Last week I had the opportunity to deliver my keynote, Step Up to Leadership which is based on my new book by the same title. I'm blessed to be able to facilitate leadership development programs for a variety of organizations.
I love to study leaders and to talk with others about leadership. When I was in college, I took a class called charismatic leaders, we studied Adolf Hitler. It was a fascinating class. Yes, Hitler was a corrupt leader but he had charisma and was able to influence others to follow him. I saw Bill Clinton speak to a crowd in NYC after 9/11, he also had charisma. Charisma is a powerful trait that some leaders have. You know it when you see it!
I always ask people in my audience to recommend books about leaders or books for leaders. A few months ago I read, My Life In Full by Indra Nooyi who was the former Chairperson and CEO for PepsiCo from 2006-2019. Her story, determination, strategic thinking, and wisdom was fascinating to read about. She is also a wife, mother, Yale educated, and an immigrant. After I finished her book, my son told me that she was speaking to a group of cadets at West Point and that he was going to be in the audience. USMA at West Point prepares the cadets to be tomorrows leaders and I enjoy talking with my son about leadership development.
Here are a few books my recent audience recommended.
Blink Malcolm Gladwell
Lean In Sheryl Sandberg
9 Minutes on Monday James Robbins
How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie 1937
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey 1989
Good to Great Jim Collins 2001
Grit Angela Duckworth 2018
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni 2002
What would you add to the list?