559: Game-Changing Reads: 11 Books Every Leader Needs – Part 1

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This is the Read to Lead Podcast, episode 559, Game Changing Reads. Eleven books every leader needs. Hello and welcome to the Read To Podcast. My name is Joff, and this is the podcast that explores the books that can transform your life and your leadership journey. Today I'm kicking off a special year-end series featuring eleven must read books. Books that I think deserve a place on everybody's bookshelf. They aren't just any books, they're the kind of works that Fundamentally changed.

You think, how you lead, and how you live. First episode of this two parter will dive into books 11 through 6, each offering unique insights that can reshape your understanding. And the world around you. So let's not waste any time, let's dig right in. Our journey begins with Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's masterpiece on decision making and behavioral economics. It's called

Fast and slow. It came out in 2011. This book revolutionizes our understanding of how we think by introducing two systems that drive our thought process. System one. Fast, intuitive, and emotional. System two, which is slower, more deliberate, and logical. In fact, let me share a fascinating experiment from the book that demonstrates how these systems work. Kahneman asks readers to solve this simple problem. You you may have heard of it before.

A bat and a ball cost$1.10 in total. The bat costs$1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? Well, your immediate response, courtesy of System One, is probably 10 cents. But take a moment to think it through with system two, and you'll realize that can't be right. If the ball costs ten cents and the bat costs one dollar more, the bat would cost one. $1.10, making the total$1.20. The correct answer then has to be five cents for the ball and one dollar and five cents 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 example, 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 is another, 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 help 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. Next on our list is a book that has revolutionized how we think about personal change. It's called Atomic Habits by James Clear. That's number 10 on our list. This book came out in 2018, and I had a chance to interview James around the time the book came out and long before it skyrocketed to 10 million copies sold.

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. James introduces what he calls the one percent rule, the idea that tiny improvements add up to the event.

to massive changes over time. If you can get just one percent 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 James 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 what do I want to become? He also introduces four laws of behavior change. Number one, make it obvious, that's the cue. Number two, make it attractive, that's the craving.

Number three, make it easy, the response. And number four, make it satisfying, the reward. Let me share a practical example of how these laws work together. Say you want to, oh, I don't know, develop a habit of reading.

You might make it obvious by placing a book on your nightstand, that's the cue. Make it attractive by choosing books you're genuinely excited to read, craving, Make it easy by starting with just five pages per day, response, and make it satisfying by, say, tracking your progress in a reading journal, rewards.

The book is particularly valuable for leaders because it explains how to create systems that make success almost inevitable. James's concept of habit stacking, linking a new habit to an existing one is

is especially useful for implementing new behaviors in organizations. Book number nine on our list as we count down in this episode from eleven down to six, with books five through one coming next week. is Good to Great by Jim Collins. This book came out in two thousand one. And this landmark study of what transforms good companies into exceptional ones remains as relevant today as when it was first published, in my opinion.

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. And what makes the book extraordinary is its research methodology. Jim didn't start with a theory and then 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 called level five leaders, executives who combine extreme personal humility with intense personal will. Let's break down some of the book's key concepts. There's the hedgehog concept, one of my personal favorites. Based on Isaiah Berlin's essay about the hedgehog and the fox, this concept suggests that greatness comes from focusing on the intersection of these three circles. What you can be best in the world at.

what drives your economic engine, and what you're deeply passionate about. The research showed that companies that maintained this focus consistently outperformed those that constantly chased new opportunities. There's the flywheel effect. You've probably heard of that. It originates from this book and its research. 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. There's also 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 use the hedgehog concept to focus its diverse businesses and achieve extraordinary returns.

Our book at number eight that like the other ten belongs on your bookshelf, if it's not already, is Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. This book came out in two thousand six. Dwek'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 our 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. And 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, in other words.

Those praised for effort, however, mostly chose the harder test. They wanted to keep learning. The simple experiment reveals how our words and beliefs can create either a fixed or growth mindset in other people. Dwek 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, and using the word yet to frame current limitations as temporary. That brings us to book number seven on our list.

And this is a book by Brene Brown that came out in twenty twelve. It's called Daring GREATLY. 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 and 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 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. She also identifies several myths about vulnerability that hold us back. Number one, The myth that vulnerability is weakness. Number two, I don't do vulnerability. Number three, I can go it alone.

Number four, I can control the process. And number five, trust comes before vulnerability. She then provides strategies for developing what she calls vulnerability armor, including practicing self compassion, developing shame resilience, setting boundaries, and 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.

And that brings us finally to book number six on our list, the last one we'll look at this week before we pick up next week with books five through one, and that is 2016's Deep Work by Cal Newport. In an age of constant distraction, Cal makes a compelling case for the importance of focused, uninterrupted work. He defines deep work as Quote 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. Number one, the monastic philosophy, eliminating or radically minimizing shallow obligations.

Number two, the bimodal philosophy, dividing time into clearly defined, deep and shallow periods. Number three, the rhythmic philosophy. creating a regular habit of deep work. And number four, 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, for example, to finish writing the Harry Potter series. There's the four disciplines of execution. Number one, focus on the wildly important. Number two, act on lead measures like hours spent in deep work.

Number three, keep a compelling scoreboard. And number four, create a cadence of accountability. He unpacks 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. He introduces concepts like fixed schedule productivity, the craftsman approach to tool selection, attention restoration theory,

and the importance of boredom. Now 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. There you have it, the first half plus

Of our list of eleven books that should be in your library, the ultimate leadership library, and your must-read list for twenty twenty five if you've yet to read some of these. Number eleven, thinking. Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Number ten. Atomic Habits by James Clear. Number nine. Good to Great by Jim Collins. Number eight. Mindset by Carol Dweck. Number 7, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. And number 6, Deep Work by Cal Newport.

Again, join me next week as I reveal our top five must-read books for 2025, each offering transformative insights that can reshape your approach to leadership. And to life. Remember to subscribe to Read to Lead wherever you get your podcasts and visit our website for show notes and additional resources for this episode. That's read to leadpodcast.com. Slash. five nine for episode five.

That does it for this week. Hope to see you next week when we finish out our top eleven countdown. Until then, as always, remember, leaders read and readers love.