5 Must-Read Books For Leaders During 2024

6 min readJan 9, 2024

A study in the journal Memory & Cognition discussed the effect of reading with intention and purpose. According to the study, benefits of reading can significantly impact learning and that it positively alters the mindset. Without cultivating the habit of reading, our outlook becomes brittle, and relationships lower with co-workers.

A ritual that I undertake at the start of the each calendar year where I suggest a few timeless books to my readers. Reading, in fact, can help us to be passionate about self-development and becoming an exceptional leader within the industry we work for — whether that entails thought leadership as a subject matter expert or leading successful teams or all of the above — we’ll need to start refreshing our libraries.

5 Leadership Books To Read In 2024

But where should we begin? Here are 5 leadership books that must attract our serious attention this year:

1. Start With Why — How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action

Leadership expert Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why — How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action,” is a book that encourages us to explore our organization’s “why” and purpose to lead effective teams. The book is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, and is an expansion from Sinek’s renowned “TEDx Talk” with the same name.

Start with WHY is Simon’s first and most popular book, having earned a spot on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. In this book, Simon shows that the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way — and it’s the opposite of what everyone else does. Simon calls this powerful idea “The Golden Circle”, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

2. Leading Lightly: Lower Your Stress, Think With Clarity and Lead With Ease

How do you become a powerfully effective leader while maintaining your mental health and wellbeing? Do you need to sacrifice your health to be successful as a leader? Jody Michael, the author, believes that leaders can adopt simple strategies that optimize work performance while incorporating mindfulness, healthy habits, and consciousness.

In Leading Lightly, the author brings together 20+ years of her research and work as a psychotherapist, Master Certified Coach, and leadership expert to provide us with a practical, measurable, and proven process for developing mental fitness. It will increase our emotional intelligence, discover how to respond to situations with more agility, build stronger networks, and find that the ability to thrive in careers. This book will show us how to change lens to see things differently, feel lighter.

3. Coaching For Performance, Sixth Edition

This impactful book by “the pioneer of coaching” Sir John Whitmore, was originally written in 1992, and is set to have its sixth edition released in 2024. This amazing resource is the perfect handbook for any new and aspiring manager or a seasoned leader, seeking to improve the team’s performance levels. It is packed full of guidance on how to apply the GROW Coaching Model to coaching high-performing teams within different scenarios, and comes with a helpful bank of coaching questions, dialogues, and a glossary.

In Coaching for Performance, the author provides strategies to maximise employees’ potential and performance. In a work world changed by globalization and the ability to exchange information instantly, leaders must shift from a command-and-control mindset to one that recognises employees’ values. Coaches can help them reveal employees’ talents and step into this new reality.

4. Opening Your Presence: Presenting the YOU You Want Others to See

This book, authored by Greta Muller published in 2022, is an empowering companion for aspiring leaders who want to develop their confidence and personal branding presence as public speakers. Whether preparing to deliver a presentation at work or a keynote at a conference, this book helps us effectively craft our image and our message.

Discover how to leverage who you are and what you want to accomplish with guidance from a trusted advisor and coach who works with Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, nonprofits, boutique agencies and individuals. Greta Muller has touched the professional lives of literally thousands of individuals with a desire to be seen and heard. And now it’s your turn.

5. Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World

This timeless book is written by Ginni Rometty, former CEO of IBM, released in 2023, this book is essentially Rometty’s memoir. She reflects on her leadership experiences from first-time manager making to the CEO position making high stakes decisions, and encourages others to conduct business in a way that serves the greater good and achieves global and societal change.

The book begins with raw, vivid memories from Rometty’s youth and early professional years as she recalls the trauma and the role models that formed her belief that how we lead is as important as what we achieve. She also encourages us to use good power at scale to bring about urgent societal change. She shares insights from her own journey to create a more equitable world by leading the SkillsFirst movement, which connects underserved populations with family-sustaining jobs by transforming hiring, education, and training with heart, humility, and conviction,

Closure

Reading is a vital habit for every successful person. It broadens our mind, helps with our written and verbal communication skills, and gives us a certain level of understanding and empathy. Nothing can fuel our curiosity and imagination like reading. These skills can help us perform and communicate better in our personal and professional lives. The more we read, the more knowledgeable we become. For a well-read person, knowledge comes in handy even in the most critical times.

Let’s have a look through these books and decide to read one, two, or all of them! Let’s enrich our professional journey this year, so we can navigate potential challenges armed with confidence from the varied insights each book offers. Happy Reading!

About the Author

Muhammad Sajwani is a C-Level HR, Transformation Leader, Board Advisor, Business Coach & Organisational Consultant working in the capacity of Managing Director, Evolve HR. He is an author, columnist and a contributor who besides writing for other platforms also regularly writes at BizCatalyst 360. He brings along 30+ years of local & international experience. He is a change catalyst specializing in unleashing the human Dreamgenius through Leadership, Creativity and Change Management. Muhammad has been instrumental in helping organizations come to terms with organizational changes like right-sizing and business process re-engineering. His innovative approach & high personal competence encourages people to not only accept change, but also to excel in it. Muhammad has diverse experience in conducting strategic & management development programs, conferences & events for organizations across sectors.