The Leader's Bookshelf
Image by Ahmad Ardity from Pixabay
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I love books, especially good books on leadership. I also enjoy traveling. Perhaps you do, too.
So it may be easy to guess my favorite guilt-free pleasure while traveling: perusing the bookshelves in airports for a good book on leadership during extra waiting or layover time.
Only bestsellers make it to these shelves. And it feels like unaccountable time to leisurely indulge in my new book without much distraction.
Recently, on my way to LA for a conference on leadership consulting, I picked up a great new discovery: The Leader’s Bookshelf by Admiral James Stravridis, USN (RET.) and R. Manning Ancell.
I settled in for a good read.
The book’s structure: a Cliff note’s version of 50 top leadership books. That sounded appealing. The authors selected the books by interviewing 200 senior military leaders for the most recommended ones. Each selected book is briefly described along with relevant leadership lessons and quotes.
Practical and inspirational leadership stories make a leadership book worthwhile for me. By the way, books written by or recommended by military leaders often become timeless for their leadership principles across all disciplines.
I’ll share just 3 of the books I’ve decided to obtain based on their recommendation (all of which have some connection to my field of expertise, emotional intelligence):
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster, 2006). Apparently, Lincoln chose people for his team who often were rivals with one another and with their boss, Lincoln. He reportedly chose them because of their expertise, strength, and character, not because they supported him. The book apparently details how he kept his team moving forward and “maneuvered his path through this minefield of egos, scheming and distrust”.
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald T. Phillips (Warner Books, 1992). Interestingly, Lincoln reportedly spent about 75% of his time meeting with people and spent a good bit of time out with the troops, rather than in his makeshift office. He reportedly relied on the art of persuasion rather than coercion. Sounds like he had great people skills. My interest is peaked.
Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Black Calvary in the West by William H. Leckie. The book describes the unique hardships they faced due to strong prejudice and includes period photos. Overcoming cultural resistance, managing perception and demonstrating excellence in the face of pushback seem to be major leadership takeaways.
They authors also add a reading list (apparently they couldn’t stop at just 50 ), that included a book I have read entitled Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McCrystal (U. S Army, Retired), 2015.
With the Taliban winning, U.S. military leadership realized that their siloed strategy was no match for the loose, agile, yet organized networks of the Taliban. McCrystal knew that U.S. forces would need to become a team of teams to win.
I found it thought provoking in re-imagining strategies to engage and grow church communities in our evolving culture.
This list didn’t include some of my favorite books by those of faith. (Maybe that’s another blog?)
What are your favorite books on leadership?
What are you reading this year?
Do you have a recommendation?
Remember: A good book can take you anywhere!
Get your copy today!