Book choices for ISDT 7354 Leadership course

1. Leadership Book
Choices
Updated 07/2018

2. Game Changers
By Dave Asprey
• When Dave Asprey started his Bulletproof Radio podcast more than five
years ago, he sought out influencers in an array of disciplines, from
biochemists toiling in unknown laboratories to business leaders changing
the world to mediation masters discovering inner peace. His guests were
some of the top performing humans in the world, people who had changed
their areas of study or even pioneered entirely new fields. Dave wanted to
know: What did they have in common? What mattered most to them? What
made them so successful—and what made them tick? At the end of each
interview, Dave asked the same question: “What are your top three
recommendations for people who want to perform better at being human?”
• After performing a statistical analysis of the answers, he found that the
wisdom gleaned from these highly successful people could be distilled into
three main objectives: finding ways to become smarter, faster, and
happier. Game Changers is the culmination of Dave’s years-long immersion
in these conversations, offering 46 science-backed, high performance “laws”
that are a virtual playbook for how to get better at life.
• With anecdotes from game changers like Dr. Daniel Amen, Gabby
Bernstein, Dr. David Perlmutter, Arianna Huffington, Esther Perel, and Tim
Ferris as well as examples from Dave’s own life, Game Changers offers
readers practical advice they can put into action to reap immediate rewards.
From taming fear and anxiety to making better decisions, establishing high-
performance habits, and practicing gratitude and mindfulness, Dave brings
together the wisdom of today’s game-changers to help everyone kick more
ass at life.

3. Conscious Coaching
By Brett Bartholomew
• In the world of strength and conditioning, learning how to move
others—not just physically, but also psychologically and emotionally—
is paramount to getting the most out of them. People are the ultimate
performance variable, and understanding how to effectively blend
knowledge of proper training with the nuances of human behavior is
integral to helping athletes achieve their ultimate goals. Unfortunately,
while much attention has been given to the science of physical
training, little attention has been given to the science of
communication. Conscious Coaching: The Art and Science of Building
Buy-In bridges this gap. Readers learn the foundational principles of
improving relationships, enhancing engagement, and gaining the trust
of athletes through targeted communication. And, every bit as
important, readers also learn concrete strategies to apply these
principles in day-to-day coaching situations they will inevitably
encounter. The result is a game-changing book that sets the stage for
coaches to create a culture of success not only within sport, but also
beyond. Conscious Coaching is a movement and its time has come.

4. Lead with Culture
By Jay Billy
• How Do YOU Make School AMAZING for Students and
Staff? School can be amazing. It can be a place where
people of all ages, interests, and backgrounds enjoy
learning together. And in this Lead Like a PIRATE Guide,
author and elementary school principal Jay Billy explains
that making school a place where students and staff want to
be starts with culture. Culture is the “way we do things
around here.” Culture is what fosters a sense of
community— or drives a wedge between groups of people
in your school. Leaders have the responsibility to give the
children the best education possible, and that happens
when we drive a culture of learning and positive strength. In
Lead with Culture, Jay Billy shares personal stories and
practical ideas for creating a sense of unity—even in the
most diverse communities. You’ll learn how to . . . Inspire,
encourage, and lead by example. Empower greatness in
your teachers and staff. Build a culture of growth and
learning. Cultivate an environment where love and kindness
thrive. Honor diversity while fostering a strong community.
Culture is what really matters in schools, and you have the
power to shape it. Lead . . . with culture.

5. Radical Inclusion
By Ori Brafman
• Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About
Leadership examines today’s leadership landscape and describes the change it
demands of leaders. Dempsey and Brafman persuasively explain that today’s leaders
are in competition for the trust and confidence of those they lead more than ever
before. They assert that the nature of power is changing and should not be measured
by degree of control alone. They offer principles for adaptation and bring them to life
with examples from business, academia, government, and the military.
In building their argument, Dempsey and Brafman introduce several concepts that
illuminate both the vulnerability and the opportunity in leading today:
– Radical Inclusion. Fear of losing control in our fast-paced, complex, highly scrutinized
environment is pushing us toward exclusion―exactly the wrong direction. Leaders should
instead develop an instinct for inclusion. The word “radical” emphasizes the urgency of doing so.
–
The Era of the Digital Echo. The speed and accessibility of information create “digital echoes”
that make facts vulnerable, eroding the trust between leader and follower.
–
Relinquishing Control to Preserve Power. Power and control once went hand in hand, but no
longer. In today’s environment, control is seductive but unlikely to produce optimum, affordable,
sustainable solutions. Leaders must relinquish and share control to build and preserve power.
• The principles discussed in Radical Inclusion are memorable and the book is full of
engaging stories. From a young vegan’s confrontation with opponents in Berkeley to a
young lieutenant’s surprising visitor during the Cold War, from a reflection on the
significance of Burning Man to a discussion of challenges faced in the Situation Room,
Radical Inclusion will provide you with leadership tools to address real leadership
challenges.

6. Lead Like a Pirate
By Shelley Burgess
• Are You a Treasure Seeker?
• Pirates are on a constant quest for riches, but PIRATE leaders seek even
greater rewards: amazing schools, engaged students, and empowered
educators who know they are making a difference. In Lead Like a PIRATE,
education leaders Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf map out the character traits
necessary to captain a school or district. You'll learn where to find the treasure
that's already in your classrooms and schools--and how to bring out the very
best in your educators.
• What does it take to be a PIRATE Leader?
– Passion--both professional and personal
– A willingness to Immerse yourself in your work
– Good Rapport with your staff, students and community
– The courage to Ask questions and Analyze what is and isn't working
– The determination to seek positive Transformation
– And the kind of Enthusiasm that gets others excited about education
• The ultimate goal for any education leader is to create schools and districts
where students and staff are knocking down the doors to get in rather than out.
This book will equip and encourage you to be relentless in your quest to make
school amazing for your students, staff, parents, and communities.
• Are you ready to set sail?

