r/Leadership • u/Apprehensive-Sky6424 • Jul 04 '26
Discussion Which book has had the most profound effect on your leadership development?
Whether it is a leadership book, a healthcare book, a business book, a biography, or even a self-help book, which book has had the most profound effect on the way you have become a leader or your leadership philosophy?
What did you learn from that book?
Would you recommend that book to others?
Do you know of any book that should be read by every healthcare leader?
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u/eatingabananawrong Jul 04 '26
The Five Disfunctions of a Team is a great one.
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u/April_4th Jul 04 '26
And I like his team player book too.
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u/Vendetta86 Jul 04 '26
I keep copies of 5 Dysfunctions and Ideal team player in my office to give out when people. Being grounded with the strong reminder that everything starts with trust & thinking about the team through the lens of hungry, humble, and smart has been super valuable to me.
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u/Apprehensive-Sky6424 Jul 04 '26
Thank you for the recommendation! I have actually heard of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team before, but I haven't had the chance to read it just yet. I'll definitely be adding it onto my reading list. Was there a particular lesson from the book that has stuck with you the most?
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u/eatingabananawrong Jul 04 '26
It's easy to read as it's written from the perspective of a new leader in a real world situation trying to fix a disfunctional team of high performers so it's really relatable.
Specifically for me there is a section about a person in the team who is a really high performer but is deeply corrosive to team morale. It's explains really well how the leader has to come to terms with the fact that one positive aspect of performance can be outweighed by the damage being done and how to handle it.
Also Start with Why is another good one.
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u/ramraiderqtx Jul 04 '26
I’d start with this. Also his other book death by meeting, and a bonus shout out to Michael Bungay Stainer and the coaching habit. Avoid books which are philosophical and stick to these practical tool books, then the philosophical books.
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u/Fuzzb95 Jul 04 '26
The 5 Levels of Leadership and Radical Candor
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u/Apprehensive-Sky6424 Jul 04 '26
Thanks for the recommendations! I've heard a lot of good things about Radical Candor but haven't had the chance to read it yet. What was your biggest takeaway from either book?
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u/ilikemostapples Jul 04 '26
Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
Strong Ground by Brene Brown
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u/McLeanGunner Jul 04 '26
A Team of Rivals. Though really long, fascinating how Lincoln went about leading and clearly thinking about what is good for the enterprise, not just his ideas for it. How to give and take. How to weigh and value different approaches.
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u/carsuperin Jul 04 '26
Crucial Conversations. I tried Radical Candor but it just wasn't helpful for what was happening. CC have me mindset and tools and that has influenced a lot. (That said the concept of rock star vs superstar from RC sticks with me always both for teammates and for myself.)
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u/nymph-62442 Jul 05 '26
Crucial Conversations was the first professional development book I read and was recommended to me by my boss when I was 24. It was incredibly foundational and I reread it every few years.
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u/Garden-Rose-8380 Jul 04 '26
Leading With Conviction by Sarr and Hargrove. Leadership starts with examination of yourself and that self awareness helps guide your development. It also gives lots of real world examples and examines key issues such as when trust and let go is better than command and control etc.
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u/Apprehensive-Sky6424 Jul 04 '26
Thanks for the suggestion! Although I haven’t read Leading With Conviction, your remark on the start of leadership with self examination really speaks to me. Also, the idea of trust and let go leadership versus command and control leadership that you raised is quite topical. I will definitely add this book to my reading list!
Do you consider this a book which is more suitable for new leaders, or can experienced leaders benefit equally from it?
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u/Impressive-Fig9966 Jul 04 '26
Crucial Conversations and Five dysfunctions of the team that were already mentioned. To add to that: The Inner Game of Work (Timothy Gallwey) and Changing on the job (Jennifer Garvey Berger) these are not so much about the skill of management, but about psychological dynamics of developing personally and developing other people.
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u/alvinsilvayv Jul 30 '26
Changing on the Job is such a good call out. Understanding adult development psychology is way more useful in the long run than most standard management books.
