Summer Book Club: Top Leadership Reads

In our office, we have a leadership book club. Each month a few of the editors will pick a new book, focusing on leadership development, and then we will meet weekly as we move through the chapters. We will discuss key themes and skills that we hope to exemplify as leaders within the company. It is also a great opportunity to address challenges we might face as leaders, and methods for conquering those issues.

Since it is summer and you might be heading to the beach for vacation, or have a little extra time on your hands, here are a few of the top leadership books I have read. They have helped with my professional development and deepened my understanding of what it means to be a great leader.

• The Disney Way — Learn how to make each and every employee, member, customer and student feel special by reading this book. It gives insight into the high level of customer experience training Disney provides its employees. After reading it hopefully you can take away a few lessons in how to improve communication and the customer service experience.
• 5 Levels of Leadership — John C. Maxwell highlights the five levels of leadership —Position, Permission, Production, People Development and Pinnacle — as well as ways to move from one level to the next. The ultimate goals is to reach the Pinnacle where people follow you because of who are you and what you represent.
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALS Lead and Win — U.S. Navy SEAL officers Jocko Willink and Leif Babin have developed and led Navy SEAL leadership training for the next generation of SEALS. They highlight the lessons they learned from the battlefield and methods for leading high-performance, winning teams.
• The One Minute Manager — Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson discuss the importance of being effective mangers. This involves setting clear expectations from the get go, providing immediate feedback, giving praise when praise is due, and constructive criticism when necessary.
• The Compound Effect — According the Darren Hardy, the secret to success is found in daily routine. The things you do every single day — whether good or bad — have a long term effect. Little everyday decisions take your life in a certain direction and this book helps you chart your progress to achieve the outcome you want.