New Leadership Books that Belong on Your Shelf

Why are so many new books on leadership published every year?It could be because leadership is a perennial, “hot” topic that executives need to understand as they build their careers. But we suspect it is also because the business of leading is hard work, and those who practice it face new challenges daily that demand high-level thinking and effective solutions.What are those solutions? We have found that the following books, each in a different way, provide answers to the question of what it means to lead.Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott (St. Martin’s Press)The author makes a strong case for adopting a new and more direct approach for leaders to attacking problems, without being too bound by the politeness that has taken hold in the workplace. Her ideas are refreshing, and likely to produce an uptick in effectiveness in most organizations we know.Ingaging Leadership: 21 Steps to Elevate Your Business by Evan Hackel (Motivational Press)Evan Hackel, Founder and Principal of Ingage Consulting, shares his philosophy of Ingaged Leadership. He writes, “Ingagement is a leadership philosophy for those who believe that it is not enough to tell people what to do, but to involve their minds, creativity and even their emotions. When you align people and create an organization where everyone works together in partnership, that organization becomes vastly more successful.”Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant (Random House)Sandberg follows up her highly successful book, Lean In, with this book that is focuses on a central leadership issue . . .How does an effective leader recover from adversity and setbacks?The story of Sandberg’s recovery after the sudden death of her husband underlies the leadership lessons in this book, which add up to a roadmap for personal resilience.H3 Leadership: Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick (Thomas Nelson Publications)Lomenick shares observations on the leaders he has had the opportunity to observe while he served as producer of The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice and Shark Tank. His observations on the importance of finding ways to cooperate with competitors are both unusual and thought-provoking.