Books I Recommend

Clarity, Perspective, and Meaning

Books that help leaders see themselves, their choices, and their inner landscape with more honesty and intention.

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: Frankl reflects on suffering, purpose, and human resilience, showing that meaning is created through responsibility, choice, and the courage to respond to life as it is.

• The Answer to How Is Yes by Peter Block: Block invites leaders to shift from efficiency-driven questions to purpose-driven ones and reclaim agency in their work.

• Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: Grant reframes potential as something grown rather than discovered, exploring how character skills and supportive systems help people exceed expectations.

• Think Again by Adam Grant: A guide to rethinking, letting go of outdated beliefs, staying curious, and embracing intellectual humility.

• Chasing Daylight by Eugene O’Kelly: A poignant memoir about clarity, presence, and intentional living as O’Kelly faces the end of his life.

• The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck: Beck offers a gentle, powerful invitation to live in alignment with your inner truth through story, psychology, and spiritual insight.

Communication, Conflict, and Relational Intelligence

Books that strengthen clarity, courage, and the ability to navigate hard conversations.

• Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton: A foundational guide to principled negotiation that focuses on interests, not positions.

• Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict by Ury: He blends memoir, global conflict stories, and practical frameworks to show how individuals and societies can transform conflict rather than avoid it. It’s part manual, part manifesto, and part reflection on 50 years of negotiation work

• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg: A compassionate framework for communication built on observation, feelings, needs, and requests.

• Working Through Conflict by Folger, Poole, and Stutman: A research-grounded look at how conflict emerges, escalates, and can be transformed.

• The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute: A story-driven exploration of how conflict begins when we see others as objects rather than people.

• Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen: A guide to receiving feedback with clarity and steadiness, even when it is poorly delivered.

• Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton, and Heen: A practical, human guide to navigating the conversations we avoid.

• Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler: A framework for staying calm, clear, and connected when stakes are high.

• Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell: An exploration of why we misunderstand people we do not know and the assumptions that shape human interaction.

• Getting to Zero by Jayson Gaddis: A relational repair guide that helps people move from conflict back to connection.

• Lend Me Your Ears by Max Atkinson: A deep exploration of what makes speeches memorable and persuasive.

• Influence by Robert Cialdini: A classic on the psychology of persuasion and the principles that shape human behavior.

• Likable Badass by Vanessa Van Edwards: A science-backed guide to presence, charisma, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Adult Learning, Human Development, and Change

Books that support your adult-learning philosophy and help leaders understand how people grow.

• Adult Learning by Sharan Merriam and Laura Bierema: A comprehensive overview of how adults learn through experience, reflection, and meaning-making.

• Learning and Change in the Adult Years by Mark Tennant and Philip Pogson: A thoughtful exploration of adult development and the forces that shape learning across the lifespan.

• Changing to Thrive by James Prochaska and Janice Prochaska: A practical guide to the stages of change and how to support behavior shifts.

• Coming to Our Senses by Jon Kabat-Zinn: A grounding exploration of mindfulness as a way of returning to presence and awareness.

• 30 Lessons for Living by Karl Pillemer: A collection of life wisdom gathered from older adults on love, work, purpose, and resilience.

• Chatter by Ethan Kross: A science-based look at the inner voice and how to work with it rather than against it.

Leadership, Organizations, and Team Dynamics

Books that help leaders understand systems, culture, and what makes organizations thrive.

• Good to Great by Jim Collins: A research-driven look at what differentiates truly great companies from good ones.

• The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Chapman and White: A guide to expressing appreciation in ways that land with different team members.

• The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier: A simple, powerful framework for asking better questions and coaching more effectively.

• The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Stanier: A companion to The Coaching Habit that helps leaders stop rushing to give advice and start creating space for others to think.

• Give and Take by Adam Grant: A research-based look at how generosity, reciprocity, and relational style shape success.

• Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath: A guide to crafting ideas that are memorable, clear, and impactful.

Personal Mastery, Habits, and Character

Books that help leaders shape their inner life, habits, and daily practices.

• Atomic Habits by James Clear: A practical guide to building better habits through small, consistent changes.

• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: A spiritual and practical guide to personal freedom through four simple commitments.

• The Book of Virtues by William Bennett: An anthology of stories and reflections on moral character.

• The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman: A research-based exploration of confidence and how it is built.

Nature, Well-Being, and Restoration

Books that reconnect leaders to the natural world and the restorative power of attention.

• The Nature Fix by Florence Williams: A science-backed exploration of how nature improves mood, cognition, creativity, and health.

• Running with Sherman by Christopher McDougall: A joyful, deeply human story about rescuing a neglected donkey and discovering the healing power of movement, community, and care. McDougall weaves together endurance running, rural life, and the slow work of rebuilding trust, offering a reminder that restoration often happens in relationship, with animals, with nature, and with one another.