Image: Best Books on Leadership by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's list of the best books on leadership.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 6.29.2024; No. 126
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor, and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
I have a passion for good leadership and have read many books on the subject. Here is my list of the top five books on leadership with a summary of what makes each book outstanding and a link to my full review on each.
The best books on leadership
#5 Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown (2018; 320 pages)
Image: Dare to Lead by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Dare to Lead is an excellent book exploring vulnerability as a critical leadership quality. Best-selling author Dr. Brené Brown shares ideas from her previous books and adds new concepts in Dare to Lead. Dr. Brown addresses the myths of vulnerability and the need to actively confront shame to manifest courage and integrity in leadership. The author argues that out of this vulnerable, genuine courage, people can develop greater awareness of their values, more profound empathy, and a stronger connection to others. The book also addresses the importance of maintaining clear boundaries in relationships.
#4 Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins (2001; 300 pages)
Image: Good to Great by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Good to Great is a book by Jim Collins on the characteristics of companies and their leaders that create exceptional outcomes and success. Jim Collins and his team studied over 1,400 companies over 30 years and winnowed their list of remarkable companies to just 11. Good to Great tells the story of the common attributes among these companies and their leaders, which allowed them to move from mediocre performance to greatness. The author writes persuasively and passionately, presenting many original ideas in this book. I found the depth and breadth of insights presented in Good to Great astonishing.
#3 The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership by Steven Sample (2001; 192 pages)
Image: The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership abounds with unconventional ideas that are so good they have now become mainstream. Author Dr. Steven Sample shares stories and concepts from leaders throughout history, his experiences as president of two universities, and how he guided both organizations to phenomenal growth and distinction. In his high-level overview of leadership, Dr. Sample convincingly argues that leadership can be learned, and he provides practical advice on developing the necessary skills to become an effective leader. I found that the author introduced many concepts that were new to me and helped me to understand other strategies in a new way.
#2 Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute (2000; 181 pages)
Image: Leadership and Self-Deception by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Leadership and Self-Deception has been among my all-time favorite leadership books for over a decade. It’s a book that I’ve reread many times and given to dozens of my friends, colleagues, and students. The undisclosed author(s) of this book wrote it in an unexpected way—as a fictional story—to lower the reader's defenses and draw them in to explore the main ideas. Leadership and Self-Deception includes some concepts from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help readers recognize and address maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. This book can help create greater self-awareness and empathy for others and is especially good for people who work in team-based settings. Leadership and Self-Deception is an easy, quick read, and I think it nearly ties in first place as the best book on leadership.
#1 Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright (2008; 320 pages)
Image: Tribal Leadership by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
I first read Tribal Leadership over a decade ago, and it was only after rereading it recently that I came to understand its brilliance. Ten years ago, I was not developmentally ready as a leader to incorporate the ideas from this book. I was too defended against them. Interestingly, reading and rereading the book Leadership and Self-Deception broke through my defenses. Authors Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright call this breakthrough the “Epiphany.” Having experienced this leadership epiphany, I have to say that Tribal Leadership now stands out as the best book on leadership.
In Tribal Leadership, the authors define and explore the five cultural stages of people in a tribe (an organization). Each cultural stage has its own mindset/attitude, communication/language, and relationship/organizational patterns. The authors provide advice for communicating and working with people at all cultural stages to move people and organizations from Stage Three to Stage Four. (Stage Five is the uncommon, nirvana-level leader or organization that might be found in Jim Collins’s book Good to Great.) If you have had—or are on the verge of—a leadership epiphany, Tribal Leadership is the book to read.
Your invitation to provide feedback
I plan to continue updating this article as I read more books on leadership. If you expected to find a title I did not list, please share your comments and suggestions below. You can also check out my other book reviews by clicking this LINK.