7. Under New Management
By David Burkus
• Why accepted management practices don’t work—
and how innovative companies are changing the
rules
Should your employees know each other’s salaries? Is
your vacation policy harming productivity? Does your
hiring process undermine your team? David Burkus
argues that the traditional management playbook is full of
outdated, counterproductive practices, and he reveals
how the alternative management revolution has already
started at companies like Netflix, Zappos, Google, and
others. Burkus investigates behind their office doors to
show how these companies are reevaluating and
reinventing the most basic management principles, like
hiring, firing, vacation policy, and even office floor plan,
and enhancing their business’s success as a result.

8. How to Win Friends & Influence People
By Dale Carnegie
• You can go after the job you want—and get it!
• You can take the job you have—and improve it!
• You can take any situation—and make it work for you!
• Dale Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried
countless people up the ladder of success in their business
and personal lives. One of the most groundbreaking and
timeless bestsellers of all time, How to Win Friends &
Influence People will teach you:
– -Six ways to make people like you
– -Twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking
– -Nine ways to change people without arousing resentment
• And much more! Achieve your maximum potential

9. Social LEADia
By Jennifer Casa-Todd
• How will your students answer when an interviewer asks, "What
social media networks are you on, and what will I learn about
you if I go there?"
• Equipping students for their future begins by helping them become
digital leaders now. In our networked society, students need to learn
how to leverage social media to connect to people, passions, and
opportunities to grow and make a difference.
• When people think of kids and their devices, it is often with dismay.
But technology is here to stay, which means we
must educate, empower, and inspire our students to use social
media to ...learn and share learning, address societal inequality,
share their voices, and be a more positive influence in others' lives
Social LEADia addresses the need to shift our conversations at
school and at home from digital citizenship to digital leadership.
• Inside, you'll read about some amazing kids who are leveraging
social media in positive and powerful ways. They are passionate and
empathetic leaders online and offline, and they model the reality that
students don't need to wait for tomorrow to lead--they can be world-
changers TODAY.

10. The Art of Followership
By Ira Chaleff
• The Art of Followership puts dynamic leader-follower
interaction at the forefront of discussion. It examines the
multiple roles followers play and their often complex
relationship to leaders. With contributions from leading
scholars and practitioners from the burgeoning field of
leadership/followership studies, this groundbreaking book
outlines how followers contribute to effective leadership and to
organizations overall. Drawing from various disciplines - from
philosophy, to psychology and management, to education -the
book defines followership and its myriad meanings. The Art of
Followership explores the practice and research that promote
positive followership and reveals the part that followers play in
setting the standards and formulating the culture and policies
of the group.
• The contributors include new models of followership and
explore fresh perspectives on the contributions that followers
make to groups, organizations, societies, and leaders. The
book also explores the most current research on followership
and includes insights and perspectives on the future of leader-
follower relationships.

11. The Courageous Follower
By Ira Chaleff
• Many significant failures—from FEMA’s response to Hurricane
Katrina to the recent economic collapse—could have been
prevented or mitigated if those lower in the hierarchy were
successful at communicating to leaders the risks they saw in the
system. Ira Chaleff’s Courageous Follower model has facilitated
healthy upward information flow in organizations for over 15 years.
The Harvard Business Review called Chaleff a pioneer in the
emerging field of followership—this new edition shares his latest
thinking on an increasingly vital topic.
The updated third edition includes a new chapter, “The Courage to
Speak to the Hierarchy.” Much of Chaleff’s model is based on
followers having access to the leader. But today, followers can be
handed questionable policies and orders that come from many
levels above them—even from the other side of the world. Chaleff
explores how they can respond effectively, particularly using the
power now available through advances in communications
technology.
Everyone is a follower at least some of the time. Chaleff strips
away the passive connotations of that role and provides tools to
help followers effectively partner with leaders. He provides rich
guidance to leaders and boards on fostering a climate that
encourages courageous followership. The results include
increased support for leaders, reduced cynicism and organizations
saved from serious missteps.

12. Intelligent Disobedience
By Ira Chaleff
• When It’s Smart to Say No
Nearly every week we read about a tragedy or scandal that
could have been prevented if individuals had said no to ill-
advised or illegitimate orders. In this timely book, Ira Chaleff
explores when and how to disobey inappropriate orders,
reduce unacceptable risk, and find better ways to achieve
legitimate goals.
The inspiration for the book, and its title, comes from the
concept of intelligent disobedience used in guide dog
training. Guide dogs must recognize and resist a command
that would put their human and themselves at risk and
identify safer options for achieving the goal. This is
precisely what Chaleff helps humans do. Using both deeply
disturbing and uplifting examples, as well as critical but
largely forgotten research, he shows how to create a
culture where, rather than “just following orders,” people
hold themselves accountable to do the right thing, always.

13. Stand Out
By Dorie Clark
• Too many people believe that if they keep their heads down and
work hard, they'll be recognized as experts on the merits of their
work. But that's simply not true anymore. To make a name for
yourself, you have to capitalize on your unique perspective and
knowledge and inspire others to listen and take action. But becoming
a "thought leader" is a mysterious and opaque process. Where do
the ideas come from, and how do they get noticed?
Dorie Clark explains how to identify the ideas that set you apart and
promote them successfully. The key is to recognize your own value,
cultivate your expertise, and put yourself out there.
Featuring vivid examples and drawing on interviews with Seth Godin,
Dan Pink, David Allen, Robert Cialdini, and other thought leaders,
Clark teaches readers how to develop a big idea, leverage existing
affiliations, and build a community of followers. She offers not mere
self-promotion, but an opportunity to change the world for the better
while giving you the ultimate career insurance.

