Here are a few of my favorite books on the subject of leadership.

Blind Spots: Achieve Success by Seeing What You Can’t See
by Claudia Shelton.

Learn more about your potential blind spots and those of your colleagues so you can stay in your strengths and perform to your potential in a team environment. Find out if you are a “Assertive Get it Doner” or a “Responsible High Standards Builder” or perhaps a “Warm Relationship Builder.” Each of the nine different blind spots profiles comes with great personal strengths and potential blind spots. Don’t let your blind spots or those unconscious things you think and do get in the way of your career and leadership success and happiness. Highly recommended! Also available in an Blind Spots executive coaching program.

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful , by Marshall Goldsmith. This is a must-read cover-to-cover book for any leader who is serious about realizing his/her full leadership potential. I especially enjoy the section that identifies the 20 habits that hold us back from the top, including: habit #1: winning too much,habit #2: adding too much value; or habit #20: an excessive need to be ‘me.’ There is a section that talks about  how to establish an accountability partner and an example of the 12 yes/no questions that arshall holds himself accountable on a daily basis (page 167). Then there is the “How to handle me” memo to staff (page 199)- an effective communication tool for people in charge with special challenges. This is a good book to buy for your entire team and read together. Highly Recommended!

Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers, by Lois Frankel, Ph.D. This book is important for any woman who aspires to be in executive management or who wants to be taken seriously in business. The author challenges us to “stop bein’ a girl” and to step into the true role of an empowered woman. She shows us how our socializing and upbringing to be a “good girl” can get in the way of our leadership effectiveness. There is an interesting self assessment test in the book to see what particular areas the reader needs to focus on. Mr. Frankel includes real life executive coaching examples to point out the problem and the improved results women can make. Recommended.

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