Whether you’re new to the world of leadership development and personal growth, or a longtime learner, allow me to tell you about a couple of my favorite authors on the topic, John C. Maxwell and Patrick Lencioni.
Now there are a slew of other great authors and great books, and I try to read or listen to many of them, but I find myself consistently interested in whatever these two have written, and I regularly explore their catalog for something that I have not yet read.
Interestingly, these two have very different styles of writing. Both are easy reads packed with great lessons, but very different in how their books are put together.
If you like your books to flow from start to finish as a cohesive story, you will really enjoy Patrick Lencioni’s books. Lencioni writes in what I would call a parable-style. They make the most sense if you start at the beginning and read straight through to the end. Now, don’t let this story form fool you into thinking that they are not packed with good stuff. These books are full of great lessons and key points, and I highlight them as much as any other book. And sometimes, because the lessons are presented in the context of an overall story, that really helps the reader understand and apply the lessons or key points to their own situation more easily than other styles.
On the other hand, John Maxwell’s books are more organized into chapters and lessons on key topics, making them a phenomenal resource not just straight-through but also on-demand. While John packs his books and speaking full of stories and anecdotes to make his point and help the reader more fully understand the lesson, it is also easy to jump around from chapter to chapter, lesson to lesson as each one is relatively self-contained. Of course there is great value to reading the entire book, and some points build upon previous chapters, but if you want to jump straight to, say, the chapter on Servant Leadership, you can go straight there, study it, and then come back to others in any order.
So there you have it, two of my favorite authors. Both have several books available and I would recommend all of them. They are great resources, both for the novice and the cagey veteran. Go pick one up and dive in today.