Best Leadership Books — 120 Honest Reviews
Every book below was read and judged on one question: will it change what you do on Monday morning? Each review tells you who should read it, who should skip it and the three ideas worth keeping.
The Power of Positive Leadership
Jon Gordon · Leadership
Upbeat and approachable; a first leadership book, not a last one.
CLICK TO SEE
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 SEE
The New One Minute Manager
Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson · Leadership
A brisk primer; useful at the start, forgettable afterward.
CLICK TO SEE
Radical Candor
Kim Scott · Leadership
A useful, well-named framework; the book is longer than the idea needs.
CLICK TO SEE
Team of Teams
General Stanley McChrystal · Leadership
A serious book about adaptability; valuable for leaders of complex teams.
CLICK TO SEE
Developing the Leader Within You 2.0
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
A dependable primer; broad, warm and basic.
CLICK TO SEE
The Advantage
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Lencioni's most complete and least gimmicky book; a strong operating manual for teams.
CLICK TO SEE
The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene · Leadership
Brilliant, cynical and dangerous in the wrong hands; read as a map, not a creed.
CLICK TO SEE
Power
Jeffrey Pfeffer · Leadership
Unsentimental and well-researched; the honest version of career advice.
CLICK TO SEE
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie · Leadership
The classic; still the best place to start on people skills.
CLICK TO SEE
Never Split the Difference
Chris Voss · Leadership
The most useful negotiation book for ordinary life; immediately applicable.
CLICK TO SEE
Influence
Robert B. Cialdini · Leadership
The definitive book on influence; essential, dense, worth it.
CLICK TO SEE
Talk Like TED
Carmine Gallo · Leadership
Practical and a little formulaic; a solid presentation primer.
CLICK TO SEE
Start with Why
Simon Sinek · Leadership
A useful idea stretched to book length; the talk may be enough.
CLICK TO SEE
Leaders Eat Last
Simon Sinek · Leadership
Sincere, sprawling and worth it for the right leader.
CLICK TO SEE
Extreme Ownership
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin · Leadership
Hard-edged and useful; the ownership idea alone justifies it.
CLICK TO SEE
Good to Great
Jim Collins · Leadership
A landmark business book; use the frameworks, remember the caveats.
CLICK TO SEE
Dare to Lead
Brené Brown · Leadership
Practical and humane; a leadership book about the hard conversations.
CLICK TO SEE
The Laws of Human Nature
Robert Greene · Leadership
Vast and uneven; a reference you will dip into for years.
CLICK TO SEE
Supercommunicators
Charles Duhigg · Leadership
Practical and readable; a useful guide to actually talking.
CLICK TO SEE
Emotional Intelligence 2.0
Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves · Leadership
Practical and brief; a workbook more than a book.
CLICK TO SEE
The Infinite Game
Simon Sinek · Leadership
Hopeful and a little diffuse; the frame is worth keeping.
CLICK TO SEE
The Dichotomy of Leadership
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin · Leadership
The wiser of the two books; balance beats intensity.
CLICK TO SEE
Getting to Yes
Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton · Leadership
The classic framework; essential, slightly idealistic.
CLICK TO SEE
The Charisma Myth
Olivia Fox Cabane · Leadership
Practical and specific; the most useful book on charisma as a skill.
CLICK TO SEE
Made to Stick
Chip Heath and Dan Heath · Leadership
Clear, useful and fun; the standard book on making ideas stick.
CLICK TO SEE
Storyworthy
Matthew Dicks · Leadership
The best practical book on telling true stories; generous and precise.
CLICK TO SEE
The Speed of Trust
Stephen M. R. Covey · Leadership
Solid and practical; a good leadership book on an underrated asset.
CLICK TO SEE
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
Maxwell's signature work; broad, confident and useful as a checklist.
CLICK TO SEE
The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
A brisk checklist; useful once.
CLICK TO SEE
Turn the Ship Around!
L. David Marquet · Leadership
Specific, practical and one of the best leadership books of its decade.
CLICK TO SEE
It’s Your Ship
D. Michael Abrashoff · Leadership
Warm, concrete and quick; a strong first book for new managers.
