Whether you are still in school, just starting your career or are already at the top, great books on organizational leadership, packed with interesting stories and life-changing inspiration, can help you achieve better. There are many great books on organizational leadership out there; so, our recommendations are not absolute. They do, however, start you off with a handy list.
1) Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win | By Leif Babin
Our first recommendation is EXTREME OWNERSHIP by Leif Babin.In the book, U.S Navy Seal officers, Leif Babin and Jocko Willink share first-hand lessons from the most violent and dangerous battlefields in Iraq. With gripping, firsthand accounts of heroism, loss, and victories, they learned that leadership, at every level, is the deciding factor in whether a team succeeds or fails. They also learned that to be a great leader, one must take total and extreme ownership of their own actions, decisions and failures.
After leaving the SEAL Teams, Babin and Willink launched a company, Echelon Front, that teaches the same leadership principles they gained from the war. Since then, they have trained countless leaders over various industries across the U.S and internationally on how to develop and lead high-performing teams.
2) Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World | By Jennifer Palmieri
Former White House Communications Director, Jennifer Palmieri, has much advice to share with budding young female leaders. From being a woman in a male-dominated industry to making advancements against all odds, Palmieri leverages her White House experience to teach other women how to succeed and thrive. While she realizes that there is still much to do for women to push forward in the work force, Palmieri leaves us with satisfying facts and hope. Whether you are male or female, you will gain wise and applicable knowledge from reading this book. Find book at DEAR MADAM PRESIDENT.
3) When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing | by Dan Pink
According to Dan Pink, the author of WHEN: THE SCIENTIFIC SECRETS OF PERFECT TIMING, there is a certain time of the day when a person is the most productive, a certain time of the year to begin a new job, and a best time of the day to have a meeting. Using a rich and diverse trove of research from psychology, biology, and economics, Pink shows us how to succeed in career and life by master the art and science of having perfect timing.Some of his tips include: how to use the hidden patterns of the day to build an ideal schedule? How certain breaks can drastically improve students' test scores? How we can bounce back from failure? And why we should we avoid visiting the hospital in the afternoon?
If not fascinating, this book certainly offers unorthodox ways to achieve success. Find out more at THE SCIENTIFIC SECRETS OF PERFECT TIMING.
4) Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More | Morton Hansen
In Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More, Hansen explains how a team can perform better as a unit than as individuals. By interviewing various leadership teams and individual contributors, Hansen uncovers the secret to succeeding in the toughest work environments, and translates them into applicable techniques that anyone can use to make better decisions, contribute more at work, and achieve optimal results.Find out more at GREAT AT WORK BOOK.
5) Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility | By Patty Mccord
In this book, former Netflix executive, Patty McCord, describes and promotes a leadership concept called Radical Honesty. In sum, Radical Honesty allows leaders to express openly about their leadership style, leading to more trust and respect from employees. Examples include advocating for bidding good-bye to employees who can't fulfill the company's emerging needs, motivating with challenging work instead of promises and perks, and stopping time wasters like performance reviews and employee engagement programs.McCord's unique methods of creating a culture of high performance and profitability may seem radical, but certainly leaves one intrigued. Keep an open mind and you might find some of her ideas worth trying.
Find her book at POWERFUL: BUILDING A CULTURE OF FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY.
6) Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance—and What We Can Do About It | By Jeffery 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 provocative book, Pfeffer contends that modern management commonalities such as lengthy work days, work-life imbalance, and economic insecurity hurt employees' health, increase turnover, and destroy company performance. Pfeffer argues that companies should pay more attention to environmental stewardship than profitability.
Instead of dangers of getting hurt at physical job sites, Pfeffer talks about the dangers that white-collared employees face everyday, including those that have led to claims filed for various issues that conflict with OSHA regulations. Ultimately, he encourages both organizations and employees to pay attention to the subtle cues that lead to bigger dangers.
If interested, find the book at DYING FOR A PAYCHECK.
7) Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught us About Leadership | By Martin Dempsey and Ori Brafman
Today's leadership landscape is quite different than before and requires change from leaders than from employees. In this book, authors Dempsey and Brafman persuade their audience to use more modern methods of gaining trust and confidence from employees. They assert that the true nature of power should not be by control and exclusion, but by practicing radical inclusion and relinquishing external power.The principles discussed in the book are told through engaging stories, such as first person accounts during the Cold War and discussions from the Situation Room. They provide contemporary and brilliant tools to lead in the modern organization and handle challenges that have just recently surfaced.
