One thing many of the most influential and successful leaders have in common is how much they read<\/a>. [Unfortunately, this article only lists male leaders \u2013 I apologize for the lack of gender diversity!] Those leaders often credit their success directly back to the fact that they do read so much. There\u2019s a power to the written word, and seeing the data to back up theories, discoveries, and new insights is incredibly impactful.
I try to read at least one non-fiction book per month. My To-Be-Read pile does not seem to be getting any smaller though! \ud83d\ude09 There are just too many interesting books out there!! A friend recently suggested we take a \u201creading sabbatical\u201d \u2013 a month off just to read, and that sounds just dreamy to me!
Over the past several years, some of the books I\u2019ve read have really stood out for their insight, their teaching, and their impact on my coaching. These are the books that I continually recommend to clients, and that my clients have also really found valuable.
So here it is, my own personal recommendations for the Top 10 Reads for Leaders<\/strong>!!!
As they are all equally brilliant reads, I\u2019ve listed them in alphabetical order. It wouldn\u2019t be possible to list them in order of preference: they are all well worth reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AUTHENTIC DIVERSITY<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Authentic Diversity: How to Change the Workplace for Good<\/a> A favourite passage:<\/strong> DARE TO LEAD…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.<\/a> EMOTIONAL AGILITY…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life<\/a> A favourite passage:<\/strong> HUMANKIND…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Humankind: A Hopeful History<\/a> INVISIBLE WOMEN<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men<\/a> But for the most part it is truly eye-opening to realize how much using \u201cman\u201d as the norm harms and negates women. This really should be required reading for everyone! Especially anyone who is, should, or wants to be an ally to women. MASTERING LEADERSHIP<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Mastering Leadership: An Integrated Framework for Breakthrough Performance and Extraordinary Business Results<\/a> Why you should read it:<\/strong> Diving into the competencies and behaviours that correlate to leadership effectiveness is eye-opening, enriching, motivating, and so interesting. And the principles and concepts of Leadership Effectiveness are deeply researched and laid out in this brilliant book. NON-VIOLENT COMMUNICATION<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life<\/a> STOLEN FOCUS<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Title:<\/strong> Stolen Focus: Why You Can\u2019t Pay Attention<\/a>
Author:<\/strong> Michelle Silverthorn<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople are not widgets. Identities are not commodities. Inclusion is not a line item in your financial report. [\u2026] You want to know why diversity and equity leaders have such high turnover rates? Because companies spend so much time on strategy and so little time on the hard work of change<\/em>.\u201d
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
While Diversity & Inclusion may at times feel like the \u2018flavour of the month\u2019, there truly is a massive benefit to all of us in embracing it. According to the American Sociological Association, \u201ccompanies with the highest levels of racial or gender diversity brought in nearly 15 times<\/strong> more sales revenue than those with the lowest.\u201d D&I is truly good for ALL of us!!
And it is active, real change that is really needed. Michelle Silverthorn has written a very direct, practical, and insightful book into the impact and power of Authentic Diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AUTHENTIC-DIVERSITY-747x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Bren\u00e9 Brown
A favourite passage:<\/strong>
\u201cThe reason we roll our eyes when people start talking about values is that everyone talks a big values game but very few people actually practice one. It can be infuriating, and it\u2019s not just individuals who fall short of the talk. In our experience, only about 10% of organizations have operationalized their values into teachable and observable behaviours that are used to train their employees and hold them accountable<\/em>.\u201d
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
Authenticity, Courage, Vulnerability, Values \u2013 Brown discusses how impactful and essential these all are for true leadership. But she doesn\u2019t just tell the reader that they\u2019re necessary. She first backs up her research with a lot of study and relevant examples. And then \u2013 and this is what really makes this particular book one of my all-time leadership favourites \u2013\u00a0she details what the behaviours are that make these characteristics happen<\/strong>. It isn\u2019t a book about the\u00a0theory<\/em>\u00a0of leadership. It\u2019s a practical and highly applicable toolkit for leadership skills. Brilliant!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DARE-TO-LEAD-651x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Susan David, PhD<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe look around to check out what other people are doing, mindlessly choosing things we\u2019ve been told are universal keys to satisfaction, such as a university education, home ownership, or having children. In fact, these are not for everyone. It\u2019s just a lot faster and easier to follow what we see than it is to work it out for ourselves.<\/em>\u201d
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
As someone who is very interested in emotional intelligence and growth mindset, the title of this book grabbed me, in that it seemed to me to be a combination of the two. I originally borrowed this book from the library, only to realize within a few pages that this book was incredible and that I would want to have my own copy.\u00a0
And my copy is dog-eared and highlighted within an inch of its life! The concepts are just so\u00a0real<\/strong>. For me, the realization that there are 7 basic human emotions [joy, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, disgust & contempt] but that only *1* is \u201cpositive\u201d was transformative in how I think about emotions. It has made a massive difference in my understanding of emotional intelligence, and in how I approach emotions. They are data \u2013 emotions are giving us critical information. We didn\u2019t evolve to have most of our basic emotions be \u201cnegative\u201d without them being essential sources of information for us.\u00a0
This book really opened my eyes to an entirely different approach to emotions, both in myself and also in my coaching. Using the concept of emotions as data has allowed a lot of my clients to be more comfortable with addressing their feelings and brainstorming around what information that emotional data is giving them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/EMOTIONAL-AGILITY-681x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Rutger Bregman
