20 of our favorite leadership books
For our next list of 20 in honor of our 20th anniversary, we asked our members to give us their best leadership book recommendations! Take this list along to your local bookstore – and special thanks to Melinda Bendix-Horn, Senior Manager, Business Intelligence, Acosta, for her wealth of recommendations (recommendations by Melinda where not otherwise noted)!
Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams by Dr. Stefanie Johnson (2020). Don’t miss Dr. Johnson at NEW Denver’s October event, ‘Build Diversity & Inclusion by Digging into the Two Most Basic Human Needs’!
“Resonant Leadership by Richard Boyatzis. Science-backed and enthralling book of the amazing potential that lies in Empathetic Leadership. Shows how to be an emotionally intelligent leader.”
– Kat Ortiz, I/O Psychologist and Training Specialist, Network of Executive Women
“Hardball for Women by Pat Heim”
– Fawn Germer, Best-selling Author & Speaker, fawngermer.com
“Beyond Happiness by Jenn Lim, currently available for pre-order here!”
– NEW HQ
“Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Dr. Lois Frankel, one of my first businesswoman’s books that encouraged me to stand up straight, dress to impress and learn how to navigate the business world.”
Nicole Balkenbusch, North America Sr Finance Leader, Amazon Customer Service
Disability Visibility by Alice Wong (2020)
“Becoming [by Michelle Obama] – it helped me realize how much I needed to align my purpose to my work, to the hours I invest in a job everyday.”
– Carol Vella, Associate Director, Marketing – DEI, Walmart
The Neurodiverse Workplace by Victoria Honeybourne (2019)
“’Say Yes: A Woman’s Guide to Advancing Her Professional Purpose’ by Tara Jaye Frank”
– Subriana Pierce, Navigator Sales and Marketing/Managing Partner
“Drive: 9 Lessons to Learn in Business and in Life by Kelly Earnhardt Miller. Kelly teaches you the importance of authentic leadership in an easy, honest and heartfelt book about her family and life as a powerful businesswoman.”
– Katie Wallace, Director of Sales for PepsiCo
Allies at Work: Creating a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Inclusive Work Environment by David M. Hall (2009)
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni; I love it b/c it captures the essence of what it takes to be a high performance team and discusses how they can be so dysfunctional when lack of trust and egos get in the way as they so often do.”
– Jill McIntosh, CEO JVM Ventures, Sr Consultant Simpactful
“Ditch the Drama – I love it because it focuses on reducing the unnecessary drama that can occur in the workplace.”
– Kallie Millar – Director of Sales & Marketing, CROSSMARK
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Peterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler (2011)
Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions by Tiffany Jana and Michael Baran (2020)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (2018)
“Radical Candor because the humorous anecdotes drive home the importance of caring personally and challenging directly.”
– Briana Lee – Shopper Marketing Manager – Tyson Foods
“‘Her Corner Office: A guide to help’ by Trudy Bourgeois”
– Subriana Pierce, Navigator Sales and Marketing/Managing Partner
“All Report: Culture, Diversity, Leadership – Stop Talking And Execute by Diane Primo”
-NEW HQ
Think Again by Adam Grant (2020)
