13 Must-Read Management Books for Future Leaders

Anyone who has ever tried to become a good leader knows how difficult it is to fully grasp the nuances of this role. At the same time, good personnel management has the potential to reduce workplace stress, improve morale, and lower turnover. According to a study linking health and stressful positions, a solid leadership strategy and a supportive system can even extend life expectancy by three to five years.

Effective leadership is based on simple principles, but there is a difference between understanding these concepts and putting them into practice. A theoretical explanation alone is not enough to drive meaningful action and sustainable change, especially when coaching those who will conduct future training sessions.

Studying some of the best management books and articles can help you internalize the wisdom behind key personnel management topics and prepare to share these insights with your employees.

IceHrm helps companies of all sizes create a successful work environment with award-winning HR software. In this article, you will learn why it is important to expand your knowledge in this area, and we provide reading recommendations for leaders who want to develop into effective leadership personalities.

How top books on human resources can help you refine your leadership style

Your leadership style significantly shapes your corporate culture. For example, autocratic leaders make decisions on their own and demand unconditional loyalty from their employees, which often leads to low morale and a sense of powerlessness. While decision-making processes may be slower with democratic leaders, an environment based on inclusion and collaboration results in higher employee satisfaction, less stress, and increased well-being.

In order for employees to get excited about your ideas for a positive work environment, they need to understand how your company's decisions – from the leadership level to their closest colleagues – interact. These decisions and the resulting actions shape your work environment. Therefore, a deliberate and consistent approach helps you create a company culture of your choosing, rather than a culture left to chance.

When reading books on the subject of human resource management, it is important to remember that even the best strategies need to be adapted to the specific circumstances of your company, your industry, and your goals. Rather than taking individual sections from books as unshakable rules, you should take the time to understand the underlying principles. Ask yourself how each team in your company can benefit from these principles, or – even better – have a discussion with your leadership team to discuss the company culture you want to build.

13 of the Best Books on Leadership

This list of popular books on business management is by no means exhaustive. We hope that this selection serves as a starting point for your own leadership development or helps your employees refine their leadership style.

The Development of a Leader: What to Do When All Eyes Are on You? by Julie Zhuo

Leadership is more than just working down a long to-do list. You need to let go of the typical boss mentality and learn to build trust with your employees, find answers when they’re hard to come by, and see people for who they really are. This guide is ideal for experienced leaders, newcomers, and aspiring managers who are looking for practical tips, real-life examples, and groundbreaking insights to lead confidently and become the leader they’ve always wanted to be.

StrengthsFinder 2.0

by Gallup and Tom Rath

Becoming a successful leader means making the most of your own strengths. But do you know what they are? StrengthsFinder 2.0 closes this gap and helps leaders discover their strengths and individual leadership style. With these insights, you learn to lead authentically and thus gain the trust, respect, and appreciation of your employees.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  

by Stephen R. Covey  

This groundbreaking book by Stephen R. Covey describes seven practices that increase personal effectiveness. Covey's insights include, among other things, how to focus on results, set effective priorities, build relationships with others, and balance work, family, and personal commitments.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

by John C. Maxwell

In this book, John C. Maxwell thoroughly examines leadership behavior and illustrates it with examples. When asked about the most important leadership principle, Maxwell answers succinctly: 'The most important thing you need to know about leadership is that there is more than one important principle!

The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in a Multigenerational Workplace

by Lindsey Pollak

Today's leaders manage teams made up of employees from different generations—each with their own values, expectations, and working styles. In this book, Lindsey Pollak presents well-founded strategies based on current data and her own research, helping leaders navigate generational diversity and create a more inclusive work environment.

The Leader's Guide to Managing Unconscious Bias: How to Overcome Bias, Strengthen Relationships, and Build High-Performing Teams

by Pamela Fuller et al.