\u00a0
A favourite passage:<\/strong>
\u201cWe have whites in our eyes. This unique trait lets us follow the direction of other people\u2019s gazes. Every other primate, more than two hundred species in all, produces melatonin that tints their eyes. Like poker players wearing shades, this obscures the direction of their gaze.<\/em>\u201d
\u00a0
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
Bregman\u2019s concept of \u201chomo puppy\u201d \u2013 humans just want to be liked, and we have excelled as a species precisely because we are so social and caring \u2013 is a novel one. The book is filled with fascinating examples not only of how people can be kind and caring towards one another, but explains through that lens why exactly it sometimes happens that we are not. Really thought-provoking and very readable.\u00a0Particularly when the world seems a bit overwhelmingly negative at the moment, it was encouraging to read that our innate nature is, in fact, good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HUMAN-KIND-648x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Caroline Criado Perez
A favourite passage:<\/strong>
\u201cInvisible Women is the story of what happens when we forget to account for half of humanity. For too long, we have positioned women as a deviation from standard humanity and this is why they have been allowed to become invisible.<\/em>\u201d
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
It is fascinating, disturbing, shocking, unbelievable, disheartening, and brilliantly written. Some of it details obvious data gaps. (Although surprisingly and embarrassingly, few are indeed obvious.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Caroline Criado Perez not only wrote a brilliant book, but also publishes a really insightful weekly newsletter and is very vocal and informative about the data gap between men and women. It\u2019s one of the few newsletters I actually read in its entirety each week and really look forward to receiving!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/INVISIBLE-WOMEN-648x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Robert J. Anderson and William A. Adams
A favourite passage:<\/strong>
\u201cCompetence is necessary to attain and be effective in senior roles; however, competence alone is insufficient. When we describe\u00a0<\/em>great leadership, we describe something beyond skill, capability and competence. We use words like\u00a0<\/em>integrity, honesty, passion, vision, risk-taking, fearlessness, compassion, courage, authenticity, collaboration, self-awareness, selflessness, purposefulness, humility, intuition,\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0wisdom.
Great leadership is connected with the deepest parts of ourselves. It has more to do with\u00a0<\/em>character, courage, and\u00a0<\/em>conviction\u00a0than it does with specific skills or competencies. Leadership requires\u00a0<\/em>wisdom, self-knowledge, and\u00a0<\/em>character development\u00a0at psychological and spiritual levels.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well for starters, it means being aware of where we are now in our leadership, and what skills we need to acquire and\/or improve!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read a lot of books in this genre, and to be honest, I find a lot of them prohibitively dry. This book however really exceeded my expectations. I think I highlighted something on every other page! The book goes into really fascinating depth around what characteristics and behaviours are most closely tied to leadership effectiveness and business performance, and which of our characteristics can get in our way. It\u2019s neuroscience, developmental psychology, business administration, and management training all rolled into one. It should be required reading for all leaders!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/MASTERING-LEADERSHIP.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD
A favourite passage:<\/strong>
\u201cWhile we may not consider the way we talk to be \u2018violent,\u2019 words often lead to hurt and pain, whether for others or ourselves<\/em>.\u201d
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
Leading in a Post-Pandemic, You4.0 World means communicating. As we are really seeing around us, words matter. Being able to express yourself, with clarity, empathy, and authenticity is a critical skill in a world where many workers are remote, teams are virtual, and diversity and inclusion means we can no longer rely solely on shared experiences and culture to create rapport.
I really enjoyed this book \u2013 it is an engaging read, full of very practical and helpful role plays, questionnaires, and examples of how \u2013 and how not \u2013 to communicate. Really a must for anyone wishing to be a better communicator!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/NON-VIOLENT-COMMUNICATION-734x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Author:<\/strong> Johann Hari
A favourite passage:<\/strong>
\u201cA study found that \u2018technological distraction\u2019 \u2013 just getting emails and calls \u2013 caused a drop in the workers\u2019 IQ by an average of 10 points. To give you a sense of how big that is: in the short-term, that\u2019s twice the knock to your IQ that you get when you smoke cannabis. So this suggests in terms of being able to get your work done, you\u2019d be better off getting stoned at your desk than checking your texts and Facebook messages a lot.<\/em>\u201d
Why you should read it:<\/strong>
I think we all have a vague sense that our focus isn\u2019t as strong as it might be, and are most probably aware that we spend a bit too much time on our devices. Hari delves into whether this is true (spoiler alert: it is!) and what is causing it.
It\u2019s a fascinating look into the world of psychology and technology, and how the most significant contributor to our lack of focus is in fact the systemic change that has taken place over the last few decades in terms of technology and how those creating it want us to use it. It isn\u2019t just a case of each individual not having the willpower to spend more time on their phone.
What I also found really interesting was the concept that \u201cmultitasking\u201d was originally a term used for a computer\u00a0that had multiple processors\u00a0<\/strong>and that humans \u2013 who only have one \u201cprocessor\u201d (i.e. brain) are NOT capable of multitasking. We think we are, but we are in fact juggling tasks. And the distraction that causes, and the lack of deep thought involved in jumping back and forth from task to task is far more detrimental to our focus and attention than we think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/STOLEN-FOCUS.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/THE-AUTHORITY-GAP-661x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/THE-COACHING-HABIT-716x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"signature\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Julia.Signature.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022.04.15-The-Top-10-Books-for-Leaders-1024x311.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n