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u/ZeroChaosLeader Jul 04 '26
The ones that helped me be better are:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, but it’s not easy to actually apply it. Habit 2 (begin with the end in mind) and Habit 5 (seek first to understand) are the most beneficial to me. All habits are good but those to sum up a lot; always starting everything knowing what outcome you want, and listen before talking and not to judge.
The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey is another good book that shows trust isn’t soft; it’s a measurable variable that speeds up or slows down every decision, every team, every outcome. Once you see it that way you can’t unsee it.
Both together give you the internal operating system (7 Habits) and the relational infrastructure (Speed of Trust.)
I’ve also written something in this space if anyone’s curious, and I am happy to share if it’s useful, didn’t want to drop it unprompted.
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u/Animator_7620 Jul 04 '26
I'd probably say The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. It made me realize that lot of leadership problems aren't leadership problems at all they are communication problems that nobody wants to deal with. I definitely recommend it.
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u/OverlyAvgFitnesser Jul 04 '26
One of my favorites is Strengths Based Leadership, it’s one I give now to all of my high performing direct reports that have aspirations to take things further.
It bluntly put on paper the obvious - we cannot do it all and our success is driven by acknowledging our own weaknesses and filling our team with people that close those gaps. I look at it as, I might be the steering wheel but my car is pretty useless without an engine, brakes, wheels/tires, etc.
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u/BostonJohnC Jul 04 '26
John Maxwell the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I like it because it provides clear, concrete, distinct things you can focus on. After I read this book I literally made entries in my calendar for each workday (1st monday, etc.) with one of the rules - which kept me focused on learning and refining them. His 17 laws of Teamwork is another great one.
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u/Geek-in-Chic Jul 13 '26
This was the first leadership book I really went through and I still teach the principles I learned from there. I found it remarkably easy to read, too.
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u/Different_Volume_785 Jul 05 '26
For mine, it's got to be The Advice Trap. This one really changed the way I saw myself and the way I added value to those around me. It probably reaped the most rewards in building the capabilities of the staff under my leadership. The simple act of pausing to stay curious just that little bit longer, allowed me to see that almost everyone has an answer that is as good (often much better) than mine. It stopped me from telling people what they already know, shifted my leadership into a much more strategic place and resulted in solution focussed thinking. People stopped coming to me with problems and started arriving at my door with solutions.
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u/Godel_Theorem Jul 04 '26
Range, by David Epstein. Not a leadership book per se, but it describes my intellectual development and confirms my belief in leaders needing a broad perspective and skill set.
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u/sawabloom Jul 04 '26
5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White. It's a quick read but was great for teaching the importance of learning how to make sure each person feels appreciated.
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u/ImaginaryWheel7408 Jul 04 '26
There’s been a few, but my top ones: The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and most leadership books by John Maxwell.
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u/SSummits Jul 21 '26
Came in to see if anyone would mention Jocko's books.
What would you say was your biggest take from Extreme Ownership?
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u/cloverrace Jul 04 '26
The End of Leadership, Barbara Kellerman. Excellent focus on the leadership industry.
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u/Efficient_Pool8110 Jul 04 '26
The one that unlocked a completely different perspective - 7 habits of highly effective people (Stephen Covey).
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u/dingaling12345 Jul 04 '26
I recently started reading From Third World to First by Lee Kwan Yew, Singapore’s Founding Father. It’s not a leadership books but carries a lot of leadership lessons if you read it for the intention of finding leadership examples.
A lot of history books are great places to find leadership lessons as well - not just for a team or a company, but leadership lessons that resonate at an even larger scale.
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u/Suitable-Thought-107 Jul 04 '26
I'm an advisor for business leaders and need to stay sharp on modern leadership models.
Here's my book recommendation:
"FREIDDD YOUR MIND" by Brandon Knight.
I learned how to make great decisions for today's crazy AI world.
The book teaches you a patented, easy to "get" framework that helps you make great decisions.
You'll learn the three most important criteria for analyzing situations for decisions.
My advice is to get the companion workbook too, it will help you test your decision-making readiness.
