5 Must-Have Books on Leadership (According to Actual Leaders)

Even if you are super motivated and on top of your game, you have to have outside resources to make sure that you know what you think you know. Ebook, Audiobook, or old fashioned hardcover… it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you always stay in learning mode. Check out these five great reads that will help you glide up the corporate ladder or create your own ladder (entrepreneurs need love too). Create your Leadership Library!

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges – by Amy Cud

Have you ever immediately wished for a do over after a job interview, a meeting, a performance, or a difficult conversation? The very moments that require us to be genuine and commanding can instead cause us to feel phony and powerless. Too often we approach our lives’ biggest hurdles with dread, execute them with anxiety, and leave them with regret.   Amy Cuddy  shows us that by accessing our personal power, we can achieve “presence,” the state in which we stop worrying about the impression we’re making on others and instead adjust the impression we’ve been making on ourselves.  One reader wrote, “What would you say if I told you that there was an essential life skill that could make you a better speaker, help you nail job interviews, get you better dates, improve your performance, and make you a better partner and parent?  Amy Cuddy’s book can teach this and a whole lot more.”

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity – by David Allen

#1 Best Seller in Time Management

The best laid plans can be undone with poor productivity skills. All of us have had a great goal for what we planned to do for the week, only to get to Friday and see more “to do’s” than “have done’s”. David does an excellent job of helping us be efficient with our days and goals.
One reader said, “ I think I’ve tried every ‘system’ for organizing yourself out there. In the 80’s it was Day-Timer and Day-Runner; 90’s was Covey and Franklin planning. I’ve also tried Agenda, Ecco, Outlook, etc. I came across David Allen… and I have to say it’s the best system I’ve ever found for organizing ‘all’ of your life.”

Of course I had to suggest a few  great ebooks that make your phone a Leadership Library!

Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck – by Jon Acuff

Need a little push to help you re-motivate yourself in your current position or jump to a new field. This is the perfect read for you. This is an all-around practical book that offers good advice and exercises to make sure you are where you need to be. Reviewers recommend it for anyone that has been in the same position or business for multiple years and needs that little push of motivation as well as for new employees to keep your mind focused and start you off on the right track.
“Do Over is an energetic, user-friendly guide to navigating the jumps, bumps, and ceilings that we all face in our careers.”
—ADAM GRANT, author of Give and Take

Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader – by Herminia Ibarra

Herminia Ibarra—an expert on professional leadership and development and a renowned professor at INSEAD, a leading international business school—shows how managers and executives at all levels can step up to leadership by making small but crucial changes in their jobs, their networks, and themselves.
One reader wrote “Introspection and self-reflection can help you identify your current strengths and leadership style, but your current way of thinking about your job and yourself is exactly what is keeping you from stepping up, according to Herminia Ibarra in this book. You will need to change your mind-set, and in order to do that you need to start by acting like a leader, and then learn how to think like a leader.”
“The opposite of a traditional guidebook, the book will inspire you to achieve success and satisfaction in a fast-evolving workplace.” — TIME magazine

The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work – by Ivanka Trump

While not as “heavy-weight” as some of the others on the list, Ivanka’s book is a great read, and is a perfect business intro for the up-and-coming leader. Also, this will pique your teenage daughter’s interest and get her more focused in business as a way to prepare her for college, work and beyond. Whether it’s landing that first job, navigating the workplace, or making a lasting impact, Ivanka’s valuable, practical advice for young women shows how to:

• Use uncertainty to your advantage—thrive in any environment
• Step up and get noticed at work—focus and efficiency will open doors
• Create a strong and consistent identity—your name and reputation are your best assets
• Know what you want—get the most out of any negotiation.

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