Best Leadership Books for Small Business Owners

Best leadership books for small business owners

You don’t have to look much farther than your bookshelf for insight and inspiration — if you know what to stock it with. Some worthwhile leadership books discuss how self-improvement can help you improve your business, while others provide advice on applying Fortune 500 principles to any size company. Here are 18 must-read leadership books for small business owners.

1. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Ever wonder why some businesses thrive while others struggle? Start with Why encourages business owners and managers to stay true to their goals as leaders to keep their enterprises on track. Author, motivational speaker and marketing consultant Simon Sinek studied influential leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Steve Jobs, and found one thing they all had in common: purpose. Sinek reminds readers to focus on what’s most important to them and why they started businesses in the first place.

2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Businessman and author Stephen R. Covey recognizes the many obstacles leaders face today, including human nature’s flaws. Channeling his own experiences, he outlines principles to help leaders become more effective and adaptable and advance in their careers by seizing opportunities. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People empowers leaders through honest stories and thought-provoking lessons. [Read related article: 5 Habits of High-Performing Teams]

3. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Lean In was written by Sheryl Sandberg, then-chief operating officer of Facebook, specifically for women. The business world can be more intimidating for women, especially those in industries where the majority of leaders are men. In this bestselling book, Sandberg, a trailblazing woman in business herself, discusses why her fellow female professionals struggle to make progress in leadership. She provides empowering solutions and inspiring ways to get more women into leadership positions.

4. The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations

More than 2.5 million copies of The Leadership Challenge have been sold across many editions in over 30 languages. Authors James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner conducted extensive research to discuss how to nurture leadership and the differences between good and great leaders. With each new edition, the book examines current organizational challenges, new work trends and international examples of extraordinary leaders.

5. Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box

Leadership and Self-Deception confronts the issues we create, like mental constraints and barriers that prevent us from reaching our full potential. Written by The Arbinger Institute, the book shows that through integrity and humility, you can become a better leader and individual to improve both professionally and personally. The book focuses on concepts such as team building, conflict resolution and personal growth.

6. The Start-up of You

The Start-up of You, by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, is a guide to how small business owners can accelerate their careers in a fast-paced market. The book’s main point is to internalize your goals and find ways to adapt your career objectives and plans. It includes tips for strengthening your network and locating unique opportunities for unprecedented growth in your industry. The authors aim to demonstrate how to apply your entrepreneurial goals to your company.

7. Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur

Anything You Want, by Derek Sivers, is one of the more out-of-the-box leadership books available for small business owners. Instead of sticking with a set formula, Sivers recommends following your passion to achieve success. He tells his readers to use their dreams, rather than a script, as a guide. Sivers, a multimillionaire who has created music applications and websites, has a down-to-earth voice that makes his approach relatable to anyone who wants to succeed in the business world.

8. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It

The E-Myth Revisited is an updated version of The E-Myth from author Michael E. Gerber. The book aims to dispel many of the myths associated with leading any type of business venture. Gerber points out the common obstacles to running a successful small business. He goes through each step to get from startup to franchise and what to expect along the way. His most prominent lesson is to work on your business instead of working in your business.  

9. Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity

Smarter Faster Better, by Charles Duhigg, is the go-to book for learning about boosting productivity, improving efficiency and building your business model. By focusing on key steps such as enhancing decision-making skills, increasing motivation and setting business goals, this book explains how successful companies maximize their time and profits by giving you the tools you need to succeed.

10. Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki, touches on the value of being willing to make mistakes and bounce back from them — a lesson successful people know all too well. In the book, Kiyosaki compares and contrasts the life of his blue-collar father to that of his friend’s wealthy dad and delves into concepts such as leadership in business, investment principles and risk-taking.

11. The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

In The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton M. Christensen stresses the importance of a company’s resources, core values and business practices. He explains that businesses may look good on paper and still face the possibility of failure. To prevent this, he gives business leaders realistic guidance for making sound economic and investment decisions. 

