6 books every creative leader should read
I’ve been a member of the Save to Reading List community for a long time. It wasn’t until I took some time to breathe that I was finally able to tackle my reading list. And guess what, it was amazing. I love developing a better understanding through the experience and insights of others. It’s a great feeling when things suddenly make more sense or when a new perspective is formed. I consider my reading time as one of the most valuable investments I have ever made. In this article I want to introduce you to 6 books that have changed my professional life. I hope they have the same effect on you.
1. Start With Why (Simon Sinek)
There is no leadership without a group of people who are willing to join the ride. Great leaders make a difference by creating an inspiring environment where people are deeply engaged to perform. Especially when things get tough. So how do they do this? By constantly focussing on why their company exists in the first place. And what it should do to bring its cause to life. This book dives deep into the power of purpose and how to inspire those around you to achieve remarkable things. Imagine a team where everybody acts for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to. That would be quite an amazing thing, don’t you agree?
→ Get Start With Why on Amazon
2. Creative Confidence (David & Tom Kelly)
It takes serious guts to pitch an idea to a colleague, client or customer. We’ve all been there and while this fear of failure is invisible, it still is the biggest obstacle people face. Creative Confidence is a book about the ability to come up with new ideas and the courage to try them out. To learn from your experiments and develop a better understanding of both the problem and the solution. If you want to learn best practices for nurturing and unleashing your team’s creative potential, the inventors of design thinking got you covered.
→ Get Creative Confidence on Amazon
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)
This book is my number 1 recommendation for everybody who is ready to look into the mirror. For real. It introduces several interesting concepts that enable you to make decisions better aligned with your personal values. My favourite habit is First Things First: a simple time management concept that stimulates you to focus on what’s important instead of what’s urgent. It seems simple, I know. But ask yourself this: when was the last time you spent 4 hours straight only on things that are truly important to you? Without interruptions whatsoever? You’re probably thinking it’s been a long time. And that it’s just difficult to manage. Well, it’s not. Do yourself a favour and order the book now.
4. The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)
Let me be frank here and give you an uncomfortable but important truth: 95% of managers who read The Lean Startup don’t capture what it’s actually about. This is not a project management bible for your IT department. It’s no recipe for flexibility or adapting smoothly to change. It’s about finding out where you’re wrong. About trying things out, quickly learn what works and discard what does not. It’s about avoiding the greatest destroyer of creative potential: misguided decision to persevere. Please read this book and apply it to create a culture of continuous learning. You don’t want to spend all your precious energy on building the wrong things.
→ Get The Lean Startup on Amazon
5. The Design of Everyday Things (Dan Norman)
Have you ever tried to pull a door only to find out you needed to push? Have you ever struggled with your thermostat or phone? Have you ever screamed or even smashed something because it just didn’t work? Cognitive scientist Don Norman says the fault lies not in yourself but in design that ignores the needs and psychology of people. Bad design is everywhere, but you don’t want to join the club of frustrating products & services. This book explains what makes a product understandable, usable and enjoyable. A must-read for any team on a mission to satisfy customers.
→ Get The Design of Everyday Things on Amazon
6. Sprint (Jake Knapp)
Name a big problem your team is dealing with and I’ll show you how to solve it within 5 days. Jake Knapp’s value proposition is pretty damn awesome if you ask me. His 5-day process has helped fast-growing startups to fortune 500 companies find critical business answers very quickly. Running a few sprints myself I can only say it is a great way to speed up your problem solving process. And it’s also incredibly fun to go into bootcamp mode and break the code. Have a ball!
So now it’s up to you. Buy the books, free up some time every week and get started! If you want to receive more updates and articles just sign up for my weekly newsletter. In the meantime, let me know which books you recommend in the comments below!
Happy reading,
Thomas
