13 Leadership Books Every Leader Should Read (My Personal All-Time Top Picks)
So you’re a reader, but which books can give you the unique insight you need to make sure not only that the organization you lead is healthy, but that you and your team stay healthy?
I get asked all the time from leaders what my top leadership books are.
I’ve put together my top picks.
These are the books that I may have read recently or years ago, but who’s ideas have left deep marks on my life and leadership, years or even decades later.
Great books shape how we think, and how we think is who we become and how we lead. So read well.
A few quick notes before we get to the list.
First, I’m not claiming these are the top leadership books of all time. They’re simply the books that have most impacted me personally. So it’s totally subjective and you won’t see some of them on any other list of all-time great books. I know that. But still, these are gems I’d recommend everyone read.
Second, just because a well-known book isn’t on the list doesn’t mean it’s not important or that I haven’t read it. Of course, I haven’t read them all by any means, and there are many key books I have read that aren’t on the list. Again, this list contains the books that have most shaped me and that I would recommend.
Finally, except for the first book, the list is not in order…alphabetical or by priority. These are just 13 great reads.
Oh, and one more thing, no the Bible isn’t on this list. I’m a Christian and it’s by far the most important book I’ve ever read. I’ve read it daily for almost all my adult life and regularly as a child. It just goes without saying that it’s the most important book in my view ever. So (commenters), it’s in a league of its own.
Here we go. The top 13 leadership books and what I love about them (and a couple bonuses at the end):
1) Leadership In Turbulent Times Doris Kearns Goodwin
This is a new entry to the list for me and if you were only going to read one book on this list (other than Henri Nouwen’s The Genesse Diary, which is about your soul) Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book is outstanding.
She profiles four US presidents: Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson (who she knew and worked for personally).
Each of the leaders went through profound personal disappointment and struggle before becoming the leader we know them as today, and her portrait of Linoln’s humility, wisdom, courage and selflessness is worth the price of the book alone.
If you think leadership is hard, you’re right, but Goodwin gets to the heart of how crisis can become greatness.
It’s a must-read. Especially now. If you only have the bandwidth to read one book, this is my recommendation. It’s crisis leadership at its finest.
Here’s the link.
2) How the Mighty Fall Jim Collins
This is not Jim Collin’s best-known book, but it’s my favorite book he’s written.
How the Mighty Fall is a study of why once great companies collapse. Collins isolates five stages of decline and doom for once-great companies (including some of his Good to Great companies). The five markers are a chilling reminder of how success goes awry. Collin’s insights into the hubris born of success and the undisciplined pursuit of more are haunting and a great window into the soul and ego of everyone who leads anything.
For anyone who’s leading anything that’s growing or successful, this is a must-read.
Here’s the link.
3) Good to Great Jim Collins
This is Collin’s best-known book and for good reason. I can’t tell you how many times his concepts work their way into everyday leadership conversations I have with my team.
From “first who” to ‘confront the brutal facts’ to the ‘flywheel principle’ to ‘level 5 leadership’ and the defining role that humility plays in greatness, Collin’s insights have shaped me and the teams I lead deeply.
Here’s the link.
4) The Advantage Patrick Lencioni
I’ve read pretty much all of Pat’s books, but this is my fave.
If you’re not familiar with Pat’s writings, this is a great place to start because it’s kind of a summary of all his previous work. And being a non-fiction guy, this is one book that doesn’t have a fable.
I found the section on mission, vision and values to be game-changing.
Here’s the link.
Also, if you’re into podcasts, Pat has been on my leadership podcast three times. This interview in particular outlines his personal leadership crash a decade ago that almost took him out, and how he got back. Painful, honest and fascinating.
5) Leading Change John Kotter
This is now a classic from Harvard Business School’s John Kotter that I picked up shortly after its release in 1996. And thank goodness.
I was a young church leader trying to lead some very traditional churches through change, and other than the scriptures, this was my guidebook. Kotter is brilliant on the psychology and dynamics of leading change.