12. The Power of Broke

In The Power of Broke, Shark Tank investor and Fubu founder Daymond John explains how bootstrapping can be a power move for someone looking to build their business from the ground up. In fact, a lack of funds can prompt would-be business leaders to become more creative, industrious, strategic and inspired. John knows this firsthand; he started with $40 in the bank and built his business’s net worth to $6 billion. 

13. Dare to Lead

In Dare to Lead, Brené Brown emphasizes the significance of maintaining emotional integrity in difficult business circumstances. She inspires her readers to build a positive workplace culture that encourages different perspectives, new solutions and room to learn from failure so employees can become resilient, creative and innovative at work. 

14. Likeable Social Media

Nowadays, everyone wants to know how to build a popular and effective online business presence, especially on social media. In his book Likeable Social Media, Dave Kerpen shows readers how to shape their brand and strengthen their connection to online communities.

15. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

If you’re struggling with an unhealthy thought cycle regarding business success, look no further than Mindset, by Carol Dweck, for help. Among the book’s numerous valuable insights is that potential is limitless once people realize that talent and knowledge can grow with time and diligence. If anything, not believing in ourselves is what holds us back from reaching our goals. 

16. How to Win Friends and Influence People

Despite being originally written in 1936, this classic from Dale Carnegie still rings true with modern leaders. In essence, it teaches readers how to make others like and respect them, primarily by treating others kindly and respectfully. This book will particularly benefit people who are often embroiled in conflict with their peers, subordinates and managers. It shows them how to change their behavior to make others their allies.

17. Radical Candor

This book is for managers who want to balance being highly effective and ruthless with being ineffective but loved by their team. Kim Scott is well known in Silicon Valley and has trained CEOs at companies such as Dropbox, Qualtrics and X (formerly Twitter) — although not Elon Musk. Radical Candor shows readers how to build trust first so employees can accept and act on their constructive criticism. 

18. Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

In Give and Take, author Adam Grant describes different groups in the workplace: givers, matchers and takers. He makes the case for being a giver, someone who proactively helps others. Over time, being a giver creates many allies throughout the organization who are more than happy to help you in your career and work. Grant also gives guidance on how to avoid burnout as a giver.

Top takeaways from the best books for small business leaders

While all of the books above are unique, you’ll find some common themes and lessons that can affect your success as a business owner and leader.

Don’t be afraid to fail. 

Many people today are terrified of failure, but books like Dare to Lead and Rich Dad, Poor Dad take the unpopular stance that failing is good for the business leader’s soul. In her book, Brown elaborates on why leaders should be humble and cultivate a workplace where failure is allowed and learning is encouraged. An off-repeated quote from Kiyosaki in Rich Dad, Poor Dad says, “In the real world, the smartest people are people who make mistakes and learn. In school, the smartest people don’t make mistakes.” Remember that you’re in the real world — not school — and many successful entrepreneurs failed at least once.

Don’t stop because of low resources.

Books like The Power of Broke discuss the benefits of lacking extensive financial resources when you’re embarking on a business endeavor. If you collect the right tips and tricks for using what you have in the smartest way possible, limited resources don’t have to hold you back. Many successful leaders before you have defied the odds, so why should you be any different?

Have a healthy mindset.

A positive mindset is vital to accomplishing goals in any profession, especially entrepreneurship. Mindset reminds leaders not to underestimate themselves, because there’s power in believing you can achieve. Leadership and Self-Deception also warns leaders not to let their egos blur their judgment and hinder their overall success.

Support and assist others.

Companies are made of people, and success comes more easily when the people around you — no matter where they are in the organizational chart — like and respect you. Practice empathy, selflessness, good listening skills and trust building. 

Give tactful feedback.

No one likes to be criticized. However, in business, it is sometimes necessary to offer team members and colleagues constructive criticism to improve their performance, help them in their careers and ensure the organization’s success. Frame feedback as suggestions for helping the individual.

Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.