Get book at RADICAL INCLUSION BOOK.
8) The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups | By Daniel Coyle
"NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture."Ever wonder where great culture come from? And how do you build, strengthen and sustain a group's culture?
In the revolutionary book, THE CULTURE CODE, author Daniel Coyle shows us that, with a team mentality, anything can be accomplished. He provides us with effective methods used by some of the world's most elite teams, like the U.S Navy Seals and NBA Basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs. By learning to work as a single unit, these teams went from doing great to the achieving the best at what they do. The lesson you gain from THE CULTURE CODE apply to any area, whether you run an organization, lead a team, or manage your household.
9) On Grand Strategy | By John Lewis
“The best education in grand strategy available in a single volume . . . a book that should be read by every American leader or would-be leader.”—The Wall Street JournalDistinguished historian, John Lewis Gaddis, composes two decades of teaching grand strategy at Yale University into one remarkable book. From conflicts among ancient societies to World War II, Gaddis assesses the grand strategic theory used by some of history's famous characters, "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," to name a few.
ON GRAND STRATEGY applies the sharp insights and wit to situations and people that Gaddis hasn't exposed before, and portrays leadership as an art form that one must practice with consistency to master.
10) Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have all the Facts | By Annie Duke
"Poker champion turned business consultant Annie Duke teaches you how to get comfortable with uncertainty and make better decisions as a result."HOW DO YOU MAKE SMART DECISIONS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE FACTS?. Knowing very well that even the best decision can yield the worst outcome, and that you cannot control luck or always have access to hidden information, poker champion Annie Duke teaches us to THINK IN BETS, instead of worrying ourselves to death. She answers questions that we often ask when faced with ambiguous questions:" How sure am I? What are the possible ways things could turn out? What decision has the highest odds of success? Did I land in the unlucky 10% on the strategy that works 90% of the time? Or is my success attributable to dumb luck rather than great decision making?"
From THINKING IN BETS, we learn how to shift our mindset from needing certainty to assessing what we know, what you don't and how to confidently execute on those information. She teaches us how to react less to emotions, biases, and destructive thoughts, and become calmer and more empathetic, and better decision makers.
11) A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership | By James Comey
In his book, A HIGHER LOYALTY, former FBI director James Comey shares his experiences from high-stakes situations from his 20-year career at one of the world's most elite organizations. He explores the subject of ethical leadership, and how it drives sound decisions, and teaches us remarkable lessons on leadership and true personal power.
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Best Shark Tank Inventions Made By Women
1) CitiKitty and HoodiePillow
In 2005, after moving into a tiny New York City apartment, Rebecca Rescate had no space to keep a litter box for her cat, Samantha. Instead of being frustrated with this challenge, Rescate put her design background to work and developed a system to train her cat to use the toilette.On the show, several Sharks laughed at the product, questioning whether it was too ridiculous to market. Barbara Corcoran, Shark Tank's most seasoned female shark, saw something special in the CitiKitty system, and offered Rescate $100,000 for 15%, but with contingencies from outside partners' agreement. Eventually, Kevin Harrington negotiated the same amount of investment for 20% of the company.
In a short time, CitiKitty became a runaway success. At one point, it held the top selling spot on Amazon for the Home and Garden department.
Because of CitiKitty's success, Rescate received another invitation to Shark Tank to demonstrate another invention, the HoodiePillow. Again, the Sharks, this time including Barbara Corcoran, expressed skepticism, Robert Herjavec stepped up to give Rebecca the exact deal she requested, $90,000 in exchange for 20% of the business.
Today, Both of Rebecca's products are successfully selling.
Website: https://www.citikitty.com/ and https://www.hoodiepillow.com/.
2) SmartGurlz
Founded by Sharmi Albrechtsen in 2016, SmartGurlz appeared on Shark Tank with their line of educational robotic dolls that taught young girls to code through an integrated app. Frustrated by how robotics toys in stores all seemed to target boys, Albrechtsen marshaled her MBA-trained business acumen to create a product to fill the much-needed market of STEM toys for girls.Each SmartGurlz doll has its own personality and back story. For example, Maria the math genius and Zara the tech wizard. Albrechtsen ensured that her dolls represent diverse interests and appearances, just like the girls she created the dolls for.
