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 last week’s episode, I covered books #11 through #6. This week, I walk through the top #5.

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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5: Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (2007)

Why do some ideas thrive while others die? The Heath brothers tackle this crucial question by breaking down the anatomy of ideas that stick. Through their SUCCESs framework – Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories – they reveal the key elements that make ideas memorable and impactful.

Let’s break down each element of the framework:

Simple: The brothers emphasize finding the core of any idea – what they call “finding the lead.” They share the brilliant example of Southwest Airlines’ core message: “We are THE low-fare airline.” This simple idea guided every decision, from which routes to fly to which planes to buy.

Unexpected: Our brains are wired to notice change and novelty. The book shows how breaking patterns and creating surprise helps ideas stick. They cite the example of a flight attendant who turned the routine safety announcement into a comedy routine – passengers not only paid attention but remembered the safety instructions.

Concrete: Abstract ideas don’t stick. The authors show how turning concepts into concrete images makes them memorable. They share the story of NASA’s “man on the moon” goal – a perfectly concrete vision that inspired thousands of people to solve countless technical challenges.

Credible: Ideas need to be believable. The book shows various ways to establish credibility, from statistics to sincerity to external validation. They share fascinating examples of “testable credentials” – like how Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas would personally visit restaurants and check the thickness of tomato slices.

Emotional: For people to take action, they need to care. The authors show how tapping into emotions makes ideas sticky. They explore how charity organizations like World Vision switched from sharing statistics about poverty to sharing stories about individual children, dramatically increasing donations.

Stories: The book demonstrates how narratives drive action by providing mental simulation and inspiration. The authors show how Subway’s Jared Fogle story became a powerful marketing tool because it provided a mental rehearsal for weight loss.

What makes this book exceptional is its practical application to leadership communication. The brothers introduce the concept of the “curse of knowledge” – the difficulty experts have in remembering what it’s like not to know something. This insight alone can transform how leaders communicate with their teams.

4: Influence by Robert Cialdini (1984)

Cialdini’s masterwork on the psychology of persuasion remains one of the most important books on human behavior ever written. Through extensive research and field studies, he identifies six universal principles of influence: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity.

Let’s explore each principle in depth:

Reciprocity: Humans have a deep-seated need to repay favors. Cialdini shares fascinating examples, like how free samples in supermarkets can double or triple sales, or how the Hare Krishna society dramatically increased donations by first giving people flowers.

Commitment and Consistency: Once we make a choice or take a stand, we feel internal and external pressure to behave consistently with that commitment. Cialdini explains how this principle is used in techniques like foot-in-the-door, where a small initial commitment leads to larger ones later.

Social Proof: We look to others’ actions to determine appropriate behavior. The book explores how this principle operates in various contexts, from laugh tracks in sitcoms to hotel signs about towel reuse that reference other guests’ behaviors.

Authority: We tend to obey authority figures, even when their directives conflict with our own judgment. Cialdini examines both the power and potential dangers of this principle, including the famous Milgram experiments.

Liking: We’re more likely to be influenced by people we like. The book explores the factors that increase liking, including similarity, cooperation, and compliments. Cialdini shares how car dealerships use this principle by having salespeople search for commonalities with customers, or how Tupperware parties leverage friendship networks for sales.

Scarcity: We value things more when they’re less available. Cialdini explores how this principle drives everything from limited-time offers to exclusive memberships. He shares fascinating examples, like how a beef shortage led to a massive buying spree in the 1970s.

The book’s real genius lies in showing how these principles can be used ethically in business and leadership. Cialdini emphasizes the importance of using these tools for genuine influence rather than manipulation. He provides strategies for both employing these principles effectively and defending against their misuse.

3: Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990)

This groundbreaking work explores the state of optimal experience – what Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow” – when we are so engaged in an activity that time seems to disappear. His research began with a fascinating question: What makes people feel that life is worth living?

Through decades of research, Csikszentmihalyi identified the common elements of flow experiences:

• Clear goals and immediate feedback
• A balance between challenges and skills
• Complete concentration on the task
• A loss of self-consciousness
• A distorted sense of time
• A sense that the activity is intrinsically rewarding

The book shares compelling examples of flow across various activities:

• A surgeon describing the perfect operation
• A chess master in the middle of an intense match
• An artist lost in the process of creation
• A climber fully engaged in scaling a difficult wall

What makes this book essential is its practical implications for work and leadership. Csikszentmihalyi shows how organizations can create conditions for flow by:

• Setting clear goals and expectations
• Providing immediate feedback
• Matching challenges to abilities
• Eliminating unnecessary distractions
• Creating autonomy within structure

The book challenges conventional wisdom about happiness and success. Rather than seeking relaxation or pleasure, Csikszentmihalyi’s research suggests that we’re happiest when we’re stretching our abilities in pursuit of challenging goals.

2: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (2012)

Duhigg’s fascinating exploration of how habits work – and how they can be changed – offers transformative insights for personal and organizational change. The book’s brilliance lies in breaking down complex behavioral science into practical frameworks for change.

The core of the book is the habit loop:

• Cue: The trigger that initiates the behavior
• Routine: The behavior itself
• Reward: The benefit that makes the behavior worth repeating

Duhigg shares compelling case studies at multiple levels:

Individual Change: The story of Lisa, who transformed from a smoker with debt problems into a marathon runner with a stable financial life by focusing on one “keystone habit” that triggered a cascade of other changes.

Organizational Change: How Paul O’Neill transformed Alcoa by focusing on worker safety as a keystone habit, which led to improvements in efficiency, quality, and profitability.

Societal Change: How the Montgomery Bus Boycott succeeded by leveraging existing social habits and creating new ones within the community.

The book introduces crucial concepts like:

Keystone Habits: Certain habits that create a cascade of other changes. Examples include regular exercise, family dinners, and making your bed each morning.

The Golden Rule of Habit Change: Keep the same cue and reward but insert a new routine.

Small Wins: How tiny victories build momentum for larger changes.

1: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (1946)

Our top selection is Frankl’s profound meditation on finding purpose and meaning in life, written after his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. This isn’t just another book about positive thinking or resilience – it’s a deep exploration of what makes life worth living even in the darkest circumstances.

The book is divided into two parts:

Part One: Frankl’s personal account of life in the concentration camps, told through the lens of a psychiatrist observing human behavior in extreme conditions. He noticed that survivors weren’t necessarily the physically strongest, but often those who maintained a sense of purpose and meaning.

Part Two: An introduction to logotherapy, Frankl’s approach to psychotherapy based on the premise that the primary motivational force in humans is the search for meaning.

Key insights from the book include:

The Three Sources of Meaning:

1. Creating work or doing deeds
2. Experiencing something or encountering someone
3. The attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

The Existential Vacuum: Frankl’s term for the feeling of meaninglessness that he saw as the major psychological challenge of our time.

Tragic Optimism: The ability to remain optimistic despite the “tragic triad” of pain, guilt, and death.

What makes this book extraordinary is its unique combination of profound personal experience, psychological insight, and practical wisdom. Frankl’s observation that “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how'” has implications for everything from personal resilience to organizational purpose.

For leaders, the book offers crucial insights about:

• Creating meaningful work environments
• Helping others find purpose in their roles
• Building resilient organizations
• Leading through crisis and change

That concludes my special year-end series of must-read books. Each of these works offers unique insights that can transform your approach to leadership, life, and personal growth. From understanding how we think and form habits to finding deeper meaning in our work and lives, these books provide a foundation for more effective leadership and a more fulfilling life.

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