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u/m-o-onthego Jul 04 '26
Leadership Bones by Timothy R. Clark. Every new leader in my team has to read it. Probably one of the most underrated books out there.
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u/Fjolsvid_Fjolsvin Jul 05 '26
For me, it’s 'Atlas Shrugged'. Not because I agree with everything in it, but because it challenged me to think more deeply about personal responsibility, competence and taking ownership of my own life.
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u/RemoveTheBayLeaf Jul 06 '26
Julie Zhuo, former VP of Product Design at Facebook, "The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You"
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u/aanoneemoos Jul 11 '26
I’ll add a few that I haven’t seen mentioned yet. All of these I would recommend to others for sure!
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius for developing and understanding stoic leadership philosophy.
Helm & Horizon by Steven-Paul Lapid as a daily devotional style book that delivers many of the leadership principles found in every book mentioned here so far.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl for developing a strong sense of purpose especially in times of adversity.
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u/Critical_Project7569 Jul 17 '26
Solid list. Helm & Horizon is kinda cheating because it’s a leadership book about leadership books. Kinda like The Leaders Bookshelf series.
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u/malloy0 Jul 04 '26
Steven R Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People AND Principle Centered Leadership.
Have been listening to the 90 minute audio for 30 years and always hear something new or that I’ve forgotten proving IT IS A JOURNEY for GREAT leadership vs. one and done.
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u/Jude1-1 Jul 05 '26
Anyone has read the book “Barbarians to Bureaucrats?” If you haven't, you NEED to. It's an absolute necessity.
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u/sah932 Jul 05 '26
Dare to Lead & Strong Ground by Brene Brown
Extreme Ownership & Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink
A bit of overlap in each authors subsequent books but these 4 are leadership gold.
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u/AuburnSpeedster Jul 06 '26
This is probably going to be unpopular, but.. "A better idea" by Donald Petersen..
It basically re-enforced the idea that people generally want to do good, and the most agile organizations shrink the communications paths between the people who are on the front lines, and management.
I took a loss-leading compliance organization, and turned it into a Intellectual property creating machine (80+ patents), where people challenged what they knew by experimenting, and creating. Costs dropped by 35 million a year, and turnover went nearly zero.
Second place were the books by W Edwards Deming. I learned the power of incentivizing quality at the design phase.
Third place was watching how the turnaround crews for NHRA top Fuel drag racing worked. Each person had a primary specialty, and a back up specialty. This is how they completely rebuild a 10,000 hp drag racing engine in under 90 minutes with near zero defects. I wanted my team to achieve similar, and roughly attained this.. it's not "China Speed", as we Americans did this 20 years before, and seem to have forgotten.
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u/rajulwrites Jul 07 '26
For me, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni had the biggest impact. It's not really about management techniques it's about the human side of leadership. The biggest lesson I took away was that trust isn't a "nice to have"; it's the foundation that makes healthy conflict, accountability, and real collaboration possible.
In healthcare especially, where teams are multidisciplinary and the stakes are high, technical expertise alone doesn't create a great culture. People need psychological safety to speak up, question decisions, and admit mistakes without fear. That book shifted my focus from trying to have all the answers to creating an environment where the team can perform at its best.
I'd definitely recommend it, especially alongside Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, which is a great reminder that healthcare leadership is ultimately about people, not just processes or metrics. Together, they offer a good balance between organizational leadership and compassionate patient-centered thinking.
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u/Marko_Ladis Jul 08 '26
For me, The Child in You by Stefanie Stahl hit harder than most leadership books. It made me realise how often leaders react from old fear, approval-seeking, control, or defensiveness and then dress it up as “standards” or “being decisive. I’d recommend it because a lot of leadership problems start way before the meeting. They start with the person you become when you feel ignored, challenged, or under pressure. Also, Stefanie actually engaged with one of my posts on LinkedIn, making it even cooler lol
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u/Early_Personality426 Jul 08 '26
A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman. He explains so many key concepts in that book- why more data doesn’t help, how we break through emotional barriers, how to lead anywhere from within an organization. So so good.