During her pitch to the Sharks, Albrechtsen received a $200,000 investment for 25% of the company from Daymond John. Within a year, the product launched in mega-retailer, Walmart, and sold over $1 million units. What's most amazing about SmartGurlz is that the company continues to focus on giving young women fun, confidence-building tools to succeed.
Website:https://www.smartgurlz.com/
3) Grace and Lace
Grace and Lace, run by wife and husband team Melissa and Rick Hinnant, appeared on Shark Tank in 2013. With a winning pitch that showcased one of their most successful products, a line of stylish boot socks, the company emerged from difficult circumstances and is now a shining success.In 2010, Melissa took up crocheting to make a baby blanket for the expecting couple's baby, but the couple faced tragedy when their daughter was stillborn. Desperately needing a new focus, Melissa began knitting beautifully-decorated boot socks and leg warmers. They became an immediate hit online.
Barbara Corcoran immediately recognized something special about Melissa's company, and offered Grace and Lace $175,000 for 10% of the company. Under Corcoran's guidance, the company has since sold over $20 million worth of their products. The Hinnats then partnered with several charities to provide shelter and resources for orphans and sex trafficking victims overseas.
With help from Barbara and Shark Tank, The Hinnants turned tragedy into triumph, and is now helping others as well.
Website: https://www.graceandlace.com/
4) Simply Fit
Simply Fit, a balance board used primarily for abdominal fitness, appeared on Shark Tank in 2015. The equipment cost very little to make, is easy to use and requires little room. Its Co-founders, Linda Clark and Gloria Hoffman, secured an investment from Shark queen Lori Greiner with a $125,000 offer in exchange for 20% equity in the company. Greiners' connections and marketing expertise helped Clark and Hoffman move fast. With Greiner's help, the Simply Fit boosted their sales from half a million dollars to over $9 million, starting from infomercial to retailing at stores internationally.Today, Simply Fit continues to help people improve their fitness.
Website: https://www.simplyfitboard.com/
5) Stasher
Arguably one of the most eco-friendly everyday products ever to appear on the show, Stasher is a self-sealing, food-grade silicone reusable storage bag. It aims to replace disposable plastic bags in home kitchens. The product's inventor, Kat Nouri, spent years perfecting the product before approaching the Sharks for an investment in a 2018 episode.Having already secured retailers like Target for her product before appearing on the show, Nouri negotiated a $400,000 investment from Mark Cuban, and an additional line of credit, for 15% of her company. Since the show aired, Stasher has generated significant online buzz and secured a small army of fans on platforms such as Instagram, indicating strong momentum.
Website: https://www.stasherbag.com/
6) Wicked Good Cupcakes
Family business, Wicked Good Cupcakes, started with mother-daughter duo, Tracey Noonan and Danielle Desroches. What makes these Wicked Good Cupcakes amazing is that they are delicious cakes packaged in jars, ready to be scooped and devoured. These jarred cakes also comes with almost 20 different flavors, all made with no preservatives. Shark Tank's most tough shark, Kevin O'Leary, offered them a royalty-based deal, agreeing to an investment of $75,000 for a $1 royalty on each cupcake sold for the first 75,000 units, then a $0.45 royalty in perpetuity.The deal proved highly profitable as Wicked Good Cupcakes has sold over $14 million worth of cakes and cupcakes since appearing on the show. Kevin later helped Tracey and Danielle expand the business by connecting them with his wedding-based businesses, inspiring the pair to propose other gift-based selling opportunities, and new products such as cookie jars and cheesecake jars.
Today, Wicked Good Cupcakes sells nation wide, and its success continues to skyrocket. Website: https://www.wickedgoodcupcakes.com/
7) Delighted by Hummus
Another delicious product that appeared on Shark Tank is the much-raved-about Delighted by Hummus. Founder Makenzie Marzluff used her background in nutrition to create a healthy cookie-flavored dip that combines hummus with chocolates. Many sharks offered to invest in the company, but Cuban was so enticed that he offered Marzluff a shocking $600,000 for 25% of her company.Since debuting on Shark Tank, Marzluff has been growing her culinary creativity into a nationally-distributed brand, with over half a dozen flavors.
Website: https://delightedbyhummus.com
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