5 books every leader should read
Reading is a great past time; an opportunity to learn by immersing yourself into a different world, even non-fiction. Leadership is a hotly discussed topic; many people who aren’t leaders , claim to be one and vice versa. I can’t say I’m a leader, but I feel we all demonstrate certain characteristics of being a leader, some express it more than others. To help people in their development towards becoming a leader, here are five books I’d recommend current and aspiring leaders should read.
How to make friends and influence people — Dale Carnegie
A classic book which changes the way you think when it comes to people. Carnegie is a known genius when it comes to personal development. His book explains in simple terms how to influence effectively and how anyone can reach there. There are many topics in this classic which appeal for all, for example how to deal with criticism, how to win people over with your thinking, and how to change people without offending — all topics which are important in leadership.
“Everybody in the world is seeking happiness — and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn’t depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions.”
Good to great — Jim Collins
The culmination of a rigorous five year project, Collins led a research team to determine, why do some companies make the jump from being good, to great. Distilled into a few key lessons with plenty of examples, this book summarises 2000 pages of interviews and 600 articles into an easy to read book, which every leader can learn from.
“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”
Leading — Sir Alex Ferguson
The most decorated football manager of all time. Over a 26 year career at Manchester United, Ferguson took a below average team to the best team in Europe, numerous times. In this book he explained the key to building high performing teams, and the principles he found effective in leading his team to success, both on and off the football field.
“My job was to make everyone understand that the impossible was possible, that’s the difference between leadership and management.”
Who moved my cheese — Dr. Spencer Johnson
We all know change is inevitable. We spend much of our time trying to change other people’s behaviours. But what do we do when we find ourselves in the situation where people are trying to change us and we don’t want to? Who moved my cheese is a fantastic short read (took me an hour) which teaches us how to deal with change.
“Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.”
Other People’s Shoes: 40 questions for leaders and managers— Ken Jarrold
In the UK pharmacy scene, Jarrold is known for being the Chair of the Rebalancing Medicines Legislation and Pharmacy Regulation Programme Board. In other spheres, Ken is known for his distinguished NHS career, leading to become the Chair of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust. Jarrold’s book is a reflective read, to encourage the reader to explore their own practice and way of working to become a better leader. Recommended to me by a senior pharmacist, it did not disappoint — I’d recommend this to you.
These are five books I’d recommend, which books would you recommend?
Thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts on this, and what else you’d like to see in the future. All views presented are the blogger and not representative of their employer.
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