Top five leadership books

Here we look at five of the best books on leadership and management, some of which I bet you haven’t considered to be business or even self-improvement related 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Management Today

If you’ve already read a business book or two  I’d hazard a guess that you’ve heard of Jim Collins, Daniel Kahenman, Simon Sine and Rosabeth or Moss Kanter. Instead then, let’s look at those which you may have overlooked and which could be beneficial to your business. 

A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Leadership, Brad Jackson and Ken Parry

Don’t let the title put you off. This is a light-heated introduction to a very well-written and important take on the different layers of management. The book explores ways to improve output, as well as common mistakes and small changes leaders can make on a day-to-day basis, all in an easy-to-read and straightforward way. 

The End of Competitive Advantage, Rita Gunther McGrath

Rather than a skirting around the topic in a flowery way, as many other business or self-improvement books do, here Rita McGrath tackles the topic of management head on. The best strategies are discussed by assessing the manner in which 10 very different companies changed their methods and took on business in their different sectors. 

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Yuvel Noah Harari

Perhaps the most famous book on the list, Homo Deus is a best seller and follow up to Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. This series of books are not usually categorised in the arena of business but the Brief History of Tomorrow, in particular, is certainly a book business leaders should be reading.  

Harari offers great insights into his predictions as to what lays ahead for us all and what we should expect from the world in the years to come, all in an extremely elegant and easy-to-read way. 

The Alliance by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh

Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn. The Alliance uses Hoffman’s case study to show how best to motivate and manage staff – in particular, those of a young and tech-savvy persuasion, of whom there are many at LinkedIn. Casnocha and Yeh explain how these young careers involve more than mere linear progress and should be viewed as something of a ‘tour of duty’, in which satisfaction at work is a two-way street.

Tribes, Seth Godin

Rather than the fact-filled nature of the other titles on this list, the advice in Tribes can be described as more of a stream of consciousness. Godin’s books are not for everyone – however, his insights into business and, in particular, work behaviors and relationships is profound. The style in which the book is written is very entertaining and gives a refreshingly different narrative on leadership, the balance of power, and teamwork.