How to Find the Right Book to Inspire Your Leadership Style

What kind of leader do you want to be?

As a small business owner or team leader, you’re keen to develop a leadership style to make your business successful, but knowing how to manage and motivate your team isn’t always easy. You know that leadership isn’t just a case of telling people what to do, but what can you do to develop more effective leadership skills?

If you want to inspire others to work well in your organization, you will benefit from some inspiration yourself. It makes sense to learn from the advice and experience of people who know what they’re talking about, and there’s a wealth of leadership books available from experts in business, leadership, and work culture, that could help.

With such an overwhelming amount of leadership books on the market, it’s hard to know where to start. Will the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophers work for you, or would you respond better to statistical analysis from contemporary thinkers? Perhaps you’ll be more inspired by real-life success stories from world famous leaders in business and tech?

Here’s a step-by-step approach to accessing the best resources, to help get you started:

Step 1: Find out what’s available

Get an idea of the range of books that are available in the leadership genre. Which have proven successful with other readers? The most popular quotes from Goodreads’ top 50 leadership books will give you a feel for the different approaches to leadership advice. They won’t all suit your taste, but you’re bound to find something that speaks to you.

Step 2: Choose one for starters

Becoming a good leader isn’t a race to the top. It’s about taking the time to think carefully about what works best for you. Choose one, or maybe two, books that stand out from the resume.io list to get started. Don’t feel pressured to read everything at once – this is about personal growth, not ticking boxes.

Step 3: Think about what works for you

If your first book offers great advice and inspiration, that’s fantastic! You can start applying what you learn to your own leadership practice. If it doesn’t work for you this time, don’t dismiss the entire genre. Reflect on which features of the book were helpful (or not), and let that inform your future reading.

Step 4: Stick with it

Good leadership isn’t about finding a quick fix or easy answers. There’s always something new to learn and help you maximize your leadership potential. Incorporate reading into your continuing professional development, so you’ve always got fresh and positive ideas to bring out the best in your team.