While working with leaders as a mentor or a speaker, I’m often asked for book recommendations. Below is a list of books for leaders that I’ve read and highly recommend to entrepreneurs, managers, and experts who see themselves as leaders.

Leadership & Entrepreneurship

‘Leading at a Higher Level’	Ken Blanchard	About situational leadership – adequate to the experience level of your team members.
‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’	Patrick Lencioni	Why things can go wrong in teams, even the best ones.
‘E-Myth Revisited’	Michael Gerber	On the myths of entrepreneurship and building a company. What differs an entrepreneur from a manager & expert?
‘Work Rules!’	Laszlo Bock	Leadership best practices from Google.
‘No Rules Rules’	Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer	About Netflix’s organizational culture.
‘Turn the Ship Around’	David Marquet	About trust-based leadership.
‘Leadership by design’	Aga Szóstek	About becoming a more conscious leader.
‘Extreme leadership’	Leif Babin, Jocko Willink	Leadership best practices for Agile leaders.
‘Rework’	Jason Fried & Daniel H Hanson	About building a progressive, flat organization.
‘Hard things about hard things’	Ben Horowitz	Real problems of entrepreneurship explained.
‘Zero to one’	Peter Thiel	How to build risk-facing teams.
‘Dare to Lead’	Brene Brown	About vulnerability in leadership.
‘Spiral Dynamics’	Don Edward Beck	On the stages of development of organizations (as well as societies, people, etc.).

Agile & Lean in Product Development & Entrepreneurship

‘Management 3.0.’	Jurgen Appelo	Modern methods for working with teams and leadership.
‘The Lean Startup’	Eric Ries	About building startups and fast-growing organizations.
‘Running Lean’	Ash Maurya	On testing business hypotheses.
‘The Four Steps to the Epiphany’	Steve Blank	On customer development and customer experience in building products.
‘Sprint’	Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky	On iterative work in short cycles.
‘The Phoenix Project’	Kevin Behr, Gene Kim	On what supports or hinders organizational development.
‘The Principles of Product Development Flow’	Donald Reinertsen	The Bible of building digital products.
‘The 4-hour work week’	Tim Ferris	About working to live, not living to work.
‘Lean Analytics’	Alistair Croll, Benjamin Yoskowitz	About measuring things that matter.
‘The Goal’	Jeff Cox, Eliyahu Goldratt.	Lean principles in continuous improvement.

Communication

‘The art of asking’	Amanda Palmer	Questions as a tool for building relationships. Watch TEDx 1st!
‘Quiet! The power of introverts‘	Susan Cain	The power of introverts. Understanding your & others’ vulnerability better.
‘Nonviolent Communication’	Marshall B. Rosenberg	About empathetic, effective, and assertive communication.
‘Parent Effectiveness Training’	Thomas Gordon	Not just for parents! An excellent guide on communication and assertiveness.
‘Change Your Questions, Change Your Life’	Marilee Adams	How to ask the right questions without blaming others.
‘Coaching questions’	Tony Stoltzfus	More than 1000 powerful questions.

Psychology of Efficient Work & Life

‘Thinking fast and slow’	Daniel Kahneman	About how our brain works and the biases it generates.
‘Drive’	Dan Pink	On intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
‘Start with WHY’	Simon Sinek	About discovering your inner motivation—your personal “WHY.”
‘Search Inside Yourself’	Chade-Meng Tan, ‎Daniel Goleman, ‎Jon Kabat-Zinn	On mindfulness for leaders and teams, based on Google’s experience.
‘Managing oneself’	Peter Drucker	On understanding yourself better as a human.
‘Essentialism’	Greg McKeown	About focusing on what really matters.
‘The One Thing’	Gary Keller	How to effectively accomplish tasks.
‘Atomic Habits’	James Clear	Simple methods for better work and a better life.
‘Deep work’	Cal Newport	On effective work organization.
‘Slow Productivity’	Cal Newport	Efficiency of work in slow motion.
‘Psychology and Life’	Philip Zimbardo	On psychology, including personality types and motivation.

Books for leaders

This list helps you to discover the ultimate collection of books leaders need to read to excel in their roles. From leadership strategies and team management to personal development and motivation, these titles are curated for aspiring and seasoned leaders alike. Learn how to communicate effectively, develop your leadership style, and embrace innovative methods for personal and professional growth.

Whether you’re managing a small team, scaling a startup, or navigating corporate challenges, these books for leaders offer actionable insights and proven techniques. Start your leadership journey today with this comprehensive guide to the best titles in the field.

Disclaimer: All the books are recommended using the Amazon Affiliation Program.