Leadership is an interesting quality. It’s something that people are seemingly inherently gifted with but it is also something that can be developed and honed over time. For those of us who are not born with leadership qualities, that process of honing and developing can vary from person to person. In the business world, it’s hard to succeed without ever having to take the lead on something. That could be a project, a team, or a company initiative. Leadership is a way to stand out and earn the respect of your peers and those you report to. One way to work on your leadership skills is to find out what others have done and glean insights that way.
That’s where leadership books can come in to play. Leadership books are a strong, growing niche in the literary world and can be used to grow your professional skills. These books offer tips, examples, and ways to be a leader. Often times these books are written by those who have made it to the top (of the corporate ladder or otherwise). While all the lessons in a book may not apply to a person or to every situation, they often times offer a unique perspective on how to be a leader and how to succeed.
The team at Callidus Cloud shared with us a study they put together on the most-searched leadership book in each state, according to data from Google. They took the best-seller list from Amazon and plugged them in to analyze the search interest in each one. What they found was that only 11 of those 25 best-sellers made it as a top book in a state. So what exactly did they find?
Overall, Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek was the most popular book in the United States by count of states. It led in twenty-two, nearly triple the second most popular book. That honor went to Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In third was The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This book has become a bit of a classic in the business world and it’s no surprise that it is still popular.
For most people, it takes time to become a good leader. Far too often we see people leading when they should be following, or vice versa. Leadership is something that everyone can work on, even if you have years of experience. Every situation is different and every team of people that you lead will be different. It might take more than just a book to become a leader, but that doesn’t mean a book won’t help.