You’ve heard it before: Leaders are readers. This year has been generous in the number of leadership books that have hit the shelves. In honor of Book Lovers Day today, we sourced some of the most notable 2018 book releases for leaders that are sure to help you on your leadership journey. Use these 25 books as tools to help you lead yourself, your team and your organization.
ON LEADING YOURSELF
1. It’s not too late to make 2018 your best year yet. In Your Best Year Ever, Leadercast Live speaker Michael Hyatt explores a five-step plan leaders can use to achieve their most important goals this year.
2. Motivation as we know it is a myth according to Inc. columnist Jeff Haden. In The Motivation Myth, Jeff explains the true nature of motivation and how high achievers set themselves up to win.
3. Are you the same person at work and at home, or is there a disconnect? In her first book, Brave Leadership, actress-turned-leadership educator Kimberly Davis shares tools and tips that will teach you how to be confident and bold in your leadership.
4. Ever wonder what makes innovators like Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk tick? In Quirky, author Melissa A. Schilling looks into the lives of eight creative geniuses to learn the science behind their unique minds.
5. We all know people in life who are so good at what they do we're left wondering, "How do they do it?" In Great at Work, author Morten T. Hansen shares the secrets of great performers who made their way to the top.
6. Bad habits are tough to break, and establishing good habits in their place isn't any easier. In The Leader Habit, author Martin Lanik provides short daily exercises you can use to master the skills you need to lead.
7. Our attention spans aren't what they used to be. For leaders, this can negatively impact communication skills. In The Samurai Listener, author Cash Nickerson provides mental and physical activities you can do to up your listening abilities.
8. There's a lot of emphasis put on the hard, tactical skills that jobs require, but what about the soft skills? In The Softer Side of Leadership, author Dr. Eugene B. Habecker shares practical ways leaders can develop and put their often-neglected soft skills to good use.
9. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day, but we all know people who seem like they have way more time on their hands to balance their work and home lives, and accomplish their goals. How do they do it? In Off the Clock, past Leadercast Women speaker Laura Vanderkam explains the idea of time discipline and how it leads to time freedom.
ON LEADING YOUR TEAM
10. A poor work climate can have a negative impact on employee retention and the success of the organization. In Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work, author Piyush Patel explores how to create an organizational culture that matters.
11. Leaders should have a servant mentality, especially toward their team. In Servant Leadership in Action by Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell, expert leaders share their advice and tools on how to be a servant leader.
12. Great coaches have the ability to transform their teams from a collection of unique individuals into a coherent 'us.' In Getting to Us, author Seth Davis looks to some of the best coaches of all time to learn how they established an 'us' mentality among their teams.
13. In his latest book Extraordinary Influence, author and past Leadercast speaker Dr. Tim Irwin answers an age-old question every leader asks at some point or another: How do I bring out the best in those I lead?
14. No matter what industry you serve, being a leader means you're in the people business. In When Leadership Improves, Everyone Wins, author John Keyser discusses principles of highly effective leadership and how to use them to transform your team.
15. Some teams break down, others break through. In the newly released Dream Teams, author Shane Snow explains what causes teams to fall apart and why others are able to stick together for the long haul.
16. Remote work continues to rise in popularity, which means leaders are challenged to lead effectively from afar. In The Long-Distance Leader, authors Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel share tips for remote leadership.
17. Negativity is a hindrance to a team's productivity, creativity and performance. In The Power of a Positive Team, author Jon Gordon shares tools to help teams overcome detrimental habits like negativity and selfishness that get in the way of success.
18. Leaders should hold their teams accountable. In Supportive Accountability, author Sylvia Melena explains how leaders can inspire people and improve performance without seeming too harsh or lenient.
19. It goes without saying that technology has transformed the way we work—and how we lead. In Evolving Digital Leadership, author James Brett shares the framework and tools you can use to be an effective digital leader.
ON LEADING YOUR ORGANIZATION
20. Based on a study of more than 2,600 leaders, The CEO Next Door reveals four of the most common behaviors found among very successful CEOs. Read the book to learn about the qualities that transform ordinary people into top leaders.
21. Systems fail. In Meltdown, authors Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik explain why so many modern systems fail and what leaders can do to design better systems, make teams more productive and transform organizational decision-making.
22. Purpose is increasingly becoming top of mind for employees, customers and investors. In The Purpose Revolution, authors John Izzo and Jeff VanderWielen explain how leaders can create engagement and competitive advantage in an age of social good.
23. An ambiguous workplace is an ineffective one. In Leading Clarity, author Brad Deutser explains why providing clarity and certainty to your organization are critical to finding success in people, profit and performance.
24. Standing out from the competition isn't easy. In Leap: How to Thrive in a World Where Everything Can Be Copied, author Howard Yu provides wisdom for how pioneering companies can outlast copycat competition.
25. You've had an aha moment, now what do you do with it? In Breakthrough, author Scott Duffy explains how leaders should harness the aha moments and turn those ideas into multimillion-dollar businesses.
* * *
Want to keep up with the latest leadership reads? Sign up for our weekly leadership newsletter, through which the Leadercast team pulls together recent resources leaders love—including books, webinars, podcasts, blogs, videos and more—all in one place, delivered directly to your inbox every Friday!
Hayley Panagakis
This blog was written by Hayley Panagakis, a freelance writer, editor and content creator. Connect with her on LinkedIn and visit her website to learn more about her services.
Subscribe to our Blog
Leadercast is dedicated to building leaders others will follow by providing solutions, events and resources for individuals, teams, organizations and corporations across all industries. Whether you need tools to lead yourself, your team or your company, Leadercast will guide you on your journey to being a leader worth following.