Great leaders are always looking to increase their knowledge. As I say, one of the best ways to do this is through reading the words of others.
Through their books, authors share their experiences in life, love, leadership, faith, and beyond. You get to hear what they experienced and how they overcame it all without having to go through it yourself. You get to avoid some of the heartache, pain, and frustration.
That’s what makes learning through reading so valuable. Experience minus the pain.
5 Leadership Books To Read In November 2024
This month, we take a look at another set of five books that can propel you further into your leadership.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb:
In her book Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, Lori Gottlieb recalls her time as a therapist while also seeing another therapist. Her insight was fascinating.
Gottlieb shares her struggles as she opens up to Wendell (her therapist). She’d recently gone through a breakup, is dealing with a difficult patient, and is wondering if her life is over.
The path she takes can help you make better decisions within your organization, family, and life in general.
Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne:
Blue Ocean Strategy has been a classic leadership and business book for years. The book will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025. Business leaders are still recommending the book today.
And so am I.
Kim and Mauborgne share what they see as red and blue oceans. They concur that we should play in the blue oceans rather than the red. These are the oceans where we can differentiate our offerings and have less competition.
Find out if you’re in a blue or red ocean here.
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team Hardcover by Patrick M. Lencioni:
Do you know what your Working Genius is? Patrick Lencioni and his team came up with the idea that there are 6 areas in which people excel or get frustrated. These include:
- Wonder
- Invention
- Discernment
- Galvanizing
- Enablement
- Tenacity
When we’re working in the wrong areas of genius, we struggle. More importantly, our people and organizations suffer.
By discovering our areas of genius, we can begin to put ourselves in the right places, grab the people who can serve the organization well, and create a well-oiled machine.
Discover your working genius here.
Doom Guy: Life In First Person by John Romero:
I struggled with this book at first. The story of John Romero seemed like it would fascinate me, especially since I loved the book Masters Of Doom. Yet, Doom Guy had a slow burn. One I had to continue to really enjoy the book.
In Doom Guy, Romero tells his story. It’s his autobiography of how he struggled growing up, created one of the most popular games ever, and reinvents himself continually.
Romero’s story will encourage you to make do with what you have, seek new solutions, and move on when you need to.
Learn about the Doom Guy here.
I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart:
Do you know who Kevin Hart is? He’s a hilarious comedian and actor. He also struggled growing up. With an absentee and abusive father, a mother trying to pay the bills, and the odds stacked against him, he shouldn’t have become successful. Yet, he did.
Hart tells a charming yet vulgar tale (warning, he is vulgar. This was my biggest struggle with the book) of how he overcame poverty, tried different things, and eventually found out he was funny.
His journey weaves in and out of success. Sometimes, it looked like he was going to fail completely. Other times, he thought he had it made. Then his journey took another curve.
Find out what made him a world-class comedian. His missteps can be your guide to being a better leader.