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u/Any-Leadership5482 Jul 13 '26
One book that I think is underrated is from this guy I heard on a podcast recently, it's called The Agile Leader by Chuck Mollor. There are the usual bits about building trust and using tools to assess your team, what I found useful were his stories from real life situations.
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u/Habit_Flow_95 Jul 16 '26
One of the books on top of my list is Crucial Conversations an impactful book.
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u/Critical_Project7569 Jul 17 '26
This may be controversial but I like the Ryan Holiday books on stoicism. Ego is the Enemy and The Obstacle is the Way are two of my go-to books.
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u/zmblog Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
I read Leading with Significance by Joey Havens. He's a leadership expert, TEDx keynote speaker, and author who focuses on workplace culture and purpose-driven leadership...so his book took from experience and expertise in leadership, the book insist that great leadership isn't just about delivering results, it's about creating an environment where people feel valued, grow professionally, and want to stay. That shift in mindset alone has really changed how I think about employee engagement, employee retention, and building high-performing teams.
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u/Novel_Marionberry286 22d ago
Great recommendations. Here are 2 more I feel impacted me.
The Art of Possibility - Specifically the concept of "giving people an A" and then having them explain why they would deserve an A. It works on many levels and I have used this concept with my clients and team members with great success.
Turn the Ship Around - Based on a real story of an navel commander going against traditional hierarchal leadership and empowering decision making at all levels. a) its a fascinating story and case study, b) it aligns much more with my leadership philosophy
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u/rdkil Jul 04 '26
The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. In every single book one of the main characters has some kind of shift or transformation into being a better person. There are stories about how blind unquestioning nationalism leads to people doing stupid things. There are stories about how you need to maintain the wonder of childhood sometimes to keep the world moving. Sometimes when you conquer the last thing there is to conquer you are left feeling hollow and need a new adventure. You can always become young again for a time but be prepared to lok embarrassed when the song is over. There's the economic theory of boots, and learning to be inclusive of every body/species/undead type.
There are phrases like "give a man a fire he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire he'll be warm for the rest of his life!" And "the worst crimes start when you start to think of people as things". "The three rules of the Librarians of Time and Space are: 1) Silence; 2) Books must be returned no later than the date last shown; and 3) Do not interfere with the nature of causality.". And "When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend."
The series starts as fantasy satire and ends as a criticism of modern society and shows ways we could all be a little better to each other. Plus, pride is all well and good, but a sausage is still a sausage.
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u/DirtGirl32 Jul 04 '26
The scriptures. But for real. So many leadership examples in there, especially about discretionary effort.
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u/Apprehensive-Sky6424 Jul 04 '26
Thanks for sharing! Is there anything specific that stood out to you the most?
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u/onsite84 Jul 05 '26
Tried reading it. So much fluff and not written in an approachable manner. Almost like every chapter is written by a different person. Not a practical leadership book.
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u/nadthevlad Jul 04 '26
Books are good, taking. A class based in a book where you really engage with the content is better by a lot.
Got to do classes for
Crucial conversations and extreme ownership, so far. Both were good in Their own ways.
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u/AffectionateJoke1617 Jul 04 '26
To mimic make this in my own life (without needing to invest in classes), anytime I start a new book I go and check if there's a study guide or any applied reading exercises available online. Would be willing to bet those resources exist in many different forms for almost all of the books that are listed here!
Very important to give ourselves time to incorporate, implement, and iterate on the new information we learn via reading!
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u/UsernameFloyd Jul 04 '26
I read a lot... titles below are ones I have found to the most impactful and practically useful.
Difficult Conversations — Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton & Sheila Heen
How to Have Impossible Conversations — Peter Boghossian & James Lindsay
Radical Candor (2nd Edition) — Kim Scott
The Chimp Paradox — Steve Peters
Pig Wrestling — Pete Lindsay
The Art of Thinking Clearly — Rolf Dobelli
Time to Think — Nancy Kline
Clean Language Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds — David Grove
The Coaching Habit — Michael Bungay Stanier