This book was so impactful that I later wrote my own book on change called Leading Change Without Losing It, crediting Kotter and adapting some of his principles to the church/non-profit world.
Here’s the link to Kotter’s classic.
John will also be on my leadership podcast in early 2021 to dissect three decades of expert wisdom on change.
6) The Five Levels of Leadership John C. Maxwell
Of course, there had to be a John Maxwell book on the list. Again, this isn’t his best-known work, but it’s an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to understand how influence works.
It’s a fascinating book because you can instantly recognize how you gain and lose influence as a leader, and what the next step is for you in your development. His framework also shows you why you find some people you work with compelling and others not compelling in their leadership.
Here’s the link.
7) Predictable Success Les McKeown
Every once in a while your life flashes before your eyes when you read a book, and this was one of those books.
When I first read Predictable Success, I thought Les McKeown had been in every meeting and conversation I’d been in over the last 20 years.
Les outlines 7 stages of growth and decline that organizations go through, and again, his framework (the fun stage, whitewater stage, treadmill stage) has worked its way into my everyday leadership vocabulary because it is so incredibly descriptive of the real-world dynamics of leading anything.
Here’s the link.
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Les McKeown multiple times on my leadership podcast. To hear about the seven stages of the life-cycle of an organization, listen here. For his brilliant work on creating true synergy on a team, listen here.
8) Essentialism Greg McKeown
The first books on this list are leadership books for the organizational side of your leadership.
Now onto some that will shape you as a leader. Probably my fave topic.
So let’s start with Greg McKeown’s Essentialism. I love this little book. It was a paradigm shift for me. McKeown deals with the problem of overwhelm in leadership in a very powerful and direct way.
Most leaders are running at 100 mph and McKeown shows you exactly why that’s so dangerous and how to stop leading that way.
My biggest takeaway? If it’s not a 9 out of 10, it’s a zero. It’s a key to the disciplined pursuit of less. Again, we talk about that concept all the time on our team. It’s become part of our decision-making framework. Hard to live by, but so worth it.
Here’s the link.
I am getting into the habit of chasing down my favorite leaders for interviews. Here’s my leadership podcast episode with Greg McKeown if you’re interested.
9) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey
This perennial best-seller is not overhyped. Read it. Then read it again.
Begin with the end in mind has become axiomatic for a generation of leaders, but it’s still so rare. And read to the end to learn about sharpening the saw. So good.
Here’s the link.
10) Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman
This book was a gamechanger in 1995 when it was released, and it still is today.
It gives penetrating insight into self-awareness and will help you also see why so many people get stuck.
Hiring for EI has become part of the lexicon in leadership because of this book, and indeed, your emotional intelligence is one of the greatest predictors of your success in life and leadership.
Here’s the link.
11) Margin Richard Swenson
This underground classic was recommended to me when I was recovering from burnout over a decade ago.
While its analogies are a bit dated, the principles are not. It opened up a new way of thinking for me about rest, self-care and what happens when you create space in your life.
In a world that’s only gotten busier and louder since Swenson wrote Margin, this book is even more essential today.
Here’s the link.
12) The Genesee Diary Henry Nouwen
Oh, how I love this little book. Again, not one of his well-known works, The Genesee Diary is just what it suggests, Henri Nouwen’s diary from a six month period in the 1970s.
Nouwen was a professor in NYC whose career was taking off. Caught up in success, ego and the trappings of advancement, he took a sabbatical at a Trappist monastery in Upstate New York to find his soul.
His diaries are refreshingly honest, peculiar and at times mundane, but in them, you see a man wrestling with God and God winning.
In many ways, what you find in this little book is the beginning of the man that would emerge from the struggle, a writer that generations of people who want to get closer to God would go on to love.
Here’s the link.
13) Enemies of the Heart Andy Stanley
So apparently I’m pretty good at putting relatively unknown books on my list.
Andy has written many books that have gone onto become widely read best-sellers. This is one most leaders haven’t heard about.
