The best books for becoming the leader you wish you had

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated with leadership and the skills required to be a great leader. This fascination also indirectly drew my attention to the sheer volume of bad bosses in the workplace. For nearly three decades, I was fortunate enough to amass an impressive track record of delivering great business results while leading tens of thousands of employees at some of America’s largest corporations. However in spite of those results, I still found myself unfilled and apathetic toward the environments I actually helped to create. I knew there had to be a better way and the books on my list helped me find the energy and passion I entered the workforce with so long ago. 


I wrote...

Begin With WE: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence

By Kyle McDowell,

Book cover of Begin With WE: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence

What is my book about?

In the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling book, Begin With WE: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence, senior executive turned author, Kyle McDowell examines the root causes of dysfunction in the workplace, highlighting the plague of a “me-oriented” paradigm, while providing the remedy with his framework, The 10 WEs. Serving as the cornerstone of McDowell’s philosophy, these guiding principles establish the foundation required for building and sustaining a culture of excellence. 

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership

Kyle McDowell Why did I love this book?

From Values to Action is a blueprint for leaders of any tenure.

Written by a former Fortune 500 CEO turned business school professor, the book masterfully outlines the importance of being a Values-based leader.

Kraemer’s four principles, self-reflection, balance and perspective, true self-confidence, and genuine humility, are stalwart characteristics of the world’s most successful leaders.

By Harry M. Kraemer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked From Values to Action as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Silver Medal Winner, Business and Leadership, 2012 Nautilus Book Awards

Respected former CEO, professor, and speaker examines what it takes to become a values-based leader

In this highly-anticipated book, Harry Kraemer argues that today's business environment demands values-based leaders who, in "doing the right thing," deliver outstanding and lasting results. The journey to becoming a values-based leader starts with self-reflection. He asks, "If you are not self-reflective, how can you know yourself? If you do not know yourself, how can you lead yourself? If you cannot lead yourself, how can you lead others?" Kraemer identifies self-reflection as the first of…


Book cover of Meditations: A New Translation

Kyle McDowell Why did I love this book?

Written nearly 2k years ago, Meditations was never intended for public consumption.

However Marcus’ profound understanding of human behavior, the importance of operating selflessly within a bigger context, and the importance of supporting others makes this an important read for just about everyone. 

By Marcus Aurelius (lead author), Gregory Hays (translator),

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Meditations as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life.

Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus’s insights and advice—on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others—have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations…


Book cover of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Kyle McDowell Why did I love this book?

The biggest obstacle standing in the way to becoming a great leader is ego.

The Power of Now is a masterpiece, helping the reader identify the pitfalls of being a victim of ego and also provides healthy insight into overcoming the ego.

When the leader is able to think clearly, without bias, and without ego, they are better equipped to make more impactful decisions. 

By Eckhart Tolle,

Why should I read it?

23 authors picked The Power of Now as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**CHOSEN BY OPRAH AS ONE OF HER 'BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH'**

The international bestselling spiritual book, now with a new look for its 20th anniversary. Eckhart Tolle demonstrates how to live a healthier, happier, mindful life by living in the present moment.

************

'I keep Eckhart's book at my bedside. I think it's essential spiritual teaching. It's one of the most valuable books I've ever read.' Oprah Winfrey

To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart…


Book cover of Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

Kyle McDowell Why did I love this book?

Dare to Lead gives honest, straightforward, and actionable tools for ditching the old leadership playbook.

It takes a hell of a lot of courage to lead authentically and with empathy. Two traits that have long been absent in the leadership ranks for far too long. Brown does a masterful job mixing anecdotes with data-backed science to challenge a lot of leadership sacred cows. 

By Brené Brown,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Dare to Lead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.

Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart!

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG

Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and…


Book cover of Principles: Life and Work

Kyle McDowell Why did I love this book?

One of the most successful hedge fund investors of all time, Dalio just gets it.

In a world where cookie cutter, how-to-lead books could be stacked as high as the world’s tallest skyscraper, Dalio’s unconventional approach to leadership is refreshing – and simplistic. The book details a set of well-defined principles, which are effectively decision-rules for getting what you want out of life and work.

It has helped me immeasurably in both my professional and personal lives.

By Ray Dalio,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Principles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times Bestseller

"Significant...The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving." -The New York Times

Ray Dalio, one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he's developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business-and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.

In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in…


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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

Michael Bungay Stanier Author Of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Coaching is a wonderful technology that can help people be a force for change… and is often wrapped up in mystic and woo-woo and privilege that makes it inaccessible and/or unattractive to too many. I want being more coach-like—by which I mean staying curious a little longer, and rushing to action and advice-giving—to be an everyday way of being with one another. Driven by this, I’ve written the best-selling book on coaching this century (The Coaching Habit) and have created training that’s been used around the world by more than a quarter of a million people. I’m on a mission to unweird coaching.

Michael's book list on unexpectedly useful books about coaching

What is my book about?

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher, a leader, or even a coach, you can stay curious longer.

By Michael Bungay Stanier,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Coaching Habit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Look for Michael's new book, The Advice Trap, which focuses on taming your Advice Monster so you can stay curious a little longer and change the way you lead forever.

In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.

Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how-by saying less and…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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