10 Leadership Development Book Recommendations for 2024

Want to learn to read your people like a book— or just build up your leadership library? Let’s look at how to identify effective leadership development books plus some recommendations to expand your perspective on leading and guiding others with confidence and empathy.

5 Questions to Ask Before Making Your Selection

To ensure your shelf of bestsellers is stocked with impactful reads that will keep your leadership toolkit stocked, ask yourself:

Is it relevant? The book should be relevant to your specific leadership goals or challenges.
Is the author credible? It’s helpful for the author to have relevant experience in the field of leadership.
Is it clear? The book should be easy to understand and digest.
Is it actionable? The book should provide practical advice, strategies, and tactics that you can easily apply in your own reality.
Is it engaging? An interesting read could give you the urge to learn more and apply the concepts being presented.

10 Leadership Book Recommendations

You can enhance and develop your leadership skills with these insightful reads:

1. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown

“Dare to Lead” teaches readers how to be a leader who is not afraid of being human (or making mistakes) while inspiring others at the same time. Additionally, Brown challenges her audience to be bold, brave, and vulnerable in work and life.

2. Welcome to Management by Ryan Hawk

Hawk welcomes new leaders into the exciting world of management with open arms in this insightful read. This recommendation helps star performers transition into effective leaders by helping to identify how you learn best and how to lead yourself and others while creating a positive work culture.

3. Multipliers by Greg Mckeown and Liz Wiseman

This book gives readers a peek into various leadership styles and how they can either help or hinder your team. Multipliers are leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of the people around them, and Mckeown and Wiseman give readers the key to tap into that talent.

4. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson

In “Crucial Conversations,” Patterson shows readers how to influence others and how to master the skills of handling any difficult conversation with confidence and competence, no matter the topic or person. This can be an ideal read for leaders looking to sharpen their communication skills!

5. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey

Explore the principles of lasting success through effective leadership, influence, collaboration, and improvement in this informative read.

6. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Critics have called “Atomic Habits” a definitive guide that shows how small, incremental, everyday routines compound into massive, positive change over time, breaking bad behaviors and adopting good ones in four steps.

7. Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Looking to become a more authentic, transparent leader? “Start with Why” is an inspiring read that will help leaders (and their organizations) learn how to clarify their purpose and decision-making to achieve greater success.

8. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

Author Holiday explores the concept of ego and how it can be detrimental to our personal and professional lives in “Ego is the Enemy.” The book is divided into three sections: Aspire, Success, and Failure—each part providing examples of how ego can hold us back and prevent us from achieving goals.

9. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Throughout this classic book, Carnegie provides practical advice on how to improve your interpersonal skills and become more successful in your professional life by listening to others, showing appreciation, and avoiding negativity.

10. Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

With the background of Ericsson’s 30-year research into the nature and acquisition of expertise, the two authors provide examples of how deliberate practice can help individuals achieve superior performance in their fields.

Learning to be a great leader takes time, effort, and the curiosity to excel at it. With these leadership development book recommendations, grow your knowledge and the skillset to be the best leader possible.