The 3 Most Impactful Leadership Books I’ve Read - With Key Learnings from Each.
As a leader, I’m always seeking ways to refine my approach and find new strategies to inspire and drive my team forward. Among the many books I’ve read, a few have left a lasting impression on how I lead, engage, and empower others. Today, I want to highlight three books that have been game-changers for me: Radical Candor by Kim Scott, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. Here are the top two takeaways from each and how I’ve applied these principles in my leadership journey.
1. Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Kim Scott’s Radical Candor changed the way I approach feedback and team relationships. The central idea is to "care personally, while challenging directly" - a balance that fosters trust and drives performance.
Key Learnings:
1. Challenge Directly but with Compassion One of the main lessons is that being a great leader means giving honest, clear feedback - even when it’s uncomfortable. However, this directness must come from a place of caring. It’s not about being brutally honest but about helping people grow through candid, actionable advice.
Example in Leadership: When an underperforming team member was struggling, instead of avoiding the tough conversation, I directly addressed the issues but framed it in a way that showed I wanted to see them succeed. By showing empathy and offering support in the process, they were able to course-correct, knowing I was invested in their development rather than criticizing for the sake of it.
2. Build Trust Through Genuine Relationships Scott emphasizes the importance of getting to know your team on a personal level - what motivates them, their strengths, and even their personal challenges. Authentic relationships create an environment where people feel safe and supported, making it easier to give and receive feedback.
Example in Leadership: Taking time to understand each team member’s aspirations allowed me to offer more tailored feedback and growth opportunities. One team member, in particular, was able to move into a role better aligned with their skills because I took the time to have open conversations about their long-term goals. This helped increase their engagement and overall performance.
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
James Clear’s Atomic Habits focuses on how small, incremental changes can lead to massive improvements over time. This is especially relevant in leadership, where consistent actions can shape both personal effectiveness and team success.
Key Learnings:
1. Focus on Systems, Not Goals Clear argues that goals are great for setting a direction, but systems are what lead to sustained progress. As a leader, it’s not enough to tell your team to achieve targets - you must help them develop the daily habits and processes that will lead to those outcomes. I especially love the concept of "habit-stacking" which is when you put an activity you do regularly, like a team status meeting, and stack with it a new activity that is a desired behavior, like a new KPI review.
Example in Leadership: Instead of simply setting quarterly performance goals, I worked with my team to create daily and weekly habits - such as regular check-ins, time management techniques, and task prioritization methods—that would help them consistently move toward their objectives. This shift from goal-setting to system-building helped reduce overwhelm and increased productivity across the board.
2. The Power of 1% Improvement The concept of improving by just 1% each day really resonated with me. As a leader, it’s important to instill the belief that small, consistent efforts compound over time. Even seemingly minor improvements in team processes or personal habits can lead to significant results in the long run.
Example in Leadership: By encouraging my team to focus on small, daily improvements, like streamlining one workflow or enhancing communication between departments by just a fraction, we saw major gains over time. This mindset shift also made setbacks less daunting, as the focus was always on continual improvement rather than perfection.
3. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
This book introduced the idea of focusing on strengths rather than fixing weaknesses - a revolutionary shift in leadership thought. The authors’ StrengthsFinder assessment helps individuals discover their unique talents and how to leverage them for success.
Key Learnings:
1. Build a Team Around Strengths One of the most valuable lessons is that teams are more effective when each person is allowed to operate in their zone of strength, rather than being forced to improve areas where they may not excel. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to help people identify and use their strengths to benefit the team as a whole.
Example in Leadership: After reading this book, I began shifting project assignments based on strengths. For instance, I had one team member who excelled in strategy but struggled with execution. By pairing them with someone strong in operations, we were able to deliver better results, faster, with far less frustration.
2. Embrace Diversity of Strengths for Collective Success Diversity in strengths leads to more dynamic teams, where different perspectives and skills come together to solve problems in unique ways. As a leader, recognizing and appreciating the distinct talents of each team member helps create a more collaborative and innovative environment.
Example in Leadership: I used to focus on trying to develop “well-rounded” team members who could handle all aspects of their jobs. After adopting the strengths-based approach, I focused more on how each team member’s unique talents could contribute to the collective success. This shift not only boosted morale but also allowed us to achieve higher performance by letting each person shine in the areas they were naturally gifted.
Final Thoughts
These three books have significantly shaped my leadership philosophy, teaching me how to give honest feedback while building strong relationships, how to harness the power of small habits for lasting change, and how to create a team environment where strengths are celebrated rather than weaknesses corrected. As leaders, it’s important to continually refine our approach, and these books have given me practical, actionable insights to do just that.
Whether you’re new to leadership or a seasoned executive, I highly recommend adding these books to your reading list. They’ve helped me create a more engaged, empowered, and high-performing team - and I’m confident they’ll do the same for you.
Are they any books that you have read that you find yourself referencing a lot and want to recommend? Send me a note or drop it in the comments below!