Best Leadership Books
Our team at LIW, together with our network of associates and community members, have assembled this collection of best leadership books. The guide includes both recent publications and established works, covering key themes in leadership practice. For those seeking to deepen their understanding or explore new approaches, these books offer valuable perspectives on contemporary leadership. We present this reading list based on our practical experience, with the aim of supporting your professional development.
On Becoming A Leader
Why it made Steve’s list of the best leadership books: “Such a simple yet profound set of values and examples of leadership in the real world”.
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Nonviolent Communication
Why it made Kimi’s list of the best leadership books: “It has changed the entire way I see myself and how I handle my interactions with others. It also deeply connects to what I champion in terms of leadership development, which is the importance of genuine self-awareness. Self-awareness and self-compassion leads to all other parts of emotional intelligence including empathy to others. Non-violent communication, encompassing these key elements, helps to build psychological safety in the teams, which then promotes learning culture and innovations in the organization. I apply the NVC concepts in all my OD/LD intervention with my clients”.
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Dare To Lead
Why it made Bev’s list of the best leadership books: “The core message is that leadership requires each of us to dare to be ourselves, to create an environment where others can do the same, where people feel safe & encouraged to take off their “armour”, experiment with vulnerability, live by their values, be willing to trust & have the courage to dare to dream, dare to lead and dare to fall down & get up again. Successful organisations require each individual no matter their role or title to have the courage to lead”.
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The Tao of Coaching
Why it made Karen’s list of the best leadership books: “Short, on point and fun to read. This book is jam packed full of simple tools and techniques that are easy to apply and make a real difference to how you lead and get the best out of people”.
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The Magic Question
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: David tells us about the essence of leadership simply but persuasively with a plenty of episodes from which we can get a lot of insights.
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Seeing Systems
Oshry says that as humans, we like to think we are in control, he calls this “System blindness” a blindness to the fact that our behaviour is in large part environmental. Think about it – there’s proof everywhere. How about the top performer who comes to your business to transform your Customer Service division, only to fall flat on their face, unable to recreate past successes achieved in other companies – It can’t only be about the individual, it must be something to do with the new system they find themselves in. So understanding the environment, it’s impact on others and the role we each need to play to do our part in nurturing it becomes essential work. This is why, whilst it’s been around a while, we still love Oshry’s work and recommend it as a great read for anyone thinking about leveraging leadership for organisational success.
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Help: How to become slightly happier and get a bit more done
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: I love its self deprecating style and pragmatism and it challenges some of the typical leadership advice with great humour
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Alchemy
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: This book reminds me to constantly go deeper when empathising with our customers and participants. To genuinely “think like our customers” vs just “thinking about them”.
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Head & Heart - The Art of Modern Leadership
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: If you are looking for an atypical leadership book, this one might be for you! There are very few buzzwords, and it wasn’t about crunching numbers and making decisions, it was about understanding people, emotions, values and topics which are core for me. The author refers to it as the “Head” stuff (logic, strategy) with the “Heart stuff (empathy, relationships). She paints a picture of leadership that is as effective as it is human. She tells stories from her own experience and tales of notable leaders from different industries. I found these stories entertaining and relatable. The read is not just about legacy and inspirational leadership it is about action, providing exercises and practical tips which piqued my curiosity about my leadership.
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Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: This book provided practical evidence-based actions that leaders can take to improve the performance of their teams.
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Atomic Habits
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: I recently revisited and oldy but a good book when my 16 year old daughter asked if I had anything to read. It’s a great reminder to all leaders, individual contributors and teenagers how to create sustainable life changing habits that can positively impact both work and personal life!
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Mastering Leadership
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: “Mastering Leadership” by Bob Anderson has had a big impact for me and many of the people I coach. It’s a deep dive into leadership that connects core values, beliefs and behaviours. It is a book that really explores our human light and dark sides. Our Jedi and Darth Vader as it shows up in leadership, us at our best and less constructive.