14. Escaping the School Leader's Dunk Tank
By Rebecca Coda & Rick Jetter
• Have you ever felt as if a supervisor, coworker, or even your own school
board was trying to sabotage you? No school leader is immune to the
effects of discrimination, bad politics, revenge, or ego-driven coworkers. If
you've ever worked in such conditions, you know that adversaries can make
your job as a school leader miserable. But even if you're lucky enough to be
thriving in your current role, you've probably seen leaders whose careers have
been tanked by difficult and demanding circumstances. You may even wonder
from time to time, "Am I next?" In Escaping the School Leader's Dunk
Tank, Rebecca Coda and Rick Jetter interviewed superintendents, principals,
and other educational leaders across the nation who have faced "dunk tank"
situations. Through real-life stories and by sharing insightful research, the
authors (who are dunk tank survivors themselves) equip school leaders with
the practical knowledge and emotional tools necessary to survive and, better
yet, avoid getting "dunked." You'll learn: Which emotions may be triggering
your adversary's negative behaviors.
– How to recognize the most common tactics used against school leaders.
– Why building positive relationships is important to your survival.
– What you may be doing to hurt others' careers...or even your own.
– How to redefine yourself and reclaim your life and career if you've ever been
"dunked."
• The keys to prevailing are being proactive, learning to recognize the warning
signs of adversarial conditions, and responding quickly and wisely. Escaping
the School Leader's Dunk Tank will show you how.

15. Good to Great
By Jim Collins
• The Challenge - Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great
companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the
DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning. But what about the company that is not born with great
DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring
greatness?
• The Study -For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy
gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the
universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?
• The Standards - Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite
companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How
great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the
general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results
delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General
Electric, and Merck.
• The Comparisons - The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully
selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was
different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained
only good? Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study.
After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew
discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't.
• The Findings -The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on
virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include: Level 5 Leaders, The
Hedgehog Concept, Culture of Discipline, & The Flywheel and the Doom Loop.

16. A Higher Loyalty
By James Comey
• In his book, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-
before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes
situations of his career in the past two decades of American
government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like,
and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an
unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a
remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.
• Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017,
appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He
previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of
New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the
administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting
the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush
administration's policies on torture and electronic surveillance,
overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties
between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been
involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies
of recent history.

17. Show Your Ink
By Todd Dewett
• Through the power of story, you are about to
begin to improve yourself personally and
professionally. SHOW YOUR INK contains
twenty short stories that will grab you
emotionally. Get ready to laugh, cry, think,
and learn. Each story focuses on a different
aspect of success in leadership and life. You
will learn about the importance of authenticity,
the need to use your mistakes, the vital role of
feedback, why values matter, the key to
personal change, and much more - all
wrapped in memorable stories that make
learning stick. This fast book can transform
how you view your career and your life.
Becoming more successful is not complex.
You can become a better version of yourself.
What you need is a simple and fun place to
begin. So remember to SHOW YOUR INK.

18. The Way of the SEAL
By Mark Divine
• Blending the tactics he learned from America’s elite force with lessons from the Spartans, samurai,
Apache scouts, and other great warrior traditions, Mark Divine has distilled the fundamentals of
success into eight powerful principles that will transform you into the leader you always knew you
could be. Learn to think like a SEAL and lead.
Want to be tough? Cool under fire? Able to sense danger before it’s too late? In The Way of the
SEAL, retired Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine reveals exercises, meditations, and focusing
techniques to train your mind for mental toughness, emotional resilience, and uncanny intuition.
Along the way, you’ll reaffirm your ultimate purpose, define your most important goals, and take
concrete steps to make them happen. A practical guide for businesspeople (or indeed anyone) who
need to know the secrets to success, the book will teach you how to:
• Lead from the front, so that others want to work for you
• Practice front sight focus, the radical ability to focus on one thing until victory is achieved
• Think offense, all the time, to eradicate fear and indecisiveness
• Smash the box and be an unconventional thinker so you are never thrown off-guard by chaotic
conditions
• Access your intuition so you can make “hard right” decisions
• Achieve twenty times more than you think you can
Blending the tactics he learned from America’s elite force with lessons from the Spartans, samurai,
Apache scouts, and other great warrior traditions. Mark Divine has distilled the fundamentals of
success into eight powerful principles that will transform you into the leader you always knew you
could be. Learn to think like a SEAL and take charge of your destiny at work, at home, and at life.

19. Timeless
By Brain K. Dodd
• The word Apex brings to mind terms like pinnacle, summit, peak,
and greatest. Apex Leaders are those individuals who have
reached the top of their profession. They are recognized for
excellence in their area of discipline and have achieved many of its
highest awards. Apex Leaders are the absolute best at what they
do. But what makes Apex Leaders so unique? Why do they stand
out? How do they prepare? How do they think? Did God only tap a
few select people on the shoulder and ordain them for greatness,
or can you become an exponentially better leader, perhaps even
an Apex Leader, by following their example?
• In Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices of Apex Leaders, you will learn
the answer is, YES! Yes, there are things Apex Leaders have done
and will always do to achieve great success. Yes, the good news is
these practices are things any leader can do. You, too, can
accomplish incredible results. The Bible is the best leadership
book ever written. By combining its truths with what we learn from
modern-day Apex Leaders, Timeless provides you and your team a
plan for success.

