Since I write and teach about leadership I’m often asked, “What are the best leadership books?”
It’s always a hard question. First, there are so many great books on the subject and second, not everyone has the same tastes. While one person might like The Art of Woo they may yawn over a reputable academic volume dedicated to 17th century organizational behavior.
However, there are a handful of books that can teach us a lot about leadership while captivating most people. They are as follows:
1. Moby Dick (Melville): Captain Ahab can teach us a thing or two everything about vision as it relates to leadership.
2. Catch-22 (Heller): If Heller didn’t invent and define the phrase “Catch-22” modern organizations would have.
3. Dead Souls (Gogol): How do you go about buying the ‘souls’ of dead peasants for a personal profit? You need good sales skills…to say the least.
5. Walden (Thoreau): Keep it simple, stupid.
