In life and in business, leadership proves easy to see and feel, though a slippery thing to define. It’s also difficult to teach, though many in the business and coaching worlds assert it’s a skill like any other, one to learn and develop.
In a world that still has at least a few glass ceilings intact, learning and teaching leadership in ways that might look a little different from the typical office model retains the power to supercharge careers and change lives.
There’s an ever-expanding audience for leadership and management texts, some of which speak directly to the female (or female-identifying) experience, some of which shoot for more universal appeal. When management is so often the next step on the ladder, it seldom comes with a manual; it’s tough to know where to begin. Here are our 10 picks on female-forward leading or top 10 leadership books for women popular on BookScouter:
How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings: Non-Threatening Leadership Strategies for Women
A perhaps controversial choice to begin our list, grounded in a depressing reality: that men’s hurt feelings still have the power to curtail a woman’s leadership trajectory. While women in leadership roles still face perception biases, many women cultivate a hyperawareness of their words and habits in the workplace. Though it may grate on those who chafe against the need to mind male feelings, this book recommends a softened approach to company culture.
Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations Whole Hearts
This guide makes no apology for empathy and vulnerability being deployed in the workplace. Still, a radical concept for many who feel personhood must be sacrificed at the altar of professionalism. Enlivened by case studies and accounts of spectacular and small-scale failures as well as success, Brown’s guide explodes myths and illustrates how these not only hurt individuals but systems and companies, too.
In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers Artists, and Entrepreneurs
A coffee table book of sorts for the business-minded, Bonney’s richly photographed compilation of female wit and wisdom allows casual dipping in when the need strikes.
WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power and Change the Game
The Olympian and FIFA World Cup Champion share her insights from a career spent advocating for women in sports, making leadership a group endeavor, developed from the striking ‘wolfpack’ concept and lifting up others in her own dynamic style.
The Making of a Manager: What to Do when Everyone Looks to You
In stating, ‘managers are made, not born,’ Zhuo sets out her stall in an emphatic fashion. She also outlines concepts that may seem obvious when viewed in print, but seem seldom discussed, the ultimate being that a manager exists to get better outcomes from those they manage. She promotes a practice ‘3-Ps’ management strategy: understanding an organization’s purpose, people, and processes.
Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change
A handbook for anyone whose face doesn’t fit the traditional white male structures of Western politics, it also offers robust insight into business and social enterprise from a woman with a strong record in multiple fields. She tackles, among other challenges, the pervasive imposter syndrome that can hobble many a leader.
My Life in Full: Work, Family and our Future
Most powerful on the imperative to ‘have it all’, Nooyi is most frank and fearless when discussing the precarious balance between maintaining a high-powered career and a healthy family life, detailing the ‘constant help’ needed and the guilt of canceled holidays and missed birthdays.
My Own Words
by Mary Hartnett, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Wendy W. Williams
Not just the meme that launched a thousand t-shirts, the Notorious R.B.G and friends collect Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s speeches and writing on the law, identity, and the United States’ place in the wider world, from a woman with unique influence.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
In a subgenre replete with long, unwieldy book titles, this does what it says on the tin. With welcome brevity, it encourages active listening, starting with its first and most essential question for anyone seeking to make changes in an organization.
The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir
A personal account of a life working for change from a leading member of the Obama administration, Power’s account of the intersection of her public and private lives also works as a fascinating look at the machinery of democracy and diplomacy in action.
These are among the 10 best books for female leaders, and they all are available on BookScouter at an affordable price. If you liked this book list, also read our 10 business books and books on feminism.
