10 Leadership Books All Managers Should Read - The Muse

10 Leadership Books All Managers Should Read - The Muse10 Leadership Books All Managers Should ReadIf you do your job, and you do it well, youll continue to move up the career ladder. And thats awesome. But as you make that climb, youll start to realize that being a manager of one, two, 20, 100 people is hard And that you need to be more than a boss, you need to be a leader. While there are many resources out there on making this happen- my favorites continue to be books. As CEO of a fast-growing startup, I do my best to always have something on-hand to read- whether its that days Wall Street Journal, a book by one of my favorite philosophers, or the latest autobiography of a leader I admire. Ive always enjoyed expanding my knowledge base and believe that all (aspiring) leaders should set aside time outside of email, meetings, and conference calls to settle in with something thatll improve their skills.Here are my personal recommendations for the 10 books (in no particular order) eve ryone should have in his or her personal library1. Paradox of Choice Why More Is Less by Barry SchwartzDecision-making is a necessary skill for anyone in charge. This book identifies why less is more and prepares us to find balance and happiness in the choices we make whether business or personal. 2. Take the Lead Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You by Betsy MyersMyers took a leap of faith when she signed on to serve as COO of a grassroots presidential campaign for an up-and-coming Chicago senator (who you know as our 44th president). Take the Lead offers insightful and inspiring advice about taking command and bringing out the best in yourself.3. Who The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy StreetAssuming people- not strategy- drive organizational success, businesses need to increase their odds of hiring the very best employees. The Who methodology provides the footprint to increasing the likelihood of hiring top performers from 50% to 90%.4. The Advantage Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick LencioniThis one is my favorite of Lencionis amazing collection of books. Once youve hired the A players in your organization, youll need to focus on organizational health and how your company can maximize productivity and align everyone toward the companys core objectives. Thats where The Advantage comes in.5. Startup CEO A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business by Matt BlumbergBlumbergs book is like having a mentor or an advisor on speed dial. This is a must-read book for any first-time leader. Blumbergs framework for how CEOs should think about their workdays and goals has helped me structure my time and energy more effectively as my organization scales. 6. Thrive The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna HuffingtonOne of the most influential businesswoman today, Huffington shares advice for wholly changing your life- from sleeping habits, to your addiction to technology, to reframing how you think about success. 7. Collaborative Intelligence Thinking With People Who Think Differently by Dawna Markova, PhD and Angie McArthurA collaborative workforce is often more creative, engaged and forward-thinking, and the best leaders can engage and work well with a variety of people. McArthur and Markova provide actionable tips to improving collaboration skills, all backed by neuroscience.8. The Secrets of Happy Families Improve Your Mornings, Tell Your Family History, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More by Bruce FeilerHopefully your career is fulfilling, but you still need work-life balance. Its easy to take family life and happiness for granted. This book does a great job of sharing useful insights to better connect with your family during your off hours- making turning your email off on the weekends easier than ever.9. Difficult Conversations How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila HeenNo leader should avoid the tough talks Its part of business. In Difficult Conversations, the authors provide a framework for navigating confrontation from start to finish, showing you how to stay balanced and use productive problem solving skills. 10. Love Em or Lose Em Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-EvansTurnover is expensive, and when youre working on building a company, the last thing you want is for your top employees to leave and have to start at square one again. This book should be part of all managers libraries- its one you can keep turning back to with valuable insight and actionable engagement strategies.These are some of the books that have proved most helpful to me. Tweet me your favoritesPhoto of man reading courtesy of Shutterstock.