The best books that will make you a better and more successful leader

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Adam Leitman Bailey. I am a lawyer, a writer, an advocate, and a leader. Most importantly, I can not stand injustice.  


I wrote...

Finding the Uncommon Deal: A Top New York Lawyer Explains How to Buy a Home For the Lowest Possible Price

By Adam Leitman Bailey,

Book cover of Finding the Uncommon Deal: A Top New York Lawyer Explains How to Buy a Home For the Lowest Possible Price

What is my book about?

Our recent economic meltdown transformed real estate from a popular investment to financial kryptonite. Too many people purchased homes with mortgages they simply could never afford. The good news: great deals are out there for the taking.

Finding the Uncommon Deal gives you the secrets to discovering and successfully negotiating the lowest prices for the most prized properties available. You'll get the expert advice you need to navigate this changing real estate world.
Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Fountainhead

Adam Leitman Bailey Why did I love this book?

At 18 years old, this book taught me that it was okay to be different and that it was okay to aim for greatness and success without worrying about what other people thought of me.

The book also taught me the value of perseverance and the importance of staying true to oneself even in the face of adversity.  

By Ayn Rand,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Fountainhead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Adam Leitman Bailey Why did I love this book?

This book is a fascinating depiction of Lincoln’s presidency and cabinet.

It is full of fantastic lessons on leadership and overcoming obstacles in dark times. Lincoln's leadership style offers valuable insights for today's leaders. Overall, it's a must-read for history buffs and anyone interested in the art of leadership. 

By Doris Kearns Goodwin,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Team of Rivals as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most influential books of the past fifty years, Team of Rivals is Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s modern classic about the political genius of Abraham Lincoln, his unlikely presidency, and his cabinet of former political foes.

Winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inspiration for the Oscar Award winning–film Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, directed by Steven Spielberg, and written by Tony Kushner.

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago.…


Book cover of Churchill: A Life

Adam Leitman Bailey Why did I love this book?

Churchill was a great leader and lawyer and showed how to overcome difficult times.

No leader in world history has exemplified overcoming great odds to lead a country to beat the Nazis and instill a morale within its people when none existed. Almost every chapter in the book is a lesson on how to be a better leader.

By Martin Gilbert,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

This edition of the highly acclaimed one-volume Churchill: A Life, is the story of adventure. It follows Winston Churchill from his earliest days to his moments of triumph. Here, the drama and excitement of his story are ever-present, as are his tremendous qualities in peace and war, not least as an orator and as a man of vision. Martin Gilbert gives us a vivid portrait, using Churchill's most personal letters and the recollections of his contemporaries, both friends and enemies, to go behind the scenes of some of the stormiest and most fascinating political events of our time, dominated by…


Book cover of Alexander Hamilton

Adam Leitman Bailey Why did I love this book?

No American has done more for New York and America than Alexander Hamilton. No person is more exciting either.

I love New York and I love its history. Alexander Hamilton set a great precedent for me to set goals to achieve more than I was achieving, whilst also keeping me humble as I could never achieve as much as he did in his short life.  

By Ron Chernow,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Alexander Hamilton as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestseller, and the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton!

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation.

"Grand-scale biography at its best-thorough, insightful, consistently fair, and superbly written . . . A genuinely great book." -David McCullough

"A robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all." -Joseph Ellis


Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton.…


Book cover of Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Adam Leitman Bailey Why did I love this book?

Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking made John D. the first billionaire, and those leaders and entrepreneurs looking to sharpen their skills with a fascinating story should make this book a must-read.

It made me a better entrepreneur, a smarter businessperson, and a stronger leader among men and women.  

By Ron Chernow,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Titan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
 
From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.—the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers. He was the terror of his competitors, the bogeyman of reformers, the delight of caricaturists—and an utter enigma.
 
Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller’s private papers, Chernow reconstructs his subjects’ troubled origins…


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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…


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Interested in individualism, capitalists, and statesmen?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about individualism, capitalists, and statesmen.

Individualism Explore 29 books about individualism
Capitalists Explore 21 books about capitalists
Statesmen Explore 38 books about statesmen