Leadership Books by Women and People of Color
In a recent Monday Musing, I asked for suggestions of business and leadership books written by women and people of color. The results are below.
My Recommendations
All of these books are in the Leadership Library, and some were recommended by others as well.
The Art of War
“To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
Biased
“It can happen unconsciously. It can happen effortlessly. And it can happen in a matter of milliseconds. These associations can take hold of us no matter our values, no matter our conscious beliefs, no matter what kind of person we wish to be in the world.”
Breaking Through
“Confidence, or self-confidence, may be the most important of the required personal resources, yet is perhaps the most intangible.”
Can't Hurt Me
“So I sought out pain, fell in love with suffering, and eventually transformed myself from the weakest piece of shit on the planet into the hardest man God ever created, or so I tell myself.”
Caste
“‘There is never caste,’ the Dalit leader Ambedkar once said. ‘Only castes.’”
The Creative Habit
“More than anything, this book is about preparation: In order to be creative you have to know how to prepare to be creative.”
The Fearless Organization
“For knowledge work to flourish, the workplace must be one where people feel able to share their knowledge!”
Grit
“Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.”
Immunity to Change
“In other words, we may be unable to bring about the changes we want because we are misdiagnosing our aspiration as technical, when in reality it is an adaptive challenge.”
Invisible Women
“The real reason we exclude women is because we see the rights of 50% of the population as a minority interest.”
It Worked for Me
“I try to be an optimist, but I try not to be stupid.”
Mindset
“This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and help from others.”
Multipliers
“Multipliers get more from their people because they are leaders who look beyond their own genius and focus their energy on extracting and extending the genius of others.”
Presence
“When you are not present, people can tell. When you are, people respond.”
The Purpose Path
“Will you still do something with your life that’s worthy of applause, even if no applause is given?”
Quiet
“But there’s a less obvious yet surprisingly powerful explanation for introverts’ creative advantage—an explanation that everyone can learn from: introverts prefer to work independently, and solitude can be a catalyst to innovation.”
Radical Candor
“‘Radical Candor’ is what happens when you put ‘Care Personally’ and ‘Challenge Directly’ together.”
Also in the Leadership Library
Brene Brown
Carla Harris
Arlan Hamilton
Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence
Chalmers Brothers and Vinay Kumar
Stacey Abrams
Sheryl Sandberg
Alicia Menendez
Carla Harris
Shellye Archambeau
Frances Frei
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?
Reginald F. Lewis and Blair S. Walker
Others’ Recommendations
The Alignment Quest Toolkit for Activating Best Selves (preview)
Laura Morgan Roberts
The Autobiography of Malcom X (preview)
Malcolm X and Alex Haley
Becoming A Manager (preview)
Linda A. Hill
Being the Boss (preview)
Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback
Big Magic (preview)
Elizabeth Gilbert
The Biggest Bluff (preview)
Maria Konnikova
The CEO Next Door (preview)
Elena Botelho and Kim Powell
Diversity Beyond Lip Service (preview)
La’Wana Harris
Eloquent Rage (preview)
Brittany Cooper
Everything Is Figureoutable (preview)
Marie Forleo
Fierce Conversations (preview)
Susan Scott
How to Decide (preview)
Annie Duke
How Women Rise (preview)
Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
Just Work
Kim Scott
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela (preview)
The New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander (preview)
Own It (preview)
Sallie Krawcheck
Race, Work, and Leadership (preview)
Laura Morgan Roberts, Anthony J. Mayo, David A. Thomas
Trampled by Unicorns (preview)
Maelle Gavet
Unbowed (preview)
Wangari Maathai
Uncommon Service (preview)
Frances Frei and Anne Morriss
Undaunted (preview)
Jackie Spear
Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps (preview)
Jennifer Garvey Berger
Women Don't Ask (preview)
Linda Babcock