It’s my favorite book Andy’s written. It’s soul surgery.
I talk to leaders all the time who say they can’t really afford counseling. If that’s you, buy the book instead to get started.
It will move you through all the emotions and twisted craziness you feel when you encounter guilt, anger, greed and jealousy. I promise you if you read it and apply it, you will never struggle with those emotions in the same way again.
Game-changing for me.
Here’s the link.
Andy is a friend and I’ve had the chance to interview him a few times on my leadership podcast. You can listen to the most recent episode here. I also have an interview where Andy talks about his leadership approach here. A fresh interview with Andy will release in early 2021 in which Andy breaks down his framework for great decision making.
Two other books…
Two other quick (and highly personal) recommendations.
Before You Split: Finding What You Really Want For the Future of Your Marriage Toni Nieuwhof
My wife Toni releases her first book in January 2021, called Before You Split:Finding What You Really Want For the Future of Your Marriage.
Toni combines some of our story (we overcame some very hard years to get to where we are now) and her experience as a divorce attorney to give couples practical advice on how to make their relationship better.
It’s designed to help any relationship and can be a good personal read or a book you hand out to couples who are struggling.
You can pre-order here.
And you can access some free pre-launch bonuses here.
Didn’t See It Coming Carey Nieuwhof
My love for learning, leading and reading eventually turned me into a writer.
Of all the books I’ve written, I’m most excited about my latest, Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences.
In it, I outline 7 issues almost every leader experiences and almost no one expects. They’re the issues that take leaders out or take us under (pride, moral compromise, irrelevance, cynicism and four others).
Check out Didn’t See It Coming for yourself here.
Got No Time to Read? Here’s How to Find It.
What Are Your Faves?
So what are your favorite books? Scroll down and leave a comment.
I can’t wait to see what you add to my list next!
Thanks for this list. Two books that have been transformational for me have been Ruth Haley Barton’s “Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership” and Eugene Peterson’s “Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work” (that whole series is great). On a humorous note, I ordered five of the titles listed above and, when they arrived, started to read one of them. By the end of the first page I thought, “this needs some editing….” By halfway through the first chapter I thought, “I wonder why Carey recommended this book?” By the end of the first chapter I was nervous to read any of the other recommendations. Turns out I ordered the right title, but by a different author than what you recommended. Oops! I’ve corrected that. Glad I feel confident in your recommendations again!
Just recently read Leadership in Turbulent Times. What an awesome book!
I think a great leadership book is The Truth about Leadership, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. They are professors of business and leadership, and have distilled their wisdom down into this book about what a person needs to know about leadership. For one book on leadership, and one of the most helpful to read when you are starting out as a leader, this is the book.
I’ve read J. Oswald Sanders book “Spiritual Leadership” three or four times through my 38 years of ministry
Not a well-known book; not a well-known author – but Losers Like Us by Dan Hochhalter has helped me stay humble and grateful in the midst of my leadership journey. https://smile.amazon.com/Losers-Like-Us-Redefining-Discipleship/dp/1434708403/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NEXHYBBY09EW&dchild=1&keywords=losers+like+us&qid=1607973907&s=books&sprefix=loser+like+us%2Caps%2C231&sr=1-1.
Deep Change by Robert Quinn is a transformational read!
Hey Carey! Thanks for the list. I have a few and also read a few of them. I found The Carpenter and The Garden by Jon Gordon interesting reads (heard about them on your podcast). I’m in the process of reading Lead by Paul David Tripp. I really liked “Lead…For God’s Sake” by Gongwear (written in parable style). I’m in the process of reading Erwin Lutzer’s book “We Will Not Be Silenced.” Although not a leadership book in the strictest sense, it does challenge us to know our culture. Because I am a pastor of a church in a small town, I have also appreciated Small Church Essentials by Karl Vaters and Dirt Matter by Jim Powell. Both really helped me focus early on in the pandemic. Thanks again for the list and for the podcast.
The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Stephen Sample (former President of USC). Should go on the list of most underrated leadership books.
