The 10 Best Books to Strengthen Your Leadership and Grow Your Organization

If you don’t prepare for growth, you’re unintentionally preparing for decline.

In this post, I outline 10 powerful books that have helped strengthen my leadership and grow our organization. In no particular order ...

1. Developing the Leader Within You – John C. Maxwell

You don’t develop as a leader accidentally. You develop intentionally.

Developing the Leader Within You is John Maxwell’s first leadership book and, in my opinion, one of his best. Don’t miss it.

Find the book here.

For more, John and I talk about some of his best leadership concepts in this episode of the podcast.

2. First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently – Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman

What sets great leaders apart? Gallup’s research on 80,000 managers shows what they have in common: non-traditional mindsets that make them great.

Find the book here.

3. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don’t – Jim Collins

How do you transform an organization on an “okay” trajectory to achieve lasting success? Jim Collins’ classic Good to Great will show you how.

So many team members at Life.Church say this was the book that changed how they work. A must-read.

Find the book here.

4. The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations – Barry Z. Posner, James M. Kouzes

Motivational leaders push you to do more, but inspirational leaders pull your best out of you.

If you want your organization to thrive, you have a very specific role to fill. This book will help you pull extraordinary results and growth out of your team.

Find the book here.

5. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended on It – Chris Voss

As a leader, train yourself never to gripe about what you allow. Never complain about something you tolerate. You are the leader—lead to the desired result.

On top of being the most entertaining book on this list, Never Split the Difference teaches you how to tactfully approach every leadership conversation.

For an introduction to Chris and his book, listen to this episode of our Leadership Podcast.

Find the book here.

6. Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track—and Keeping It There – Les McKeown

Goals don’t determine success. Systems determine success. But if you have too many systems, they’ll eventually drag your organization down.

This book shows you how to bring sustained, lasting, predictable success to your organization by maintaining the right balance of systems and flexibility.

Find the book here.

7. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals – Sean Covey, Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, Scott Thele, Beverly Walker

Small disciplines done consistently lead to big results over time.

This book helps you lead your team into a rhythm of disciplined accountability. When you get in this rhythm, you’ll be surprised by how much you’re able to get done.

Find the book here.

8. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael Gerber

If you want to build something big, don’t be afraid to start small.

This book can help you overcome the challenges that take most small organizations out—while growing larger than you ever expected. A modern-day classic.

Find the book here.

9. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcolm Gladwell

When it comes to getting your product or ideas out there, the goal isn’t just to get it into more hands. It’s to get it into the right hands at the right time.

The Tipping Point will help you do that.

Find the book here.

10. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You – John C. Maxwell

According to John, “Times change. Technology marches forward. Cultures vary from place to place. But the true principles of leadership are constant.”

Follow these 21 laws, and people will follow your leadership.

Find the book here.

44 Leadership Books Every Leader Needs to Read

This post is part four of a four-part series covering the 44 leadership books every leader needs to read.

Part 1: The 13 Best Books for Building Great Habits and Achieving Your Goals

Part 2: The 14 Best Books on Leading People and Developing Great Culture

Part 3: The 7 Best Books on Creativity, Innovation, and Writing Great Content

This list is far from complete. These 44 will get you well on your way to being a world-class leader, but there are more I could include.

Sharpen Your Leadership in a Changing World (Three Free Trainings)

Leadership is influence—and you are a leader. That’s why it’s critical you keep sharpening your leadership.

I’d love to help.

When I look at all of the podcasts and principles I’ve worked on, three stand out. These trainings will help you build a strong leadership foundation—both personally and professionally.

Learn practical ways to influence people, manage your time wisely, and communicate better. You can get the three-part series here for free!