MiddleLeader.com 2023 Summer Reading List

I have compiled two lists of books this year, one recommended by participants from my middle leader workshops and the other is a list of books I have recently come across that I want to read.

Books Recommended By Middle Leader Workshop Participants

Dare to Lead
By Brené Brown

"Approaching work with curiosity, open-mindedness and courage, leaders can create safe spaces for their teams to communicate honestly and collaborate more productively."

Creating Mindful Leaders
By Joe Burton

This book captures mindfulness, emotional intelligence and resilience and provides deep insights & easy practices based in neuroscience and positive psychology.

How to Win Friends and Influence People
By Dale Carnegie

A timeless guide in communicating effectively and making the best of any circumstance. 

Evaluating Humanity Through Business
By John Mackey

John Mackey urges leaders to embody beliefs and serve as role models for their working and wider communities.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
By Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

This book has really actionable step-by-step instructions for having hard conversations.

Black Box Thinking
By Matthew Syed

Why plane crashes improve things. 

Drive
By Daniel H. Pink

This book explores the science of motivation and argues that the most effective leaders are those who understand what truly motivates their team members

The Essence of Leadership
By Edwin Locke

This book breaks leadership into 4 key components: Motivation, Vision, skills &  capacity to realize their visions. 

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change the Way you Lead Forever
By Michael Bungay Stanier

It helped me to figure out how to help others to see that they can help themselves.

Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice
By Mark Finnis

As pastoral co-ordinator, this book has shaped how I want to rework my school's behaviour and positive relationships policy next year.

Leadership and Self Deception
By Arbinger Group

It makes you really think about your own motivations and the assumptions driving your behaviors.

Books That Have Recently Caught My Attention

Many of the reviews below were from faculty at University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business, my alma mater. You can read their full list of recommended books by clicking here. 

School Leaders Matter
By Dr. Helen Kelly

I highly recommend this book to all school leaders. My interview with Helen is one of my highest rated and viewed interviews. From what I see, Helen has already generated a lot of buzz about this book and has facilitated several book studies.

The Power of Flexing: How to Use Small Daily Experiments to Create Big Life-Changing Growth
By Susan Ashford

"If you liked James Clear's Atomic Habits you'll love learning more about the science behind these ideas. If you want to grow as a leader, you need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. How? Try flexing with small experiments! Over time, these flexes will build into new habits and a whole new life."
– Nicole Coomber, management and organization, Office of Experiential Learning

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
By James Clear

"This book will help you make behavioral change–whether yours or someone else's–that is more likely to happen and stick. The book provides simple, well-researched structure to help make good habits irresistible and bad ones easy to ignore. A great tool for sharpening your saw."
– Neta Moye, management and organization, Office of Career Services

Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness
By William Styron

"This is an easy or light read in terms of length, but not in terms of content. Although it was published back in 1990, based on the experiences of the author (of Sophie's Choice fame) from 1985-1986, as might be gleaned from the title the book centers around the devastation of mental illness. It's a very timely subject, given the numerous tragedies this year and during the coronavirus pandemic."
– Michael Fu, decision, operations and information technologies

The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness
By Robert Waldinger and Marc Shulz

"This book tells the story of a fascinating 80-year study that looks at lives over time and reveals who winds up happy, who doesn't, and why. This illuminates how good relationships are the foundation of well-being. Backed by extraordinary research, the authors provide advice and actionable items to help readers pursue good relationships and ultimately a good life."
– Christine M. Schaaf, business communication and marketing, Smith Business Leadership Fellows 

The Softer Side of Leadership: Essential Soft Skills That Transform Leaders and the People They Lead
By Eugene Habecker

"I have studied, led, and been coached for years regarding the softer skills of leadership, but Gene shares a different approach that is fantastic, relevant and relatable to all sectors of business as well as relationships. I love that he acknowledges the influence of his wife Marylou throughout the journey of leading. Gene is selfless and forward thinking, which is certainly portrayed throughout the book."
– Roy Thomason, management and organization