In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, finding the right guidance can be a game-changer. Whether you’re a seasoned executive, an aspiring manager, or just someone interested in understanding what makes leaders great, the wisdom in leadership books can offer invaluable insights.
No matter if you’re searching for spiritual leadership books, sports leadership books, or adaptive leadership books, there is something that will speak to you in this post.
We also have a separate blog dedicated specifically to leadership books for women if that would apply to you.
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The Best Overall Leadership Books
Before we dive into leadership books on niche topics, let’s discuss some of the best leadership books of all time.
1. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
John Maxwell books are undisputedly some of the best leadership books of all time, and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is his best. Maxwell’s leadership laws are super useful and easy to understand. He supports each of his laws with real business stories and anecdotes to help you understand how to implement them in your life.
2. Leading Lightly: Lower Your Stress, Think With Clarity and Lead With Ease by Jody Michael
Jody Michael offers a fresh perspective on leadership in Leading Lightly, which focuses on leading with ease and grace rather than authority and rigidity. Michael emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in fostering a positive work environment.
Through this book, you can find practical strategies to inspire and engage your team effectively while maintaining your personal well-being.
3. It’s Your Ship by D. Michael Abrashoff
It’s Your Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff offers leadership lessons from the author’s experience transforming the USS Benfold into one of the Navy’s best ships.
The book will teach you how to empower your team members, take ownership, and lead by example. Abrashoff’s approach highlights the importance of communication and motivation in achieving exceptional results for your team.
4. Start With Why—How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action by Simon Sinek
You can explain what your organization does, and probably even how it does it – but can you explain why? If not, it’s time to read Start With Why by Simon Sinek.
Sinek studied the most influential leaders in the world to discover what set them apart, and realized that all their journeys started with a “why.” This book will help you find your own why to build a more successful and inspiring business.
5. The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
The One Minute Manager offers concise and easy to understand advice for managers to help them lead a happier and more productive team through One Minute Goals, One Minute Praising, and One Minute Reprimands.
Millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike have found success in this leadership book’s techniques, and you could be next!
6. It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by General Colin Powell
Colin Powell is one of America’s most admired public figures, and he’s also a wonderful storyteller! In one of the best leadership books, It Worked for Me, Powell offers lessons that shaped his legendary career.
The book follows Powell’s Thirteen Rules of Leadership which are easy to learn and implement into your own life.
7. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
If you are looking for leadership books with a little extra oomph, look no further than Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. The two men survived incredibly violent battles in Iraq during their time as Navy SEALs, and learned important lessons on leadership from the experience.
After they returned home from deployment, Willink and Babin launched Echelon Front to teach the leadership principles they learned to businesses and organizations. This book gives you the boiled down version of everything you need to learn from these two incredible men.
8. Becoming Elite: What it Takes to Transform Your Life Using 4 Proven Pillars of Performance by Erik Westrum
Erik Westrum, a successful pro athlete and businessman, is ready to help you become your best self – your elite self. In Becoming Elite, Westrum shares a four pillar guide to help you implement an elite mindset in both your personal and professional life.
This book provides practical and actionable steps to create an inner shift psychologically, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
The Best Conscious Leadership Books
Conscious leadership focuses on leading with self-awareness, ethical practices, and genuine connections. Here are the best conscious leadership books to learn the theories for yourself.
9. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen
Half of being a good leader is simply knowing how to speak to people. In Difficult Conversations, you will learn a framework for working through communication issues in both your personal and professional relationships.
10. Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others by Stephen M.R. Covey
Trust & Inspire is one of the best conscious leadership books available. It teaches you how to shift from a “command and control” mindset to a “trust and inspire” one. This is because people don’t want to be managed, they want to be led.
This book will help you to bring out the full creativity and potential in your team in a kind and ethical way.
11. The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp
If you can only read one of these conscious leadership books, let it be The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. This book gives you a comprehensive road map to help you shift from fear-based to trust-based leadership. This is a book you will return to again and again for guidance – so keep it handy!
The Best Servant Leadership Books
Servant leaders prioritize the growth and well-being of their team members, aiming to empower and uplift them. Here are the best servant leadership books to get you started.
