You will hear that leaders are readers. And this is a truism. Leaders do read. They consume information and grow from the wisdom of those who have gone before them.
This is one of the reasons I love to read. I am able to gain insights from some of the wisest people in the world. I am then able to take their insights and apply them to my life and my leadership.
There’s also those authors who write for people to enjoy their works. These works of fiction bring joy to countless numbers of people. Leaders cannot discount the value of a great fiction book either.
With this being the start of the year 2020, I wanted to recommend 20 books that I believe will add value or insight for the Christian leader. I also believe these books will be valuable for non-Christian leaders as well.
For this list of books leaders should read, I will be breaking it down into various categories to make it easier to digest. Not every book will be by a Christian author. Some of the books may even contain offensive language. However, I believe we can still learn and grow from those outside of the Christian sphere. These books will challenge you to think in new ways.
20 Books For Christian Leaders To Read In 2020
Financial
Oxen: The Key To An Abundant Harvest by Joseph Sangl – This book has changed the way I look at saving, investing, and growing wealth
Retire Inspired: It’s Not An Age. It’s A Financial Number by Chris Hogan
General Leadership
The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell by Paul Smith
Small Mistakes, Big Consequences: Develop Your Soft Skills To Help You Succeed by Anne Corley Baum
The Power Of Positive Leadership: How And Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams And Organizations And Change The World by Jon Gordon – Do you think positive leadership is a bunch of bull hooky? Jon shares why positive leadership is needed and how you can use it to transform your organization.
The 24 Hour Rule: Leading In A Frenetic World by Charles Fred
The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute
Faith-Based Leadership
Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom And High-Performance Leadership by Tom Harper – Tom’s words are always inspiring. Servant Leader Strong is a beautiful book that is easy to read and even easier to apply the Biblical leadership lessons within.
Learning To Lead Like Jesus: 11 Principles To Help You Serve, Inspire, & Equip Others by Boyd Bailey
Rise Of The Servant Kings: What The Bible Says About Being A Man by Ken Harrison – Ken’s story of how his time as a Los Angeles police officer and his view of faith are impactful.
The Life-Giving Leader: Learning To Lead From Your Truest Self by Tyler Reagin
Saved From Success: How God Can Free You from Culture’s Distortion of Family, Work, and the Good Life by Dale Partridge – I believe this is a book every leader should read. Dale talks about what the world sees as success and how it conflicts with a Biblical version of success. Don’t get trapped in the lies of success.
Writing
Serious Writers Never Quit: They Find The Way by Bryan Hutchinson – If you’ve ever struggled to write a book, blog post, or journal, Bryan’s book will help you stop thinking of your initial work in a negative light. Rather, he helps you to realize what you have to say is important and will change lives.
Spiritual Development
Never Settle For Normal: The Proven Path To Significance And Happiness by Jonathan Parnell
Run The Mile You’re In: Finding God In Every Step by Ryan Hall – I loved how Ryan related his running journey to faith and personal growth. His story is inspiring and may even make you want to take up running.
Physical Health:
Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
Fun Reads:
Previously on X-Men: The Making Of An Animated Series by Eric Lewald
Usagi Yojimbo: 35 Years of Covers by Stan Sakai – I’m a huge Usagi Yojimbo fan. This book collects the various covers of the comic book series and allows you to peruse them at your leisure. Seeing the beautiful artwork inspires me to do great work.
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