The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Stephen Sample (former President of USC). In my opinion, should be on the list for most underrated leadership books.
Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender is my fave recommendation! It is a must read!!!
Thank You so much for all you have shared this year. It has been a light in the dark, food for my soul, and the wind beneath my wings in the craziest of moments. Your transparency, generosity, and courage are a true gift
One of my favorites is Team of Teams, By General Stanley McCrystal.
Redemptive Leadership: Unleashing Your Greatest Influence. By Harv Powers
How God uses the positive AND negative events in our life in a redeeming way to further Kingdom work. It’s one I will reread and go back to my written notes as well.
Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger has been a great book so far on adaptive leadership. It published in 2018, but it’s almost like he wrote it for 2020 and all the changes that would take place.
Amen! Timely advice and strategy for today.
ThankYou Carey for the books list. I appreciate your insight and your love for leaders.
Carey- Strongly recommend Building the Bridge As You Walk On It by Robert E. Quinn. Though published in 2004 it speaks to leading in uncertain times band the choice most organizations face of deep change or slow death. Great relevance to churches and denominations in this era even though it was written for market place leaders.
The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
Leading from the Second Chair: Serving Your Church, Fulfilling Your Role, and Realizing Your Dreams
by Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson
Spiritual Leadership by Henry and Richard Blackaby
Certainly one of my favourite books on leadership
I am not a pastor so maybe not as qualified as others to comment here. I’m a leader at power plant so my perspective may be quite different. My favorite leadership book is, “Lead…For God’s Sake” by Todd Gongwer. The book reminds me to lead always out of love. Leadership out of love reminds me to always give what is needed to whomever I am leading. I need to remove my wants and desires from the equation and give what is needed to the person I am leading. Sometimes, this may be kind encouragement, or a stricter admonishment. Either way, it is always leading with those being led in mind.
I am a pastor Bruce and I highly recommend Todd’s book. I was “put on” this book by Jason Romano. I’ve passed it on to another man who wants to start meeting with me about leadership.
I rekon the best leadership book to rule all others is Craig Hamilton’s Wisdom In Leadership. A brilliant summary of many ideas in a lot of those leadership books you mentioned. Entertaining read, and filled with helpful examples and ‘connected chapters’ after you read each chapter.
Always worth a read and once a year re-read for me!
Top 10 Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel. So on target & practical!
https://www.amazon.com/Top-Ten-Mistakes-Leaders-Make/dp/0781445493
Two great books I read in 2019 were Leadershift by John Maxwell and High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard. I would highly recommend both books for leaders!
I did not take a lot of time this year to read. But a bump in my job caused me to go back and read Jon Acuff’s Do over and work on my Career Savings Account. The second book that I have been reading that I think everyone should read because somewhere in life you need to look at a problem like Jesse Cole’s Find Your Yellow Tux.
I will be adding many of the books from this list to my Good Reads list.
Glad to help Scott!
thanks for the list..we all love reading.. if we get such info…it really helps finding the list of good authores
Glad to see recommendations for women writers in the comments. Carey, you stated up front that this is a subjective list, but I wonder if you have asked yourself why the list is only male authors? Not a question you need to give me an answer to, just think it would be valuable to reflect on it yourself, and I realize that you probably already have in some form or another.
It’s an older book, but I’ve recommended “Ordering Your Private World”, Gordon MacDonald and “Getting Things Done”, David Allen frequently to leaders.
Want to grow your business faster with more profit but for that, you want to be a good leader. If you want to be a good leader then here you get the best collection of the leadership books that every leader should read.
I recommend Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. She gets to the heart of the leader with much depth and insight. It is really good on the question of self-leadership. I notice that an expanded edition of the book has been published this year.