20. Hero Maker
By Dave Ferguson & Warren Bird
• In Hero Maker you will learn how to bring real change to your church and
community by developing the practical skills to help others reach their
leadership potential.
• Drawing on five powerful practices found in the ministry of Jesus, Hero
Maker presents the key steps of apprenticeship that will build up other leaders
and provides strategies for how you can activate gifts, help others take
ownership, and develop a simple scorecard for measuring your kingdom-
building progress.
• Besides rich insights from the Gospels, Hero Maker is packed with real-life
ministry stories ranging from paid staff to volunteer leaders and from
established churches to new church plants. A practical tool accompanies each
of the five practices, with several illustrations for how to use it.
• Whether you lead ten people or ten thousand, Hero Maker will not only help
you maximize your leadership, but in doing so you will also help shift today's
church culture to a model of reproduction and multiplication. Authors Dave
Ferguson (a Chicago pastor and church planter) and Warren Bird (an award-
winning writer) make a compelling case that God's power and purpose are
best revealed when we train and release others, who in turn do likewise.
• Become that rare breed of leader who brings change into our world by
sacrificially investing in others who become the heroes. By becoming a hero
maker, you will join a movement of influencers that are impacting hundreds,
thousands and perhaps millions of people around the world.

21. On Grand Strategy
By John Lewis Gaddis
• A master class in strategic thinking, distilled from the
legendary program the author has co-taught at Yale for
decades.
John Lewis Gaddis, the distinguished historian of the Cold
War, has for almost two decades co-taught grand strategy at
Yale University with his colleagues Charles Hill and Paul
Kennedy. Now, in On Grand Strategy, Gaddis reflects on
what he has learned. In chapters extending from the ancient
world through World War II, Gaddis assesses grand strategic
theory and practice in Herodotus, Thucydides, Sun Tzu,
Octavian/Augustus, St. Augustine, Machiavelli, Elizabeth I,
Philip II, the American Founding Fathers, Clausewitz, Tolstoy,
Lincoln, Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Isaiah Berlin. On
Grand Strategy applies the sharp insights and wit readers
have come to expect from Gaddis to times, places, and
people he’s never written about before. For anyone
interested in the art of leadership, On Grand Strategy is, in
every way, a master class.

22. You Win in the Locker Room First
By Jon Gordon
• NFL head coach Mike Smith lead one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL
history. In the season prior to his arrival in 2008, the Atlanta Falcons had a 4–12
record and the franchise had never before achieved back-to-back winning seasons.
Under Smith’s leadership, the Falcons earned an 11–5 record in his first season
and would go on to become perennial playoff and Super Bowl contenders earning
Smith AP Coach of year in 2008 and voted Coach of Year by his peers in 2008,
2010 and 2012.
• You Win in the Locker Room First draws on the extraordinary experiences of Coach
Mike Smith and Jon Gordon—consultant to numerous college and professional
teams—to explore the seven powerful principles that any business, school,
organization, or sports team can adopt to revitalize their organization.
• Step by step, the authors outline a strategy for building a thriving organization and
provide a practical framework that give leaders the tools they need to create a great
culture, lead with the right mindset, create strong relationships, improve teamwork,
execute at a higher level, and avoid the pitfalls that sabotage far too many leaders
and organizations.
• In addition to sharing what went right with the Falcons, Smith also transparently
shares what went wrong his last two seasons and provides invaluable lessons
leaders can take away from his victories, success, failures and mistakes.
• Whether it’s an executive leadership team of a Fortune 500 company, a sports
team, an emergency room team, military team, or a school team successful leaders
coach their team and develop, mentor, encourage, and guide them. This not only
improves the team, it improves the leaders and their relationships, connections, and
organization.
• You Win in the Locker Room First offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the
most pressure packed leadership jobs on the planet and what leaders can learn
from these experiences in order to build their own winning team.

23. The Power of Positive Leadership
By Jon Gordon
• The Power of Positive Leadership is your personal coach for becoming the
leader your people deserve. Storyteller Jon Gordon crafts the fables that inspire
great leadership: The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training
Camp, and others have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the
world achieve their true leadership potential. In this book, he gathers the
insights from all of his bestselling fables to bring you the definitive guide to
positive leadership. Great leaders understand that people drive the numbers,
not the other way around; to win, you must win with people—and this book
shows you how. It all begins with your decision to become a positive leader, and
the understanding that leadership is not just about what you can do, but what
you can inspire, encourage, and empower others to do. You'll learn to bring out
the best in each of your employees by sharing the best within you; instead of
running over people to achieve your goals, invite them on board—together, you
can achieve more than you ever thought possible.
Difficult times call for leaders who are up for the challenge. Results are the
byproduct of your culture, teamwork, vision, talent, innovation, execution, and
commitment; this book shows you how to bring it all together to become a
powerfully positive leader.
– Discover the true drivers of short- and long-term success
– Learn what leadership is really about
– Cultivate the habits and outlook of successful leaders
– Strengthen your people and let the results speak for themselves
• Find the right people, invest in them, nurture them, and develop them; as they
grow, so do you. The Power of Positive Leadership helps you become the
person you want to be, and the leader your people need.

24. Training Camp
By Jon Gordon
• In the spirit of his international bestseller The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon returns with
another inspirational fable filled with invaluable lessons and insights on bringing out the
best in yourself and your team. Training Camp follows the story of Martin Jones, an un-
drafted rookie trying to make it to the bright lights and big money of the NFL. He's
spent his whole life proving to the critics that a small guy with a big heart can succeed
against all odds. After spraining his ankle in the preseason, Martin thinks his dream is
lost when he happens to meet a very special coach who shares eleven life-changing
lessons that keep Martin's dream alive-and might even make him the best of the best.
Whether you play sports or the piano or work with numbers, a computer or a scalpel,
these lessons apply to everyone who must climb the mountain before reaching its
peak.
• Based on his work with professional sports teams, world-class organizations, and
interviews with top professionals in a wide variety of fields, Gordon reveals the deep
truths and proven strategies that take the very best to the top. Training Camp reveals
that the best performers-in a variety of fields-all share the same qualities. Among other
traits, the best of the best are able to maintain a big-picture vision while taking zoom
focused action, they are mentally stronger, they seize the moment and they inspire
excellence in the people around them. But these aren't inborn traits; the great news is
that they're skills and attitudes that can be learned and applied by all. If you want to be
your best-Training Camp offers an inspirational story and real-world wisdom on what it
takes to reach true excellence and how you and your team (your work team, school
team, church team and family team) can achieve it.

