In this two part, year-ending series, I unpack the eleven book that should be a part of every leader’s library. If there are any books on this list you haven’t yet made time for, I suggest you carve out time in 2025 for each of them.

In that there are 11 books on the list, you can dedicate a month to each, giving yourself a bit of extra time to get through the last of them as the holidays get under way in November and December.

You have two ways to engage with this week’s content. You can simply scroll down and read through the list. Or, if you prefer, click the play button below and allow me to present them to you.

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#11: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (2011)

Our journey begins with Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman’s masterpiece on decision-making and behavioral economics. This book revolutionizes our understanding of how we think by introducing two systems that drive our thought processes: System 1, which is fast, intuitive, and emotional; and System 2, which is slower, more deliberative, and logical.

Let me share a fascinating experiment from the book that demonstrates how these systems work. Kahneman asks readers to solve this simple problem: “A bat and ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” Your immediate response – courtesy of System 1 – is probably 10 cents. But take a moment to think it through with System 2, and you’ll realize that can’t be right. If the ball costs 10 cents and the bat costs one dollar more, the bat would cost $1.10, making the total $1.20. The correct answer is 5 cents for the ball and $1.05 for the bat.

This example illustrates how our intuitive thinking can lead us astray, even in simple mathematics. Kahneman explores dozens of such cognitive biases, including:

The Anchoring Effect: How the first piece of information we receive disproportionately influences our decisions. In salary negotiations, for instance, whoever makes the first offer tends to anchor the entire discussion.

Loss Aversion: We feel losses about twice as intensely as equivalent gains. This explains why many leaders resist necessary changes – the potential losses loom larger than the potential gains.

The Planning Fallacy: Our tendency to underestimate how long projects will take, even when we have experience with similar projects running over schedule. This insight is particularly valuable for project management and strategic planning.

What makes this book essential for leaders is its practical applications. Understanding these biases helps us design better decision-making processes. For instance, knowing about confirmation bias – our tendency to seek information that confirms our existing beliefs – can lead us to deliberately seek contrary evidence when making important decisions.

#10: Atomic Habits by James Clear (2018)

Next on our list is a book that has revolutionized how we think about personal change. Clear presents a comprehensive framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones, based on the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology.

The genius of this book lies in its central metaphor: atomic habits. Just as atoms are the building blocks of matter, tiny changes in behavior are the building blocks of remarkable results. Clear introduces what he calls the “1% Rule” – the idea that tiny improvements add up to massive changes over time. If you can get just 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.

One of the book’s most powerful insights is the distinction between outcome-based habits and identity-based habits. Most people focus on outcomes: “I want to lose weight” or “I want to write a book.” But Clear argues that the key to lasting change is focusing on identity: “I want to become a healthy person” or “I want to become a writer.” This subtle shift changes the question from “What do I want to achieve?” to “Who do I want to become?”

Clear introduces four laws of behavior change:

1. Make it obvious (cue)
2. Make it attractive (craving)
3. Make it easy (response)
4. Make it satisfying (reward)

Let me share a practical example of how these laws work together. Say you want to develop a reading habit. You might:

• Make it obvious by placing a book on your nightstand (cue)
• Make it attractive by choosing books you’re genuinely excited to read (craving)
• Make it easy by starting with just 5 pages per day (response)
• Make it satisfying by tracking your progress in a reading journal (reward)

The book is particularly valuable for leaders because it explains how to create systems that make success almost inevitable. Clear’s concept of “habit stacking” – linking a new habit to an existing one – is especially useful for implementing new behaviors in organizations.

#9: Good to Great by Jim Collins (2001)

This landmark study of what transforms good companies into exceptional ones remains as relevant today as when it was first published. Collins and his research team spent five years analyzing companies that made the leap from good performance to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years.

What makes this book extraordinary is its research methodology. Collins didn’t start with a theory and look for companies that fit it. Instead, he identified companies that showed a specific pattern of performance – fifteen years of average performance followed by fifteen years of exceptional performance – and then studied what differentiated them from comparison companies.

The findings challenge many common beliefs about successful leadership and organizational transformation. For instance, the study found that charismatic leadership was negatively correlated with making the leap from good to great. Instead, the most successful companies were led by what Collins calls “Level 5 Leaders” – executives who combine extreme personal humility with intense professional will.

Let’s break down some of the book’s key concepts:

The Hedgehog Concept: Based on Isaiah Berlin’s essay about the hedgehog and the fox, this concept suggests that greatness comes from focusing on the intersection of three circles:

• What you can be the best in the world at
• What drives your economic engine
• What you’re deeply passionate about

The research showed that companies that maintained this focus consistently outperformed those that constantly chased new opportunities.

The Flywheel Effect: Collins uses this metaphor to describe how sustainable transformation happens. Picture a huge, heavy flywheel. Getting it to move takes enormous effort. But with consistent pushing in a single direction, the flywheel builds momentum until it reaches a point where it feels like it’s spinning itself.

First Who, Then What: Great companies focused first on getting the right people “on the bus” (and the wrong people off) before figuring out where to drive it. This contradicts the common practice of starting with vision and strategy, then filling positions to support that strategy.

The book includes fascinating case studies, like how Kroger transformed from a struggling grocery chain into a retail powerhouse by making a series of difficult but consistent choices over many years. Or how Abbott Laboratories used the Hedgehog Concept to focus its diverse businesses and achieve extraordinary returns.

