The pandemic forced most companies to make quick strategic shifts. Those in leadership who successfully weathered the brief but deep early pandemic recession have made themselves more resistant to tax shocks by working leaner and focusing on core product or service lines.
Due – Due
Today, the global economy is faltering again. This is partly due to pandemic overhang – supply chain problems, labor shortages and unpredictable changes in consumer and business behavior. While the United States has so far been the best home in a bad neighborhood among developed economies, the consensus forecast for a recession in 2023.
Economists are divided about the duration and severity of the (probable) recession. Some therefore see a short, relatively mild decline. Others see a deep and protracted ordeal that will take years to recover, similar to what followed the global financial crisis of the late 2000s.
Even if the economy avoids a severe recession, it seems clear that 2023 will be more difficult for most companies than 2021 or 2022. This means it will be a difficult year for those who drive the ship.
But great challenges (can) lead to great opportunities. Countless leaders will be made (and broken) in the coming months and years. Likewise, now is the time to arm yourself and your team with the tools to seize the moment.
Leadership books you can earn money with in 2023
Start with your leadership reading list. Consider these eight books you can read between now and the end of Q1 2023 to prepare for what’s to come.
Each of the books on this list provides unique, actionable insights for entrepreneurs, executives, and senior managers. Some focus more on leadership philosophy and strategy. Others are more tactical, written by battle-scarred leaders eager to help others avoid their mistakes while sharing in their successes. And some have less to say about day-to-day management than about preparing yourself for success, which is all the more important when times get tough.
1. The Leader’s Playlist — Susan Drumm
Deep down you understand the power of music, even if you don’t consider yourself an expert in this field. You are moved by a simple melody, perhaps to tears. Certainly more than once.
In The Leader’s Playlist, due out in mid-October, shows executive advisor and leadership coach Susan Drumm that music does more than move us. It can change us and also make us better leaders.
Using the latest neuroscientific research into the impact of music on the brain and real-world stories of executives and entrepreneurs leadership mentality and approach, Drumm reveals powerful, usually overlooked connections between our inner playlists and our decision-making with an actionable 7-step process for harnessing the power of music to transform our leadership and our lives long after the tune stops.
2. por — Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
por is arguably the most influential behavioral science book of the 21st century.
Thaler and Sunstein explore the vast and largely hidden world of ‘choice’ architecture. They reveal hidden paths and obstacles that people and organizations use to encourage or discourage action. Read por put on your consumer hat and you’ll instantly see the countless ways your choices are shaped every day. Read it in your leader’s hat and you’ll discover a whole new world of opportunities to lead resolutely and get more out of those around you – often without overtly exerting your influence.
Authors Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler claim that this is the “last” edition. It has been updated and in some areas completely rewritten with insights into leadership after the pandemic. Amid looming macro challenges, this book will help you delegate more effectively and keep you on track to achieve your financial and professional goals.
3. Being among idiots — Thomas Erikson
Leadership is lonely in part because great leaders often feel like they’re the only ones who “get it.” They walk only a rational, righteous path while everyone else wanders in the weeds.
They might say they are “surrounded by idiots.”
Spoiler alert: they aren’t. You’re not. But it takes effort to see that people who seem to have no idea what they’re doing — or who seem to think so differently from you that there’s no point in understanding them — are worth the effort.
Thomas Erikson’s Being among idiots is the best book yet for leaders who want to get better at managing diverse, diverse teams. Erikson introduces us to four major personality types and provides a roadmap for communicating and motivating each. Even if you still don’t “get” them, you will understand what makes them tick. You’ll discover what you can do to make sure everyone is a valuable member of your team.
4. The art of clear thinking — Rolf Dobelli
Tunnel vision. Decision fatigue. Cognitive biases.
No matter how smart or capable we think we are, we all experience these ‘thinking problems’. For most people, they are a part of life and rarely pose serious, let alone existential, threats to our well-being.
For leaders it is a different matter. One bad decision can change the course of a company and derail even the best functioning career.
In The art of clear thinkingukbusinessupdates.com Rolf Dobelli draws the curtain on flawed decision-making and helps us recognize the cognitive biases and weaknesses that hinder performance.
The result is a clear blueprint for better tactical leadership. From manage cash flow to find high potential markets to scour the world for your next star seller, The art of clear thinking provides a framework for you to make the most important decisions you will make as a leader. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll make the right one – foresight is never 20/20 – but it does reduce the chance of a reputation-damaging mistake.
5. The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell – Paul Smith
Great leaders are generally great salespeople. Not in the sense of hard charging, at all costs – that only goes so far, and it’s much more effective in the trenches.
No, great leaders tend to be great salespeople because they are often great storytellers – about themselves, their companies, their missions in life and business.
In The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell, leadership expert Paul Smith reveals the art and science behind motivational storytelling while assuring us that effective storytelling is usually learned, not innate. As a result, you can use Smith’s insights and concrete storytelling ideas to overcome your introversion. Tell the stories your business and goals sell to your customers and your team.
6. Stand Out: How to Build Your Leadership Presence — Carol Kinsey Gorman
Leadership skill is one thing. If you’re reading this, you probably already have it.
Leadership presence is something very different. Many leaders don’t have it when they start out; some do not acquire it at all. They tend to leave opportunities on the table.
Contrary to popular belief, leadership presence is usually learned rather than innate, as is leadership storytelling. In Stand Out: How to Build Your Leadership PresenceCarol Kinsey Gorman uses years of leadership coaching and motivational speaking experience to guide us through the often subtle cues and tics that define true presence. Read it to learn how to close the gap between your authentic self and your public personality. You’ll likely amplify both in the process.
7. The art of authenticity — Karissa Thacker
About that authentic self: It tends to get drowned out when the circumstances require you to be really “on,” stand up for yourself, and show everyone that you’re in charge.
It doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t, and it’s actually a bad thing that it does. Consequently, it tends to encourage micromanagement, which: has serious pitfalls in most modern workplaces.
Enter Karissa Thacker and The art of authenticity, a guide to letting your true self emerge, even in the most stressful situations. Thacker shows why authentic leadership is crucial macro management strategy that can have a contagious, positive effect on your team. People like to be themselves and perform better when they are, it turns out.
8. The Leadership Gap: What Comes Between You and Your Greatness? — Lolly Daskal
If you’ve ever felt like there’s a dark side to your abilities, like your greatest strengths are also your greatest weaknesses, Lolly Daskal’s The Leadership Gap: What Comes Between You and Your Greatness? is for you.
Daskal has many years of experience in close cooperation with high performers. The book reveals the hidden weaknesses that lurk even the most effective leaders. Look for yourself in her leadership types and foils: the “light” explorer who becomes the “dark” exploiter, the daring hero who becomes the cowardly bystander, and many more. Learn how to suppress the negative side of your leadership personality while facing what will likely be the most challenging business environment in many years.
What’s on your reading list for 2023?
This reading list covers a total of several thousand pages. If you don’t usually wind up with a hardcover or your Kindle at the end of the day — and many leaders simply don’t have the time — opt for audiobooks instead. Most of these titles are available as audiobooks. They’re probably more valuable than your go-to business-and-economy podcasts in the long run.
Remember that the coming months and years will separate really great leaders from the ordinary.
Prepare for what’s to come next. You will thank yourself later.
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