The Leadership Challenge is considered a gold-standard text for effective leadership, grounded in research and written by authorities in the field. With insight into the complex dynamics of the workplace, the book identifies leadership as a skill to be learned and a relationship to be nurtured. The book has sold more than 2.5 million copies and is available in twenty-two languages. Both authors have spent their academic and teaching careers, currently at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, researching effective leadership in businesses and organizations around the world.

This book describes the characteristics of leaders who can affect needed, significant change in an organization, even when change initiatives are met with resistance or sabotage. The author argues that leaders must develop resilience and “adaptive capacity,” to wisely cut through resistance and accomplish the mission of the group. 

This book is an invitation to let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving you well, and to anchor your sense of self in flexibility rather than consistency.

This rich and wise book explores two key dimensions of every spiritual leader’s life: 1) the interior life and how to cultivate it; and 2) how to integrate a rich personal spiritual life with key outward tasks that are the responsibility of every leader.  Scazzero explains that cultivating the inner life involves facing one’s shadow, leading out of marriage or singleness, slowing down for loving union, and practicing Sabbath delight. After discussing these four areas thoroughly, he provides a self-measurement tool to help each reader identify how they are doing in each.  

This book is made up of short chapters of wisdom from marketing and creative guru Seth Godin. It is not a standard business book but rather, is written more like proverbs.

Throughout The Innovation Crisis, Ted Esler utilizes thoughtful reflection, conversational narrative, and historical and present-day examples to drive home the significant gaps in innovation that exist within the modern church.

This book is a deep, detailed dive into the science behind decision making. It focuses on how decisions and judgment are made, what influences them, and how better decisions can be made. It utilizes math, case studies, and research to prove that noise, the things that make decisions difficult, is a primary influencer in the decision-making process.

This is a short, fast-paced book on how leaders can empower and retain employees. The author, founder of The Undercover Millennial, has conducted extensive informal reviews of how employees see their companies. He unpacks the major findings. While there is some emphasis on generational differences, this book is more about the soft skills necessary to attract, retain, and develop staff.

This book’s thesis is that reframing problems, seeing them in new ways or redefining them, creates breakthroughs. Understanding the best problem to solve is not as easy as one might think. The author makes the case that it is fundamental to good leadership. This is a practical, step by step guide on how reframing can work on any problem.

This is a short book with a strong thesis and practical application. “Without careful attention, faith-based organizations will inevitably drift from their founding mission” (Kindle location 15).