Another gem is by Craig Hamilton, Wisdom in Leadership. It would be one of the best text books available on leadership, with short, pithy and relevant chapters with excellent content
I am reading Leading Change right now, and added How The Mighty Fall. Add in Silos by Lencioni and you have a trifecta of books that every senior and executive pastor need to read. I am especially impacted by the similarity of companies to rapidly successful churches as outlined by both Kotter and Collins. These are great resources, shame on us if we don’t apply them just because they are business focused. Carey, your leading change book is next on my list. I think in this era of church in America, we need to humbly read these books if we want to be the most effective workers in the Kingdom of God we can be.
Both the books by Sinek mentioned, Start with the Why and Leaders Eat Last, are worthy of a focused read, as well.
Thanks for this list. As a young leader, it is great to be able to see what books others are recommending that have been helpful in shaping them as leaders. 🙂
I’d throw a Joe Amaral book in the mix. “Understanding Jesus. Cultural insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ””. Most impactful book I’ve read.
Carey,
I’d love to see you do more of this & think it’d be highly impactful for your readers.
Next 2 could be biographies, spiritual formation (Christian Living).
Home run I say!
Nancy Ortberg wrote a very good book on leadership called Unleashing the Power of Ruber Bands: lessons in non-linear leadership.
As to women writers – – – – You may want to check out Barbara Brown Taylor books. Intriguing and thought sharing books. The book – An Altar in the World – is one I would recommend for embracing soulful filled hints for leaders. An encouraging book. And thanks for sharing your personal list with all of us.
Hey, thanks for sharing. Have popped some of these on my to read list 🙂 Out of interest, have you read any books on leadership written by female authors that have inspired? I’d be keen to hear of some leadership books written by women.
Several of my faves are on your list. I just finished Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. It is quickly working it’s way up the list for me.
Thanks for all your investment in leaders Carey. You’ve hit your stride!
I like some of the others recommended on this site – I would include:
A Tale of Three Kings, Gene Edwards
Under the Unpredictable Plant, Eugene Peterson
The Pastor as Minor Poet, M. Craig Barnes
The Preacher’s Portrait: Some New Testament Word Studies, John Stott
I’ve never actually thought about your favoybooks, but when I saw the post I couldn’t wIt to open it. I just started listening to your podcast over the last year, and other Leadership podcasts… and listening to books on Audible. I’m late to the game for being a young pastor. Anyway, when I saw the post I couldn’t wait to read it as I have really learned a lot from you over the past year. Thanks so much for your ministry!
I was schocked you didn’t mention The Speed of Trust. For me, it out to words and helped me better identify things I internally knew. But once I read it, it really inspired me to work harder on my character and compotency.
There are so many Maxwell books, and but I always felt Failing Forward was great because -I fail a lot! Ha!
The E-myth helped me understand the need for SIP.
Not sure if, “A work of the Heart,” would be considered a leadership book… but I found it to be influential in my leadership.
Chasing the Lion is by far the best of Batterson’s books.
And while it may not be appropriate there are some undeniable nuggets of wisdom in Machiavelli’ “The Prince,” even if it’s “how not to lead.
Visioneering is my favorite by Andy Stanley
And finally…. I really enjoyed “Didn’t see it coming.” Great job Carey!
Thanks for influencing so many leaders, “you’re doing a great work and you can’t come down”- modifying Visioneering as an encouragement to you brother!
Great list, Carey. I especially appreciate the older books listed that stand the test of time. Gold.
Any books you would recommend on soul care (looking for some good reads for my sabbatical time…). Great list!
Emotionally Healthy Leadership. Scazzero
Be My Everything. Ken S.
Soul Keeping (Caring for The Most Important Part of You) by John Ortberg.
“Emotions” by: Charels Stanely
“Divine Mentor” by Wayne Cordeiro is one that I take all our leaders through as their first book. It is first all about who we are as followers of Jesus and who we lean on each day. Only then can our leadership truly learn from the other leadership resources. One of the most influential books in my life is “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Steven Covey (previously mentioned) and “Courageous Leadership” by Bill Hybels. Although there is sadness that surrounds Bill right now – his concepts and ideas are true and foundational. For example, I still use the three “Cs” when choosing leaders – Character, Competency and Chemistry. Simple but profoundly accurate.
