CXO

Become a better leader: 10 books that can help

By // July 1, 2014, 4:30 AM PST // ErinCarson

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  • Good to Great by Jim Collins (Harper Business, 2001)

    In discussing how companies can shift from mediocrity to sustained greatness, Collins examines the leadership needed to cross that gulf, along with other ideas like "The Hedgehog Concept."

  • Gung Ho! by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles (William Morrow, 1997)

    Employee morale is important in keeping an organization humming along. Blanchard and Bowles walk readers through three principles for boosting productivity and performance.

  • The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, 2002)

    If narrative is more your speed, this book is constructed as a story of a Silicon Valley firm with a new CEO named Kathryn. The story might be fiction, but the static she runs into from various members of her team is very real.

  • Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink (Riverhead Books, 2011)

    Pink argues that motivating people is more complicated than the carrot on a stick approach. Instead, he discusses three ideas (autonomy, mastery, and purpose) important in inspiring motivation, not just movement.

  • The Leader's Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages by J. Thomas Wren (Free Press, 1995)

    Wren offers leadership perspective from Plato to John Kotter (Harvard Business School).

  • Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler (McGraw Hill, 2004)

    Few people enjoy confrontation, but a botched handling of conflict can take a situation from bad to worse. This book offers useful strategy for successfully navigating conflict.

  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz (Harper Business, 2014)

    Horowitz's book, based on his blog, has more of a bent toward running a startup, and the various problems and challenges a leader can face as an entrepreneur.

  • Harvard Business Review on Leadership by Harvard Business School Press (Harvard Business Press, 1998)

    This collection of articles includes pieces like "What Leaders Really Do" and "The Human Side of Management." HBR is a solid resource for anyone in business and leadership. For a daily dose, check out their Twitter account.

  • Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz (Harvard University Press, 1998)

    No matter if you're the top dog or the unofficial leader of a group, Heifetz presents examples and strategies for a wide range of leadership situations in a clear and thorough manner.

  • Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster, 2006)

    Doris Kearns Goodwin's books are typically feats of research. This one centers around Abraham Lincoln's decision to staff his cabinet with his political rivals, thereby creating a case study for why leaders should seek out perspectives different than their own.

Good to Great by Jim Collins (Harper Business, 2001)

In discussing how companies can shift from mediocrity to sustained greatness, Collins examines the leadership needed to cross that gulf, along with other ideas like "The Hedgehog Concept."

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By Erin Carson

Erin Carson is a Staff Reporter for CNET and a former Multimedia Editor for TechRepublic.