25. Originals
By Adam Grant
• With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new
paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his
generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders.
In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but
now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion
novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and
buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and
practices without risking it all?
Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports,
and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak
up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right
time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can
nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that
welcome dissent. Learn from an entrepreneur who pitches his start-ups
by highlighting the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who
challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who
overturned the rule of secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard
who fires employees for failing to criticize him, and a TV executive who
didn’t even work in comedy but saved Seinfeld from the cutting-room
floor. The payoff is a set of groundbreaking insights about rejecting
conformity and improving the status quo.

26. Leading Change
By John P. Kotter
• From the ill-fated dot-com bubble to unprecedented M&A activity to
scandal, greed, and ultimately, recession—we’ve learned that
widespread and difficult change is no longer the exception. It’s the rule.
Now with a new preface, this refreshed edition of the global
bestseller Leading Change is more relevant than ever.
John Kotter’s now-legendary eight-step process for managing change
with positive results has become the foundation for leaders and
organizations across the globe. By outlining the process every
organization must go through to achieve its goals, and by identifying
where and how even top performers derail during the change process,
Kotter provides a practical resource for leaders and managers charged
with making change initiatives work. Leading Change is widely
recognized as his seminal work and is an important precursor to his
newer ideas on acceleration published in Harvard Business Review.
Needed more today than at any time in the past, this bestselling
business book serves as both visionary guide and practical toolkit on
how to approach the difficult yet crucial work of leading change in any
type of organization. Reading this highly personal book is like spending
a day with the world’s foremost expert on business leadership. You’re
sure to walk away inspired—and armed with the tools you need to
inspire others.

27. Encouraging the Heart
By James Kouzes & Barry Posner
• All too often, simple acts of human kindness are
often overlooked and under utilized by people in
leadership roles. Advising mutual respect and
recognition of accomplishments, Encouraging the
Heart shows us how true leaders encourage and
motivate those they work with by helping them find
their voice and making them feel like heroes.
Recognized experts in the field of leadership,
authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner show us
that, through love, leaders can encourage, and
indeed allow those around them to be their very
best. Both practical and inspirational, Encouraging
the Heart gives readers a thoughtful approach to
motivating individuals within an organizational
structure.

28. The GuruBook
By Jonathan Law
• The GuruBook is an inspiring collection of 45 articles and
interviews with well-known thought leaders and entrepreneurs,
whose leadership and strategic skills have resulted in very
successful businesses. These renowned leaders, entrepreneurs,
and innovators have tested their visions and assumptions and
have forged revolutionary business models.
• In this book, they share their most important insights, learnings,
and tools. They cover broad topics such as entrepreneurship,
innovation, and leadership, and they illustrate why these are not
separate topics, but indeed must be combined and linked to
succeed as a business and as an entrepreneur.
• The GuruBook is for burgeoning entrepreneurs, leaders, business
developers, and innovators who know that traditional business
models no longer provide results in fast-evolving digital and global
economies.
• Other contributing authors to the book include Simon Sinek, Seth
Godin, Steve Blank, Sonia Arrison, Daniel Burrus, Edgar H.
Schein, Henry Mintzberg, Tom Peters, Pascal Finette, Andreas
Ehn, Murray Newlands, Brian Chesky, Hampus Jakobsson, Craig
Newmark, Danny Lange, Alf Rehn, Paul Nunes, Nathan Furr and
Mette Lykke.

29. Turn the Ship Around!
By David Marquet
• Since Turn the Ship Around! was published in 2013, hundreds of thousands of readers have been
inspired by former Navy captain David Marquet’s true story. Many have applied his insights to
their own organizations, creating workplaces where everyone takes responsibility for his or her
actions, where followers grow to become leaders, and where happier teams drive dramatically
better results.
Marquet was a Naval Academy graduate and an experienced officer when selected for submarine
command. Trained to give orders in the traditional model of “know all–tell all” leadership, he faced
a new wrinkle when he was shifted to the Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine. Facing the
high-stress environment of a sub where there’s little margin for error, he was determined to
reverse the trends he found on the Santa Fe: poor morale, poor performance, and the worst
retention rate in the fleet.
Almost immediately, Marquet ran into trouble when he unknowingly gave an impossible order,
and his crew tried to follow it anyway. When he asked why, the answer was: “Because you told
me to.” Marquet realized that while he had been trained for a different submarine, his crew had
been trained to do what they were told—a deadly combination.
That’s when Marquet flipped the leadership model on its head and pushed for leadership at every
level. Turn the Ship Around! reveals how the Santa Fe skyrocketed from worst to first in the fleet
by challenging the U.S. Navy’s traditional leader-follower approach. Struggling against his own
instincts to take control, he instead achieved the vastly more powerful model of giving control to
his subordinates, and creating leaders.
Before long, each member of Marquet’s crew became a leader and assumed responsibility for
everything he did, from clerical tasks to crucial combat decisions. The crew became completely
engaged, contributing their full intellectual capacity every day. The Santa Fe set records for
performance, morale, and retention. And over the next decade, a highly disproportionate number
of the officers of the Santa Fe were selected to become submarine commanders.
Whether you need a major change of course or just a tweak of the rudder, you can apply
Marquet’s methods to turn your own ship around.

30. Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
By John C. Maxwell
• John Maxwell, America's #1 leadership authority, has mastered the art of asking
questions, using them to learn and grow, connect with people, challenge
himself, improve his team, and develop better ideas. Questions have literally
changed Maxwell's life. In GOOD LEADERS ASK GREAT QUESTIONS, he
shows how they can change yours, teaching why questions are so important,
what questions you should ask yourself as a leader, and what questions you
should be asking your team.
Maxwell also opened the floodgates and invited people from around the world to
ask him any leadership question. He answers seventy of them--the best of the
best--including . . .
What are the top skills required to lead people through difficult times?
– How do I get started in leadership?
– How do I motivate an unmotivated person?
– How can I succeed working under poor leadership?
– When is the right time for a successful leader to move on to a new position?
– How do you move people into your inner circle?
• No matter whether you are a seasoned leader at the top of your game or a
newcomer wanting to take the first steps into leadership, this book will change
the way you look at questions and improve your leadership life.

31. A Good Time to be a Girl
By Helena Morrissey
• Five years have passed since women were exhorted to ‘Lean In’. Over that
time, the world has transformed beyond all expectations. But why should
anyone ‘lean in’ to a patriarchal system that is out of date? Why not change it
entirely for the good of us all?
• In A Good Time to be a Girl, Helena Morrissey sets out how we might achieve
the next big breakthrough towards a truly inclusive modern society.
• Drawing on her experience as a City CEO, mother of nine, and founder of the
influential 30% Club which campaigns for gender-balanced UK company
boards, her manifesto for new ways of working, living, loving and raising
families is for everyone, not just women. Making a powerful case for diversity
and difference in any workplace, she shows how, together, we can develop
smarter thinking and broader definitions of success. Gender balance, in her
view, is an essential driver of economic prosperity and part of the solution to
the many problems we face today.
• Her approach is not aimed merely at training a few more women in working
practices that have outlived their usefulness. Instead, this book sets out a way
to reinvent the game – not at the expense of men but in ways that are right
and relevant for a digital age. It is a powerful guide to success for us all.

32. Cure for the Common Leader
By Joe Mull
• Why are some healthcare teams polluted by conflict, gossip,
and lack of effort, while others work hard, get along, and
wow patients?
Research says it’s the boss that makes the difference.
The most engaged and inspired healthcare teams don’t get
that way by chance. They are led by physicians and
managers who create the conditions necessary for people to
thrive. Yet many leaders in healthcare settings lack insight
into what employees must experience to be at their best,
every day.
Cure for the Common Leader translates the latest research
on leadership, employee engagement, and motivation into
SEVEN actions physicians and managers must take to
engage and inspire healthcare teams. With more than 14
years of experience training leaders, Joe Mull packs each
chapter with tips, ideas, strategies, and exercises to help
physicians and managers get their teams firing on all
cylinders.

33. Home Run
By Kevin Myers & John C. Maxwell
• For five hard years Christian leader Kevin Myers struggled personally and
professionally. But it was during that time that God pointed out where he
was going wrong and showed him the biblical pattern for living. It
proceeded to transform his life, leadership, ministry, and relationships.
During that time John Maxwell also became his mentor.
Together, using a baseball diamond as an analogy for following God's plan
for life, Myers and Maxwell provide a clear path forward while helping you
keep your priorities in order and your eyes on the prize. What is that
pattern?
Connection with God: Winning Dependence
Character: Winning Within
Community: Winning with Others
Competence: Winning Results
Challenging, heart-felt, and insightful, Myers' story will connect with anyone
who feels their life is falling short of God's promises. The hard-won lessons
Myers learned, along with insightful comments and on-point application
from Maxwell, will make it possible for you to win in this performance-
based culture without losing your soul.
There are no shortcuts or steals in the spiritual journey of life. HOME RUN
is a guidebook for living life and learning how to succeed God's way.

34. Lead Like a Shepherd
By Larry Osborne
• Pastor, author, and leadership consultant unpacks instruction for
church leaders found in 1 Peter 5:1-4 where they are exhorted to
shepherd the flock among them.
• Some instruction is timeless. Regardless of the age in which we live,
certain instruction carries no expiration on its relevance. Pastor, author,
and leadership consultant, Larry Osborne has discovered this to be the
case with instruction on how to be a good leader. The best, most practical
advice comes from the Bible, and in particular, 1 Peter 5:1-4. It's in this
short passage where leaders are exhorted to shepherd the flock among
them.
• Unfortunately, most modern leaders have precious little experience
tending sheep, and many of the implications that were well understood
when Peter penned these words are lost on today's reader. Osborne finds
the parallels to be numerous, well-worth reviewing and understanding
anew.
• A shepherd leads them to water even when they fear it. A shepherd never
allows one sick lamb to destroy the flock. A shepherd lays down his life for
his sheep . . .
• When leaders truly understand Peter's words of exhortation to lead like a
shepherd, then they will begin to see the path that leads them to Leading
Well.

35. Dear Madam President
By Jennifer Palmieri
• Redefine the expectations for women in leadership roles with this
#1 New York Times bestselling volume of inspiring advice by the former
communications director for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
• Framed as an empowering letter from former Hillary Clinton
Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri to the first woman president,
and by extension, to all women working to succeed in any field, Dear
Madam President is filled with forward-thinking, practical advice for all
women who are determined to seize control of their lives-from
boardroom to living room.
As a country, we haven't wrapped our heads around what it should look
like for a woman to be in the job of President. Our only models are men.
While wildly disappointed by the outcome of the 2016 election, Palmieri
argues that our feelings-confusion, love, hate, acceptance-can now
open the country up to reimagining women in leadership roles. And that
is what Palmieri takes on in this book-redefining expectations for
women looking to lead and creating a blueprint for women candidates
and leaders to follow. Dear Madam President will turn the results of the
2016 election into something incredibly empowering for graduates,
future female leaders, and independent thinkers everywhere.