CLICK TO SEE
Find Your Why
Simon Sinek, David Mead and Peter Docker · Leadership
Practical workbook; useful if you want the exercise.
CLICK TO SEE
Leadership Strategy and Tactics
Jocko Willink · Leadership
Granular and practical; a field manual.
CLICK TO SEE
Our Iceberg Is Melting
John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber · Leadership
Simple and useful as a team primer.
CLICK TO SEE
The One Minute Manager
Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson · Leadership
Simple basics; still a fast start.
CLICK TO SEE
Fish!
Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen · Leadership
Thin but memorable; a morale tool.
CLICK TO SEE
The Oz Principle
Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman · Leadership
Strong framework, padded book.
CLICK TO SEE
You Win in the Locker Room First
Jon Gordon and Mike Smith · Leadership
Candid and useful.
CLICK TO SEE
Developing the Leader Within You
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
Foundational and accessible.
CLICK TO SEE
Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
Useful questions, uneven book.
CLICK TO SEE
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
Practical for speakers and leaders.
CLICK TO SEE
Trillion Dollar Coach
Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle · Leadership
Warm and sound.
CLICK TO SEE
Primal Leadership
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee · Leadership
Useful and well-structured.
CLICK TO SEE
The Phoenix Project
Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford · Leadership
Useful fable for technology.
CLICK TO SEE
Leading Without Authority
Keith Ferrazzi with Noel Weyrich · Leadership
Relevant for matrixed work.
CLICK TO SEE
Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman · Leadership
Convenient essentials.
CLICK TO SEE
The Alliance
Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh · Leadership
Honest framework for modern work.
CLICK TO SEE
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Quick model in fable form.
CLICK TO SEE
Silos, Politics and Turf Wars
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Simple remedy for a common disease.
CLICK TO SEE
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Simplest engagement model.
CLICK TO SEE
Strengths Based Leadership
Tom Rath and Barry Conchie · Leadership
Team-building application.
CLICK TO SEE
Leadership and the One Minute Manager
Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi · Leadership
Most useful one-page model.
CLICK TO SEE
Whale Done!
Ken Blanchard, Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard · Leadership
Simple principle, memorable frame.
CLICK TO SEE
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Marshall Goldsmith · Leadership
A leadership classic; specific, uncomfortable and useful.
CLICK TO SEE
The Coaching Habit
Michael Bungay Stanier · Leadership
Short, practical and genuinely habit-forming; a manager's essential.
CLICK TO SEE
The Advice Trap
Michael Bungay Stanier · Leadership
A useful second step; practical and brief.
CLICK TO SEE
The Leader's Greatest Return
John C. Maxwell · Leadership
Multiplication, not inspiration.
CLICK TO SEE
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog
Admiral William H. McRaven · Leadership
Maxims from a life in command.
CLICK TO SEE
The Truth About Employee Engagement
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Three levers any manager can pull.
CLICK TO SEE
Churchill: Walking with Destiny
Andrew Roberts · Leadership
Failures as preparation for the moment.
CLICK TO SEE
Only the Paranoid Survive
Andrew S. Grove · Leadership
How to survive an inflection point.
CLICK TO SEE
Fierce Conversations
Susan Scott · Leadership
Strong and practical; a leadership conversation manual.
CLICK TO SEE
The Culture Code
Daniel Coyle · Leadership
Vivid and practical; the best popular book on team culture.
CLICK TO SEE
The Ideal Team Player
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Simple and useful; a good hiring lens.
CLICK TO SEE
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Simple, memorable and useful.
CLICK TO SEE
Crucial Accountability
Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny and others · Leadership
Practical and specific; the accountability playbook.
CLICK TO SEE
The Making of a Manager
Julie Zhuo · Leadership
Warm, honest and practical; the new-manager handbook.
CLICK TO SEE
High Output Management
Andrew S. Grove · Leadership
Rigorous and enduring; the operator's manual.
CLICK TO SEE
Built to Last
Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras · Leadership
Influential and still relevant, with caveats.
CLICK TO SEE
Great by Choice
Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen · Leadership
Practical and vivid; discipline over daring.
CLICK TO SEEAs 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.