Great List! Always good to swap old & new works.
Heroic Leadership – Chris Lowney
Linchpin – Seth Godin
Start with Why – Simon Sinek
Deep Change – Robert E. Quinn
Necessary Endings – Henry Cloud
Bigger Faster Leadership – Samuel R. Chand
Failure of Nerve – Edwin H. Friedman
Collin’s follow up to Good to Great, “Great By Choice” is excellent too. Then there’s always my second bible, “Deep & Wide” by A. Stanley. Always relevant! 🙂
Leading On Empty by Wayne Cordeiro came along at a crucial time for me. Good soul care for leaders.
Looks like a good list, Carey! I’d love to see some female authors added in the future.
Great list, agree with you, those are books all leaders should read. A few more that I like, The Way of the Shepherd, Leman and Pentak. Simple book, but sometimes we forget the basics of leadership. Wooden on Leadership is good because it comes from a different perspective. I love the impact he continued to have on his players lives long after they left UCLA. I would add another Maxwell book, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I use 5 levels in almost every leadership training I do, but 21 Laws is foundational. I am working through Leaders Eat Last by Sinek. That might make the list when I am done.
I would suggest that every church leader read- Dangerous Calling:Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry Paul David Tripp is the author.
7 Practices of Effective Ministries by Andy Stanley; Messy Spirituality by Mile Yaconelli; The Secret of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge.
Definitely great books! But have you noticed they’re all by male authors?
Good books are good books, they shouldn’t be chosen because of who did or didn’t write them.
Yes! Thank you!
When Work and Family Collide/Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley. This book was so insightful. It taught me that success at work isn’t so great if you’re family feels neglected (and that it doesn’t have to be that way). As a workaholic by nature, this book helped me to reframe my priorities. I have bought, read, lended, bought again, and read at least 3 times now.
Kotter’s change management principles and Goleman’s emotional intelligence are great as well. I’m glad they made your list!
Louder Than Words by Andy Stanley
The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge. A leadership book for business leaders – but adaptable to non-profits and churches.
The Bait of Satan, John Bevere
Thanks for the list, Carey. “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” by Chris McChesney and Sean Covey has been really helping me and our staff recently.
I found the Blackabys’ book Spiritual Leadership extremely insightful and equipping.
Thanks for the list Carey. So tremendously helpful.
So many times i have read Leadership is an Art by Max de Pree to be re-centered on character and influenece, to remind myself that Art takes life of it’s own.
I was anxious to see if anyone else would mention this book. This book… has impacted my life like no other, both professionally and personally. The idea of the leader as servant is, to me, the most powerful part of leadership. I’ve also read Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf.
Ken Watanabe “Problem Solving 101.” Originally written for Japanese schoolchildren. His goal was to help shift the focus in Japanese education from memorization to critical thinking, by adapting some of the techniques he had learned as an elite McKinsey consultant.
He was amazed to discover that adults were hungry for his fun and easy guide to problem solving and decision making. The book became a surprise Japanese bestseller, with more than 370,000 in print after six months. Now American businesspeople can also use it to master some powerful skills.
https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-101-Simple-People/dp/1591842425
I love the “Speed of Trust” by Stephen MR Covey and also “Launching a Leadership Revolution” by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward – they take familiar concept like the Covey’s habits, Maxwell’s Levels, and Collin’s Level 5 Leadership and flesh them out in greater and greater details.
Also, didn’t see it coming is fantastic – if you haven’t read it yet make sure to buy a few extra copies when you get yours because you will immediately want to share it!
In the title of your book. “Everyone” and “no one” are mixed up. Just thought you should know. Thanks for putting this list together!
Thanks Carey. Great list. Appreciate how you let us into why they were helpful for you.
How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a classic, and it has been updated in a newer release called ‘How To Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age.’ I personally think this is a must read!
My all-time favorite is In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr. It changed my entire approach to leading as a young manager and I carried those lessons through out my career.