12 Leadership Books to Shift your Thinking

For my first year out of corporate roles, I set myself a target of reading 50 books.  Of course in the pursuit of working out which books to read I bought over 100! but my tsundoku habit is another story.

Here are twelve of the books I've loved that have shifted my thinking.  I often recommend these to leaders I am working with.

Culture and Leadership

Impact Players - I loved Liz Wiseman's Multipliers book from a few years ago and her latest book on those people in your organisation who punch above their weight is worth a read.  

Unlearning & Rethinking

Think Again - I open every Culture Incubator and Leadershift program with a session on unlearning and rethinking.  Adam Grant's guide, backed by research, to help us question what we know is my go to. The world really needed this book. Unlearning and rethinking are differentiators for leaders as we navigate beyond the new and next normal, through the never normal.

Navigating Influence and Emotions with integrity

Zoe Chance's Influence is your Super Power is a modern take on influence that is as far away from bro marketing and insta influencer as you can get.  Influencing with integrity and a generous splash of neuroscience made this an interesting and useful read.

Atlas of the Heart - Brené Brown's masterpiece is as deep and as beautiful as you would expect.  I read this in the first couple of weeks of 2022 and it suited my reflective mood at the start of the year.  Filled with home truths, stories and backed by research, Brené's ability to shed new light on well trodden territory makes this a compelling read.  I loved her definition of Belonging which I reference often

Ease, Timing and Connection

Effortless - I loved Greg's first book Essentialism and I could not wait to read this. Just like Essentialism, it became an instant business classic in my mind. I learnt so much from Effortless that I now apply every day to make work better and easier.  Let it be easy.

When Dan Pink's When first came out, I was very focussed on shifting behaviour.  Reading it again, it was like I read a completely different book.  He shares so much value on time and timing with plenty of engaging stories to keep you intrigued and laughing.

Speaking of timing, could there have been a more perfectly timed release of Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering?  I doubt it.  I read this with interest first in 2020 and re-read this year when I was researching a leadership masterclass on Connection.

Fear and Asking More

One of the more well received books I share with my mentoring clients is Dr Amy Silver's tackling of fear in her book The Loudest Guest. 

and for those of us taming the advice monster and seeking to listen more, Michael Bungay Stainer's The Advice Trap and his Coaching Habit challenge us to lead differently while supporting us with useful tips.

I'm always building my reading stack. I'd love to hear your recommendations on a good book to shift my thinking on all things Leadership and Culture.

Meredith