1.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey Its hard

not to put Dale Carnegie at Number 1, but Coveys 7 Habits is simply the best
leadership development book of all time. No matter what management level you
hold you dont even need to be a manager to learn from this book by
following the 7 Habits you will improve every relationship in your work and
private life; youll gain the respect of your peers, subordinates and superiors;
and youll actually begin to accomplish a few things. Not a bad way to run your
life, is it?

2.

How to Win Friends & Influence People; by Dale Carnegie Its hard to
believe that this people-skills book was written more than 70 years ago, but its
staying power proves one thing: business is about people. Interestingly, so is
leadership. The most important asset of any successful business is their people,
and Carnegies classic has helped millions worldwide improve their business
relationships and grow as leaders. The lessons are almost common knowledge,
but as TheManager knows, common knowledge always seems uncommon in
business.

3.

The One Minute Manager; by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

This best-selling leadership tale has stood the test of time not to the extent of
Carnegies great work, but TheManager doesnt doubt that The One Minute
Manager will still be as relevant in 2081 as it is today (and as it was in 1981).
Full of great advice on how to manage a small team and presented in a concise
story format, the lessons in One Minute can be applied across all levels of
leadership.

4.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done; by Larry Bossidy,

Ram Charan, and Charles Burck Once you know how to deal with and lead
people, the next step is actually getting these groups to accomplish something.
For business leaders today, it seems we spend more time admiring our
problems than we do solving them. Execution does a great job of driving

leaders into action. Interpersonal relationships, innovation and strategy are all
critical leadership skill sets, but without Execution these abilities mean nothing
to the success or failure of a business.
5.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable; by Patrick M.

Lencioni A great fictional tale that gets to heart of why most teams fail to
execute: teamwork. Your group may understand the terrific vision and direction
you provide, but without teamwork your processes will grind to a halt.
Regardless of the number of truly dedicated individuals you have in a group,
The Five Dysfunctions demonstrates how to move that group away from
personalities and into a cohesive state characterized by results.

6.

What Got You Here Wont Get You There: How Successful People
Become Even More Successful; by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
Sometimes misclassified as just a self-help book for leaders, What Got You
Here is actually a great leadership development read for both those who need
to smooth out some rough edges in their approach or personality, and those
who want to build a constructive company culture that takes the organization to
the next level. TheManager especially recommends this book for leaders who
consider themselves successful, but also believe they might be perfect.
(Chances are, youre not, and what got you here wont get you there.)

7.

First, Break All the Rules: What the Worlds Greatest Managers Do
Differently; by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman Focused on
performance, among other things, Break All The Rules should be required
reading for all managers. The concepts discussed fly in the face of conventional
wisdom and may leave you scratching your head at first. Throughout Break All
The Rules, commonly held beliefs are exposed as ineffective or destructive
not by the authors, but by the hyper-successful managers they interviewed.

8.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others
Dont; by Jim Collins Although many of the companies Collins identifies as

having made the leap from good to great back when this book was first
published (2001) have since fallen on hard times (Fannie Mae comes to mind
right away), it does not diminish Good to Greats standing as one of the ten best
leadership books of all time. What originally moved Collins eleven highlighted
companies to the top is what matters, and the principles exposed in his book
are still the best roadmap we have for improving entire organizations.
9.

The Art of War; by Sun Tzu Even today, business is war, and the
teachings of Sun Tzu are still applicable more than 2,500 years after they were
first written. While it would be great if we could all sit in a circle wearing just our
underwear, hold hands and sing Kumbaya, the hard truth is that not every
interaction is going to be fair and not everyone we deal with is going to deal
fairly. The Art of War teaches you how to plan, negotiate, and build important
interpersonal skills it is an understatement to say that this work has stood the
test of time. (TheManagers note: make certain you acquire the complete
version and not an abbreviated version of this work you will not be satisfied by
the 70-page paperback that is available on some websites.)

10.

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your

Work and in Your Life; by Spencer Johnson with Kenneth Blanchard (foreword)
The only authors to have two books on our list, Messrs. Johnson and
Blanchard always take a unique approach to teaching the mundane. In Who
Moved My Cheese youll discover a very quick and entertaining read that helps
people and organizations cope with change. Probably the most argued book on
this list (our editors were split 50/50 on whether or not to include it), Cheese
was included primarily because of the current economic climate we face.
Businesses are either changing or closing, and Who Move My Cheese helps
you, your leaders and your employees cope with and adapt to it.

Call Toll Free 1-800-423-8273

Theseareclassicleadershipbooksthathavestoodthetestoftimeandareessential
readingforanyonewantingtodeveloptheirleadershipskills.Notallleadershipbooksare
businessbooksnorareallbusinessbooksleadershipbooks.Butleadershipisanartthat
canbeappliedinallcontexts.
Ofthebookslistedbelow,somearegreatleadershipbooksintheirownrightandsome
havesimplycausedustochangeourperspectiveandemphasis.Someconfuseprinciples
andapproachesandcanbemisleading,butthepointstheymakearevalidinmany
situations.You,astheleader,mustbecomeamasteratapplication,determiningwhat
workswhen.Whiletherearenouniversalapplications,youwilldiscoverthatthereare
universalprinciplesthatwhenappliedconsistently,willaddtoyoursuccessasaleader.

On Becoming A Leader
by Warren G. Bennis
(Basic Books, 2009)

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Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
(HarperCollins, March 10, 2010)

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Leadership Jazz: The Art of Conducting Business through Leadership,

Followership, Teamwork, Voice, Touch
by Max De Pree
(Dell Publishing, 1992)

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Leadership Is An Art
by Max De Pree
(Currency, 2004 Revised)

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On Leadership
by John William Gardner
(Free Press, 1993)

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Leadership from the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life

by Kevin Cashman
(Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2nd Edition 2008)

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Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within

by Robert E. Quinn
(Jossey-Bass, 1996)

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Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... And Others Don't
by Jim Collins
(HarperCollins, 2001)

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In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies

by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman
(Collins, 2004)

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Why Leaders Can't Lead: The Unconscious Conspiracy Continues

by Warren Bennis
(Jossey-Bass, 1976/Rev. 1998)

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The Courageous Follower: Standing Up to and for Our Leaders - 3rd

by Ira Chalef
(Berrett-Koehler Pub, 2009)

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John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do

by John P. Kotter
(Harvard Business School Press, 1999)

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The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
by Peter M. Senge
(Currency, Revised 2006)

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The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
by Peter M. Senge
(Currency, 1994)

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The Leadership Challenge, Fourth Edition

by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
(Jossey-Bass, 2007)

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Management - Revised Edition

by Peter F. Drucker
(Collins, 2008)

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The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
by Peter F. Drucker
(Collins, 2006)

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The Age of Discontinuity: Guidelines to Our Changing Society

by Peter F. Drucker
(HarperBusiness, Reprint 1993)

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The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
by John C. Maxwell
(Thomas Nelson, 1998)

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Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and
Strangling Profits
Commemorative Edition
by Robert L. Townsend wth foreword by Warren Bennis
(Jossey-Bass, 2007)

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My Years with General Motors

by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.
(Currency, 1990)

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The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action
by Jefrey Pfefer and Robert I. Sutton
(Harvard Business School Press, 1999)

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12.