues that these presidents were all great leaders because they were able to lead effectively in times of crisis.
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin is a memoir by two U.S. Navy SEALs who served in the Iraq War. The book outlines the leadership principles that they learned from their experiences in the SEAL teams. These principles include:
  • Extreme Ownership
  • Never quit
  • Own your decisions
  • Lead from the front
  • Decentralize decision-making
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown is a book about the importance of vulnerability in leadership. Brown argues that leaders who are willing to be vulnerable are more likely to inspire and motivate their followers.
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is a business book about the challenges of running a startup. Horowitz shares his personal experiences as the co-founder of two successful startups. He argues that the most important thing for a startup founder is to be able to make hard decisions.
• Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee is a book about the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. The authors argue that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ for success in leadership.
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni is a business fable about the five dysfunctions that prevent teams from being effective. The dysfunctions are:
  • Absence of trust
  • Fear of conflict
  • Lack of commitment
  • Avoidance of accountability
  • • Inattention to results
• The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner is a book about the five practices of exemplary leadership. These practices are:
  • Model the way
  • Inspire a shared vision
  • Challenge the process
  • Enable others to act
  • Encourage the heart
• Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree is a book about the importance of creativity and imagination in leadership. De Pree argues that leaders should be artists who are able to create a vision for the future and inspire others to follow them.

These are just a few of the many great books on leadership. If you are interested in learning more about leadership, I encourage you to read some of these books.