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Vivid Vision
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: According to research, the single most impactful leadership competency is being a Purposeful Visionary. But knowing this … and being able to effectively DO it … those are two different things. This book helps you bridge that gap, as it outlines a step by step process for how to craft a compelling, inspiring and aligning vision and then guides you in a process for how to roll it out. I found myself nodding along as many of the strategies he outlines are what LIW teaches in our leadership coursework. And remarkably, it was only a 2.5 hour audiobook. So whether you’re a coach or a line leader yourself – grab a copy, grab a pen, and you’ll be a huge step closer to bringing your dream of an improved world to life.
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Life is in the Transitions – Mastering Change at Any Age
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: Bruce does a wonderful job challenging readers to think about what it is that truly gives their lives meaning and how this influences the story of their lives. From a work perspective, we often speak of leaders creating the conditions for people to be successful, including uniting teams behind a common purpose. We do this because meaning is enduring, it creates connections and establishes belonging. ‘People with a strong connection in the workplace are more open to growth, are better colleagues, and are more resilient’.
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Radically Human: How New Technology Is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future
Why it made my list of the best leadership books: In Radically Human, two Accenture technology leaders explain how they see the greatest opportunities are in the ways humans can bring humanity to technology. We aren’t technology specialists at LIW, but we are people specialists and our vision of the future closely aligns with this perspective.
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Attitude Is Everything
Ashish says: “I liked the basics and fundamentals on importance of positive attitude and empathy from this book”.
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Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Doreen says: “When the author wrote that “the word PRIORITY came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular”. That remained for the next 500 years. I am inspired to ask myself “what is the ONE thing that is needful” to guide me in my thoughts and way of being”.
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The Chimp Paradox
Rob says: “The naming of my chimp and the conversations I have with him have been life changing. The information in this book is practical, sticky, easy to implement and fun”.
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Multipliers
Julie says: “I love the Multiplier behaviours, but really find the Accidental Diminishers really ring true for people, as they have such great intentions, with unintended side effects”.
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The Age Of AI by Henry Kissinger
Juliet says: “In the face of all the excitement and scare-mongering about AI this book sets out the opportunities and challenges in a balanced and thoughtful way. The authors explore how AI will impact our relationships with knowledge, politics and society”.
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The Art Of Gathering
Taylor says: “While this is not strictly a leadership book, I think it speaks to the heart of something that is all too often overlooked in any leader’s journey – ensuring that you can effectively bring people together and embed a sense of meaning and connecting in how you do so. It is a great read!”
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Build Better Teams
Murray says: “Well researched, contemporary, aimed at teams of all levels rather than the top teams, breaks the team thing down into really simple, practical elements and a few good jokes in there – worth it just for the one about the cannibals!”
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The Culture Code
Onno says: “This book is a) entertaining – full of fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories – and combines those with good social science and then b) contains practical ideas that any reader can take away and use to make their teams and workplaces more effective and more fun to be a part of”.
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The Analects of Confucius
Stephen says: “Confucian Analects – the basis for many East Asian leadership behaviours. If not not known, then there will be confusion – ‘why did this leader do this?'”.
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Our Iceberg Is Melting
Sally says: “It is a very simple, practical and pragmatic story all about leading and managing change. I have given it out to many leaders and teams that are leading/ going through change, who have found it hugely helpful”.
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The Practice of Adaptive Leadership
Max says: “This book introduces the concept of adaptive leadership as a framework for tackling issues that don’t have clear solutions or precedents. It gives tools and tactics that enable leaders to navigate ambiguity, foster innovation, and mobilise people for collective action in the face of uncertainty and change. It encourages leaders to adapt and evolve their strategies based on the specific context and challenges in their work, including disrupting habitual routines”.
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Lost Connections
This book had a profound effect on me because it firmly illustrates the worst extent of societal issues that can be caused by lack of connection to others and to our sense of purpose.
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