Today I want to share some of, what I think, are the best leadership books of all time. 

Great leaders throughout history have often turned to great books as a source of inspiration and wisdom, so I figure it’s a good idea for us to try and do the same in our own businesses!

I’ve compiled this list of five of my all-time best leadership books, ranging from team management to people skills, in the hope that you can gain some insight from them and possibly pick up a few new skills to take your leadership abilities from good to great.

Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith  

This first book offers great, pragmatic management guidance for getting the best out of your team. 

Written by Marshall Goldsmith, a renowned executive coach and psychologist, it details the emotional triggers that set off a reaction or behaviour in us that often works against our best interests. 

By understanding these triggers in ourselves and our team, we can find more effective ways to engage in the workplace.

My key takeaway from this book is the idea of future-based feed-forward. Traditional feedback is past-based, looking at possible failures and frequently focusing on things that can no longer be changed (i.e. past events). Whereas feed-forward is focused on a positive future, what to do in the future and how to derive energy and focus to progress – a very powerful leadership tool!

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek  

This great book guides you on how to be a role model and build a positive culture.

It’s a book that focuses on leaders fully understanding the true purpose of their organisations and, therefore, how to use that purpose to ‘North Star’ how they conduct themselves, but also how they care for their team members. 

I love this quote from Simon:

“Returning from work feeling inspired, safe, fulfilled and grateful is a natural human right to which we are all entitled and not a modern luxury that only a few lucky ones are able to find.”

Great leaders inspire, and being able to inspire positivity and fulfilment in the workplace is one of the most important things a business owner can do. 

In a marketplace where all employers are competing for the imagination, energy, passion and creativity of their employees (in order to build great businesses), a book like this is a really valuable guide to help with that.

The Mighty Modern Manager by Paul Wyatt 

This book contains up-to-date and relevant tips and tools for leaders and managers. 

It contains some great and insightful advice on managing conflict in a productive way, which is an incredibly powerful skill for a manager or leader to possess in the workplace. 

Any team, regardless of how skilled or experienced, can face challenges and this book aims to give leaders the ability to make their companies leap to greater success. 

It walks you through the most critical skills you’ll need to survive and thrive as a leader, which is why I rate it as one of the best leadership books out there. 

The 25 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

This is a great book, thanks to the distinct categories it’s split up into. As business leaders, time is often a sparse commodity, so engaging in bite-sized learning when a moment arises is incredibly handy. 

The newly revised edition includes a lot of updated anecdotes and examples for the modern world of work, so it’s no surprise that this book is still regularly recommended!

The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni 

Many leadership and management books can tend to waffle on (none on this list, thankfully!). This one is no-nonsense, insightful and provides a wise look into how a team can function or “dysfunction”. 

It demonstrates a very digestible framework of issues and matching solutions to enable business owners to implement the ideas in their own workplace. 

The book includes details about many of the pitfalls that teams face as they seek to grow together, as well as the causes of organisational politics and team failure, both key things to consider in your team.

UK Growth Coach – Best Leadership Books

I hope this list has given you a good idea about some of the best leadership books out there, and ones we have used as coaches ourselves in our own business and with clients.

They’re all books that I myself have read and would highly recommend for anyone looking to learn more about the world of business and also leadership in general. There are some great skills within that can help in everyday life, as well as in the office. 
If you’d like to develop your leadership and team development tools, and want more practical and 1-2-1 support, why not schedule an informal 1-1 chat with me today.