36. Dying for a Paycheck
By Jeffrey Pfeffer
• In one survey, 61 percent of employees said that workplace stress had made them sick and 7 percent
said they had actually been hospitalized. Job stress costs US employers more than $300 billion
annually and may cause 120,000 excess deaths each year. In China, 1 million people a year may be
dying from overwork. People are literally dying for a paycheck. And it needs to stop.
• In this timely, provocative book, Jeffrey Pfeffer contends that many modern management commonalities
such as long work hours, work-family conflict, and economic insecurity are toxic to employees—hurting
engagement, increasing turnover, and destroying people’s physical and emotional health—and also
inimical to company performance. He argues that human sustainability should be as important as
environmental stewardship.
• You don’t have to do a physically dangerous job to confront a health-destroying, possibly life-
threatening, workplace. Just ask the manager in a senior finance role whose immense workload, once
handled by several employees, required frequent all-nighters—leading to alcohol and drug addiction. Or
the dedicated news media producer whose commitment to getting the story resulted in a sixty-pound
weight gain thanks to having no down time to eat properly or exercise. Or the marketing professional
prescribed antidepressants a week after joining her employer.
• In Dying for a Paycheck, Jeffrey Pfeffer marshals a vast trove of evidence and numerous examples
from all over the world to expose the infuriating truth about modern work life: even as organizations
allow management practices that literally sicken and kill their employees, those policies do not enhance
productivity or the bottom line, thereby creating a lose-lose situation.
• Exploring a range of important topics including layoffs, health insurance, work-family conflict, work
hours, job autonomy, and why people remain in toxic environments, Pfeffer offers guidance and
practical solutions all of us—employees, employers, and the government—can use to enhance
workplace wellbeing. We must wake up to the dangers and enormous costs of today’s workplace,
Pfeffer argues. Dying for a Paycheck is a clarion call for a social movement focused on human
sustainability. Pfeffer makes clear that the environment we work in is just as important as the one we
live in, and with this urgent book, he opens our eyes and shows how we can make our workplaces
healthier and better.

37. Drive
By Daniel H. Pink
• Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with
rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach.
That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is
Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others).
In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts
that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at
work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need
to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things,
and to do better by ourselves and our world.
Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human
motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what
science knows and what business does—and how that
affects every aspect of life. He examines the three
elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and
purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for
putting these into action in a unique book that will change
how we think and transform how we live.

38. To Sell Is Human
By Daniel H. Pink
• To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and
science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New
Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social
science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the
new ABCs of moving others (it’s no longer “Always Be
Closing”), explains why extraverts don’t make the best
salespeople, and shows how giving people an “off-ramp”
for their actions can matter more than actually changing
their minds.
• Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the
elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding
another’s perspective, the five frames that can make
your message clearer and more persuasive, and much
more. The result is a perceptive and practical book–one
that will change how you see the world and transform
what you do at work, at school, and at home.

39. Amplified Leadership
By Dan Reiland
• The leaders you develop today will determine your ministry’s
future.
• If you want your ministry to reach its maximum potential, all that God
wants for you, it is essential that you develop strong leaders. In Amplified
Leadership, “pastor’s coach” Dan Reiland gives you a proven process
for developing new leaders that are established spiritually and trained
practically.
• Not just a checklist of things you should do, Amplified
Leadership provides an intentional development process that starts with
your relationships and ends with empowered leaders who are ready to
make an impact. With personal examples and proven advice, Reiland
gives you the tools you need to:
– Establish relationships
– Engage followers
– Embrace and equip team members
– Coach your apprentices
– Mentor new leaders
• The ability to develop leaders is a life-changing gift. When you
successfully empower and release people to leadership, you give them
the opportunity to fulfill their potential and advance the mission of the
church.

40. Humble Inquiry
By Edgar H. Schein
• Communication is essential in a healthy organization. But
all too often when we interact with people—especially
those who report to us—we simply tell them what we think
they need to know. This shuts them down. To generate
bold new ideas, to avoid disastrous mistakes, to develop
agility and flexibility, we need to practice Humble Inquiry.
Ed Schein defines Humble Inquiry as “the fine art of
drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you
do not know the answer, of building a relationship based
on curiosity and interest in the other person.” In this
seminal work, Schein contrasts Humble Inquiry with other
kinds of inquiry, shows the benefits Humble Inquiry
provides in many different settings, and offers advice on
overcoming the cultural, organizational, and psychological
barriers that keep us from practicing it.

41. Leaders Eat Last
By Simon Sinek
• The highly anticipated follow-up to Simon Sinek’s global
bestseller Start with Why Simon Sinek is an optimist, a
visionary thinker, and a leader of the cultural revolution of
WHY. His second book is the natural extension of Start
with Why, expanding his ideas at the organizational level.
Determining a company’s WHY is crucial, but only the
beginning. The next step is how do you get people on
board with your WHY? How do you inspire deep trust and
commitment to the company and one another? He cites the
Marine Corps for having found a way to build a culture in
which men and women are willing to risk their lives,
because they know others would do the same for them. It’s
not brainwashing; it’s actually based on the biology of how
and when people are naturally at their best. If businesses
could adopt this supportive mentality, employees would be
more motivated to take bigger risks, because they’d know
their colleagues and company would back them up, no
matter what. Drawing on powerful and inspiring stories,
Sinek shows how to sustain an organization’s WHY while
continually adding people to the mix.