#8: Mindset by Carol S. Dweck (2006)

Carol Dweck’s research on the power of our beliefs about our abilities has transformed education and leadership development. She introduces the concept of fixed versus growth mindset, showing how our beliefs about whether abilities are fixed or can be developed dramatically impact our success.

The book’s central insight seems simple but has profound implications: People with a fixed mindset believe their qualities are carved in stone, while those with a growth mindset believe their basic qualities can be cultivated through effort. This difference in belief leads to dramatically different behaviors and outcomes.

Let me share one of Dweck’s most revealing studies. She and her colleagues gave a group of students a fairly easy test. Afterward, they praised some students for their intelligence (“You must be smart at these problems”) and others for their effort (“You must have worked hard at these problems”). Then they offered students a choice of test for the next round: an easier one where they’d do well again, or a harder one where they’d learn a lot.

The results were striking. Students praised for intelligence mostly chose the easier test – they wanted to keep looking smart. Those praised for effort mostly chose the harder test – they wanted to keep learning. This simple experiment reveals how our words and beliefs can create either a fixed or growth mindset in others.

Dweck provides numerous examples of how mindset affects various domains:

In Sports: She contrasts John McEnroe, who typically blamed external factors for his losses (fixed mindset), with Michael Jordan, who was famous for treating failures as opportunities to improve (growth mindset).

In Business: She examines how different mindsets affected companies like IBM and Enron, showing how a fixed mindset can lead to corporate arrogance while a growth mindset promotes innovation and resilience.

In Leadership: She explores how different mindsets affect how leaders handle challenges, develop talent, and build organizational culture. Leaders with a growth mindset tend to create more collaborative, innovative environments where people feel empowered to learn and grow.

The book provides practical guidance for developing a growth mindset in ourselves and others. For instance, Dweck suggests:

• Embracing challenges rather than avoiding them
• Learning from criticism instead of ignoring it
• Finding inspiration in others’ success rather than feeling threatened by it
• Using the word “yet” to frame current limitations as temporary

#7: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown (2012)

Brown’s research on vulnerability, shame, and courage offers groundbreaking insights into what it means to live and lead authentically. Through her research, she demonstrates how vulnerability – often seen as weakness – is actually our most accurate measure of courage.

The book’s title comes from Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “Man in the Arena” speech, which speaks to the courage it takes to put ourselves out there despite the risks. Brown’s research shows that this kind of courage – the willingness to be vulnerable – is essential for innovation, creativity, and meaningful connection.

One of the book’s most powerful insights is the distinction between guilt and shame. Guilt is “I did something bad,” while shame is “I am bad.” This distinction has profound implications for leadership and organizational culture. Brown’s research shows that shame is highly correlated with addiction, depression, violence, aggression, bullying, suicide, and eating disorders. In contrast, guilt is inversely correlated with these behaviors.

Brown identifies several myths about vulnerability that hold us back:

1. Vulnerability is weakness
2. I don’t do vulnerability
3. I can go it alone
4. I can control the process
5. Trust comes before vulnerability

She then provides strategies for developing what she calls “vulnerability armor,” including:

• Practicing self-compassion
• Developing shame resilience
• Setting boundaries
• Staying mindful of the difference between oversharing and healthy vulnerability

The book is particularly relevant for leaders because it challenges traditional notions of leadership that emphasize projecting strength and certainty. Brown’s research shows that the most effective leaders are those who can acknowledge uncertainty, take appropriate risks, and create cultures where innovation and creativity can thrive.

#6: Deep Work by Cal Newport (2016)

In an age of constant distraction, Newport makes a compelling case for the importance of focused, uninterrupted work. He defines “deep work” as “professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit.”

Newport argues that deep work is becoming both increasingly rare and increasingly valuable in our economy. He provides evidence that the ability to perform deep work is becoming a key differentiator in many fields, yet our current work culture often makes it impossible to achieve this state.

The book identifies four “deep work philosophies”:

1. The Monastic Philosophy: Eliminating or radically minimizing shallow obligations
2. The Bimodal Philosophy: Dividing time into clearly defined deep and shallow periods
3. The Rhythmic Philosophy: Creating a regular habit of deep work
4. The Journalistic Philosophy: Fitting deep work into your schedule wherever you can

Newport provides specific strategies for implementing deep work, including:

The Grand Gesture: Sometimes dramatic changes to your normal environment can help support deep work. He cites J.K. Rowling checking into a luxury hotel to finish writing the Harry Potter series.

The Four Disciplines of Execution:

1. Focus on the wildly important
2. Act on lead measures (like hours spent in deep work)
3. Keep a compelling scoreboard
4. Create a cadence of accountability

Productive Meditation: Using periods of physical activity (like walking) to think deeply about a single problem.

The book also addresses how to minimize the impact of shallow work and digital distractions. Newport introduces concepts like:

• Fixed-schedule productivity
• The craftsman approach to tool selection
• Attention restoration theory
• The importance of boredom

What makes this book particularly valuable is its practical approach to implementing these ideas in the real world. Newport acknowledges the challenges of deep work in modern organizations but provides concrete strategies for protecting and prioritizing it.

That completes Part 1 of our series. Come back next week as I feature books five through one!

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