There are books and there are books. We use some of them for the purpose of escaping reality. Others are educational. Today, I want to talk about the books written by successful people for the people that want to be successful. Let’s talk about leadership books you just have to read.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This isn’t a book that’s just for business situations. There is sound advice here that you can use in everyday life, concerning how you approach people and what you talk about with them. This book isn’t about manipulation, but rather the art of communicating with others, in the hopes of establishing a better relationship.
Leaders and future leaders will find it useful, since it establishes a connection between them and the people working under them. It will help make them feel more approachable, instead of an annoying authority figure.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
This book uses storytelling as a method of teaching. The story revolves around a CEO, named Kathryn Petersen, who is in charge of a highly dysfunctional team on a deadline. We are rooting for her and are hoping that she overcomes the obstacles.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team shows you what typical issues within a team are. While the problems are common, the implementation of solutions is not. We recommend you check it out.
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell
The book goes into the tiniest details, systematically outlining the laws and rules of being a good leader. It prepares you for what you have to expect, and how you should react to certain situations, or in general. For example, one of the twenty-one laws is the Law of Process, telling you that you have to work on yourself for a long period of time before you start noticing effective results.
There are no shortcuts. These laws of leadership will give you insight into how to behave towards your team, what to expect from yourself, the company and the clients, as well as what areas in your everyday business life you need to work on. The rest is up to you.
The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
You didn’t expect this one on the list, did you? Well, there are plenty if similarities between managing a company and preparing an army for battle. The Art of War has been a good read for more than a thousand years, and some of its principles still apply in the modern society.
Read this book, rally your troops, and lead them on to victory.Do the same thing tomorrow, because running a company usually lasts longer than a battle.