Unconscious biases can appear unexpectedly, especially in the workplace. This book shows you how to recognize biases and provides tools to change your perspective and build meaningful relationships with others. Leaders at all levels can use this insightful management book to foster more empathy, curiosity, and a sense of belonging in the workplace.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

by Daniel H. Pink

To understand people, you must grasp the fundamentals of human behavior. But to meet these needs, an approach based on reward and punishment is not enough. In this book, Daniel H. Pink reveals better ways to align management practices with three central human needs: the need for autonomy, the need to learn and create, and the need for improvement.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

by Charles Duhigg

To build a proactive workforce, it is essential to understand the strong impact of habits. In this book, the award-winning New York Times business journalist Charles Duhigg provides scientific explanations on how to identify and change habits. He also shares anecdotes about how the right habits have influenced the success of some prominent individuals and organizations, including Michael Phelps, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Target chain.

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

The authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share their experiences as leaders of a SEAL special operations unit during the recapture of the war-torn city of Ramadi in Iraq. They describe the mindset and principles that enable this elite unit to successfully complete even the toughest combat missions and explain how these principles can be applied to any leadership situation.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High  

by Joseph Grenny et al.

All too often, progress stalls exactly where employees leave difficult issues unspoken. This book examines the emotional reactions in critical situations and shows how employees can create a sense of intellectual and emotional safety in their conversations.  

Worth knowing: This book is so insightful that IceHrm gives a copy to every new employee! You can find more tips for handling crucial conversations in "12 Ways to Have More Effective One-on-Ones".

How to Win Friends and Influence People

by Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie died in 1955, but the wisdom of this book has shaped generations by helping them build relationships, persuade others, and initiate positive change. He conveys this important perspective: "Do you know someone you want to change, guide, and improve? Great! That's wonderful. I'm all for it. But why not start with yourself first?

Leaders admit it last: Why some teams stick together and others don't  

by Simon Sinek  

Some teams build deep trust with each other regardless of the task at hand. Others, however, never stick together, no matter what you say, do, or give. The key factor is a leader who is willing to make sacrifices for the team. The IceHrm team was thrilled to welcome Simon Sinek as the keynote speaker at our virtual HR summit. This connection – along with insights from Sinek’s book – has contributed to a positive company culture.

Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging for Innovative Teams

by Stefanie K. Johnson

How can we promote individuality while simultaneously strengthening a strong sense of belonging? Diverse teams give employees the feeling of being valued, accepted, and empowered. In "Inclusify," Stefanie Johnson explains how you can achieve sustainable progress in your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and advance your company.

Bonus: The Best Blogs on Employee Management

The ability to effectively lead employees is key to a corporate culture that enables genuine and sustainable success. In addition to the resources mentioned above, here are four blogs that can help you improve your skills in employee management:

• 4 Tips for Leading a Multigenerational Team (from Baby Boomers to Generation Z): This blog helps leaders align employees of all ages toward a common goal.
• Empowering Employees: 8 Proven Methods of Successful Leaders: This article outlines the best methods to ensure that your employees feel fulfilled and engaged in their work.
• 7 Tips for Leaders in Their First Position: This post from Lattice, a partner of IceHrm, helps new leaders to lead mindfully and strengthen teams.
• What makes a good leader? Learn with Culture Amp, another IceHrm partner, about the key qualities to look for when hiring new leaders, or develop your own leadership style.

Books on the subject of human resource management help you shape your company

To become the best possible leader, it is not enough to just read these books. Use them as a resource to refine your leadership style and improve your social skills. This way, you can develop a company culture in which employees feel comfortable – with lower turnover and higher team morale, productivity, and well-being.

In this respect, the best books on the topic of employee management also rank among the best works for HR professionals. By learning from these books and exchanging ideas with your leaders, you can create an employee experience that paves the way to success.

Studying the best management books is the foundational step for any aspiring or current leader seeking to build a supportive, high-performing corporate culture. The wisdom within these books—focusing on trust, habit formation, crucial conversations, and inclusive leadership—must be actively integrated into daily practice. IceHrm serves as the essential platform for converting this theoretical knowledge into measurable organizational change. By leveraging IceHrm's Performance Management module and One-on-One scheduling tools, leaders can immediately apply principles like providing continuous feedback, having crucial conversations, and aligning individual strengths and interests with company needs, ensuring that the wisdom gained from these readings translates into sustained growth, reduced turnover, and a thriving workplace.