12. The Servant as Leader by Robert K. Greenleaf
As far as servant leadership books go, The Servant as Leader is the book that started it all.
Greenleaf discusses the skills necessary to be a successful servant leader, including the importance of listening and awareness and the differences between coercive, manipulative, and persuasive power.
13. Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others by Cheryl Bachelder
Cheryl Bachelder is the former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. In Dare to Serve, she shares how putting employees first and focusing on their growth can drive organizational success.
The book provides practical insights and strategies for leading with empathy, humility, and a commitment to service.
14. The Serving Leader by Kenneth R. Jennings and John Stahl-Wert
The Serving Leader is written in the form of a diary by someone who is meeting and learning from a series of serving leaders. It’s a light but memorable read that will teach you important lessons about servant leadership.
15. Give and Take by Adam Grant
One of the most unique servant leadership books out there is Give and Take by Adam Grant. Grant classifies people as givers, takers, or matchers. He says that both the least and most successful people are givers – and teaches you how to make your giving trait a successful one.
The Best Spiritual Leadership Books
Here are the best spiritual leadership books for pastors, elders, and community leaders alike.
16. Eldership and the Mission of God: Equipping Teams for Faithful Church Leadership by J.R. Briggs
Eldership and the Mission of God is a spiritual leadership book with a unique message – churches should not be led by a single pastor, but by a team of elders who work together to guide their community.
This book gives elders the guidance they need to work together properly and better the lives of their congregation.
17. Signs of Emergence: A Vision for Church that is Organic/Networked/Decentralized/Bottom-up/Communal/Flexible/Always Evolving by Kester Brewin
Signs of Emergence is a reflective and forward-thinking exploration of how faith communities can adapt and thrive in an evolving world.
Kester Brewin urges the church to move beyond outdated structures and transform into a networked, grassroots entity that is attuned to the needs of the urban environment.
18. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry by Ruth Haley Barton
The last of the spiritual leadership books we need to mention is Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton. If you have ever felt like you were losing your way as a church leader, or needed to strengthen your connection with God and your congregation, this is the book for you.
Ruth Haley Barton draws on the story of Moses to help you learn how to be the best possible leader for your flock.
The Best Sports Leadership Books
Whether you are a new or experienced coach, these sports leadership books will give you the insight you need for your team’s success.
19. Leading With the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life by Mike Krzyzewski
In Leading With the Heart, Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) shares insights from his long and successful career as the head coach of the Duke University men’s basketball team. The book offers valuable lessons on leadership, emphasizing the importance of empathy, integrity, and building strong relationships.
20. The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership by Bill Walsh
The Score Takes Care of Itself is one of the best sports leadership books out there. Bill Walsh, coach of the San Francisco 49ers, teaches you how to build teams, motivate them, and guide them to the win.
21. Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization by John Wooden
John Wooden has coached for 41 years, and his goal has always been to get maximum effort and peak performance from each and every one of his players. Wooden on Leadership gives you a step-by-step guide on how he accomplished this goal.
Wooden uses his 12 Lessons in Leadership and his acclaimed Pyramid of Success to outline the mental, emotional, and physical qualities you need to create a winning team.
22. The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams by Sam Walker
The Captain Class is written by the founding editor of The Wall Street Journal’s sports section, and it’s one of the best sports leadership books out there. Beyond that, it was named one of the best business books of the year by CNBC, Forbes, and more!
Sam Walker set out to find patterns and connections between the best sports teams in the world – and he realized that every exceptional team was led by the same type of captain. This book teaches you how to BE that captain.
The Best Adaptive Leadership Books
Need to think on your feet? These are the best adaptive leadership books to help you pivot.
23. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ronald A. Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing adaptive leadership. This book focuses on leading in complex, dynamic environments where traditional approaches may not be effective.
The book emphasizes the importance of adaptive thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and creating a resilient and innovative organizational culture that can withstand the pressures of change.
24. Adapt or Die: Leadership Principles from an American General by Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch
Adapt or Die is an account of Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch’s journey from his childhood through 35 years in the US Army. In telling the story of that journey, he shares the leadership principles that he learned along the way – principles that are equally applicable to a corporate environment.