42. Start with Why
By Simon Sinek
• In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become
more inspired at work, and in turn inspire their colleagues and
customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of
his ideas, including more than 28 million who’ve watched his TED
Talk based on START WITH WHY -- the third most popular TED video
of all time.
Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and
organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable
than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers
and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few
able to repeat their success over and over?
People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright
Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They
realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service,
movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.
START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who've had the greatest
influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way --
and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this
powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon
which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people
can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

43. Patients Come Second
By Paul Spiegelman & Britt Berrett
• Americans enjoy the finest healthcare delivery system in the world, but most
people will tell you that we still have a long way to go. Far too frequently,
patients leave the doctor's office or hospital feeling confused, angry, or
neglected. Healthcare leaders recognize this problem, but in their focus on
patients (and sometimes financials), they often overlook the true key to
lasting patient loyalty and satisfaction: their employees.
Patients Come Second shakes up the traditional healthcare model, arguing
that in order to care for and retain patients, leaders must first create
exceptional teams and find ways to engage nurses, administrative staff,
physicians, supervisors, and even housekeeping staff and switchboard
operators. By connecting employees' work with a higher purpose and
equipping them with the tools to become leaders themselves, patient care
can be dramatically transformed. And with continuing healthcare changes on
the horizon and ever-rising pressure to acquire and keep patients, doing so
now is more important than ever.
Britt Berrett, president of an 898-bed hospital, and Paul Spiegelman, founder
and CEO of a successful patient-experience company, are the perfect guides
to the changes needed in healthcare leadership. With a rich combined
experience in their field, they have filled each chapter with an abundance of
engaging, insightful stories and write with a humor and friendliness that
balances and enhances the urgency of their message.

44. The No Asshole Rule
By Robert I. Sutton
• “What an asshole!"
How many times have you said that about someone
at work? You're not alone! In this groundbreaking
book, Stanford University professor Robert I. Sutton
builds on his acclaimed Harvard Business Review
article to show you the best ways to deal with
assholes...and why they can be so destructive to your
company. Practical, compassionate, and in places
downright funny, this guide offers:
– Strategies on how to pinpoint and eliminate negative
influences for good
– Illuminating case histories from major organizations
– A self-diagnostic test and a program to identify and keep
your own "inner jerk" from coming out

45. Zero to One
By Peter Thiel
• The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to
explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary
entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular
ways to create those new things.
Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of
technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile
devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there
is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon
Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It
comes from the most important skill that every leader must master:
learning to think for yourself.
Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from
1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something
new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating
system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search
engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in
today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because
their businesses will be unique.
Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress
in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by
learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected
places.

46. The Secret Solution
By Todd Whitaker, Sam Miller, & Ryan Donlan
• What is the secret to school leadership? The Secret
Solution follows the journey of Roger Rookie, a new
principal, in his quest to become a fair and effective
leader. Through the ups and downs of his first few years,
Roger learns what works and what doesn’t when it comes
to leading people well. This engaging parable also brings
to light many of the real-life characters in schools today—
from naysayers and bullies to superstars and newbies—
and reveals the best (and worst) ways to work with them.
By using a narrative to explore four common leadership
styles, the authors provide an effective, non-threatening
way to discuss problematic attitudes and approaches with
colleagues. This updated edition of The Secret Solution
includes a reader’s guide that delves into each of the four
leadership personality styles to help you identify habits
and traits that can help you and your team succeed.
Authors and experienced leaders Todd Whitaker, Sam
Miller, and Ryan Donlan serve as the guides to help you
find your path to leadership success.

47. Start. Right. Now.
By Todd Whitaker, Jeffery Zoul, & Jimmy Casas
• Are You Ready to Take the First Step Toward Excellence?
What does it take to be the very best teacher—or the very
best leader? What sets excellent educators apart from their
peers? And how can you join their ranks? In their work
leading up to Start. Right. Now. Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul,
and Jimmy Casas studied educators from across the nation
and discovered four key behaviors of excellence: Excellent
Leaders and Teachers... Know the Way From their content
to best practices, these educators know their stuff. Show
the Way Casting a bright vision for the future, these
educators see possibilities where others see problems. Go
the Way Leading by example is a way of life for the very
best. and Grow Each Day A focus on personal and
professional development helps these educators succeed.
Wherever you are on your journey as an educator, choose
to become even greater still—our kids are worth it. Start.
Right. Now.

48. Extreme Ownership
Jocko Willink
• Sent to the most violent battlefield in Iraq, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin’s SEAL
task unit faced a seemingly impossible mission: help U.S. forces secure
Ramadi, a city deemed “all but lost.” In gripping firsthand accounts of heroism,
tragic loss, and hard-won victories in SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, they
learned that leadership—at every level—is the most important factor in whether
a team succeeds or fails.Willink and Babin returned home from deployment and
instituted SEAL leadership training that helped forge the next generation of
SEAL leaders. After departing the SEAL Teams, they launched Echelon Front, a
company that teaches these same leadership principles to businesses and
organizations. From promising startups to Fortune 500 companies, Babin and
Willink have helped scores of clients across a broad range of industries build
their own high-performance teams and dominate their battlefields.
• Now, detailing the mind-set and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish
the most difficult missions in combat, Extreme Ownership shows how to apply
them to any team, family or organization. Each chapter focuses on a specific
topic such as Cover and Move, Decentralized Command, and Leading Up the
Chain, explaining what they are, why they are important, and how to implement
them in any leadership environment.
• A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme
Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders
everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.