The Power of Positive Leadership
by Jon Gordon
Gordon's leadership book is a compilation of his frameworks: positive leaders drive culture, share a vision, lead with optimism, confront reality and build unity. It is heavy on examples from sports and business and light on hard cases. The strength is encouragement; the weakness is that difficult leadership problems are handled briskly.
Read it if…
you are a new or mid-level leader who needs a hopeful, readable primer on culture and tone.
Skip it if…
you want depth on conflict, politics or underperformance; the book assumes good will everywhere.
Three things you will actually use
- Communicate the vision until you are tired of it; they are just starting to hear it.
- Address negativity early and privately.
- Celebrate progress visibly every week.
Do this first
Write your team's vision in one sentence and say it out loud at the next meeting.
Our verdict
Upbeat and approachable; a first leadership book, not a last one.
Compare with other Leadership books
First, Break All the Rules
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman · Leadership
The original data-backed management book; still the one to read first.
CLICK TO SEE
Crucial Conversations
Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson and others · Leadership
A dependable toolkit for the conversations that matter; worth rereading before each one.
CLICK TO SEE
Give and Take
Adam Grant · Leadership
Well-researched and encouraging; makes a strong case that kindness compounds.
CLICK TO SEEBrowse all Leadership book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
As an Amazon Associate, WisdomDeck earns from qualifying purchases. Links marked “Click to see” go to Amazon. We are not paid for opinions, prices and availability are not shown here and change on Amazon, and we never see your purchase details. Nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice.