14 Books on Leadership Every Young Entrepreneur Should Read

There are a great many business books out there on everything from marketing and brand building to stories of the life and times of some great business person. For better or for worse, these books often shape the past, present and future generations of entrepreneurs.

We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, this question:

“What business book do you recommend for improving management leadership?”

From Dan Kennedy’s “No BS Ruthless Management,” to “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath, to Eric Reis’ “Lean Startup,” here are 10 books on leadership every young entrepeneur should read.

1. Good to Great

“Good to Great by Jim Collins is one of the more exciting pieces of literature available on improving management leadership, and how businesses can be good, but how they can be exceptional and rise above the competition.” ~ Danny Wong, Blank Label Group, Inc.

2. Anything You Want

“In my opinion, Derek Sivers‘s book Anything You Want was the best of the year. He writes about his atypical approach to management and leadership that will open any entrepreneur up to new ideas and possibilities.” ~ Logan Lenz, Endagon

3. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

“The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell breaks leadership down into bite-size stages that can take anyone from novice to the highest level of leadership, while also inspiring others and molding them into great leaders. The book makes the difficult path to becoming a great leader seem both clear and attainable. I find myself rereading this book every year as I grow as a leader.” ~ Jason Evanish, Greenhorn Connect

4. Quiet Leadership

“In his book Quiet Leadership, David Rock shows aspiring leaders the most important skill they can possess—how to empower their employees to identify their own thinking processes and take responsibility for finding their own solutions to day-to-day problems.” ~ Alexia Vernon, Catalyst for Action

5. The One Minute Manager

“From Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, The One Minute Manager is an absolute classic that teaches how to inspire employees to manage themselves, which allows you to focus more on leadership. It can also be read in about an hour so you can get back to managing (and it will actually get read)!” ~ Scott Dinsmore, Live Your Legend & Cumbre Capital

6. No BS Ruthless Management

“If you really want to learn how to manage your team and your business and lead your company to the top of your market, No BS Ruthless Management by Dan Kennedy is a must-read. In it, you will find real world examples, tips and scenarios that you can apply instantly into your business.” ~ Greg Rollett, The ProductPros

7. Taking People With You

“If you want to improve your leadership skills, then you should read David Novak‘s new book called Taking People With You. The book teaches leaders and managers how to set big goals, get people to work together, and achieve real business results in the process.” ~ Dan Schawbel, Millennial Branding

8. The Lean Startup

“The Lean Startup by Eric Ries is the greatest business book. A must-read for any manager or leader. It teaches you how to build a company and focus on the key aspects that will make it successful. It dives deep into case studies and walks you through exactly what to do. It kills startup myths and gives you specific tactics to help you dominate.” ~ Rishi Shah, Flying Cart LLC

9. Truth About Managing Effectively

“The Truth About Managing Effectively, written by Robbins, Fyock and Finney, covers everything—from motivation and engagement to leadership and communication. It provides the knowledge on how to find and keep the right people, regardless of your budget or industry.” ~ Heather Huhman, Come Recommended

10. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath outlines how behavior change is made—by making people want to change themselves instead of enforcing top-down decisions. Getting your team on board and excited is one of the most important skills of a great leader.” ~ Laura Roeder, LKR

11. Heavy Hitter Selling

“Ostensibly a book about sales, Steve W. Martin includes a great amount of nuggets for leaders in Heavy Hitter Selling. He’s taught at Cal and USC, and has sold to many Fortune 500 companies. He dives deep into leadership communication, managing up, and more.” ~ Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

12. Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us

“If you want to create a mission-driven movement, in Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us, Seth Godin shares how to create something that people truly want to get behind. The book gives amazing case studies of people who have created empires by leading their employees to lead thousands of raving fans.” ~ Matt Wilson, Under30CEO.com

13. Strategic Leadership: The General’s Art

“Edited by Mark Grandstaff and Georgia Sorenson, Strategic Leadership: The General’s Art is a must-read for entrepreneurs looking to improve their management leadership. It provides the keys to leadership success shared by America’s senior military leaders and experts in strategic leadership, critical thinking, and corporate culture. It also provides practical exercises to help put the strategic theories into action.” ~ Anthony Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings

14. The Rare Find: Spotting Exceptional Talent Before Everyone Else

“Being a great leader means filling your team with the best people. I just read The Rare Find by George Anders about how to spot exceptional hires. It uses techniques and case studies—from army recruiting and NBA scouting to top level executive hires. I have used a lot of the ideas to refine my hiring strategy which will hopefully fill my team with judicious choices as we grow!” ~ Vanessa Nornberg, Metal Mafia

Reading Photo via Shutterstock

Get funding to grow your small business

Stay up-to-date with our small business newsletter

Tweet, +1, and Like Funder

Follow Us