I recently had someone ask me what is considered to be a leadership book. It’s a fair question. If you go into your average book store, I don’t think it’s likely that they would have an individual section labeled “LEADERSHIP.” That being said, I want to bring some clarity and define what a leadership book is.
We cannot define what make a book a leadership book until we first define what makes someone a leader. In my short, 20-page leadership book, You Are A Leader, I explain that everyone is a leader in their circle of influence. Your circle of influence is made up of yourself, your family, your community, your workplace, and your church. That being said, a leadership book is simply any book that teaches you how to lead yourself and others. Because of this, leadership is not so much a literary genre unto itself. Rather, it is an umbrella term that different book categories fall under.
Here are some genres that fall under the leadership umbrella:
- Self-Help
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, 12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero, and the first-half of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves are examples of self-help leadership books.
- Business
- Good To Great by Jim Collins, Start With Why by Simon Sinek, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin, Five Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni, and The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson are examples of business leadership books.
- Relationships
- How To Win Friends and Influence by Dale Carnegie, The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman, Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, and the second-half of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves are examples of relational leadership books.
- Communication
- Ted Talks by Chris Anderson, Make Meetings Matter by Paul Axtell, How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes, and Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley & Lane Jones are examples of communication leadership books.
- Biography
- Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson are examples of biographical leadership books.
- History
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an example of a historical leadership book.
Further Reading: If you’d like to read a great leadership book but don’t know wgere to start, check our my list of recommended books.
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Nick Chellsen 