5 Must Read Book for Mindful Leaders and Executives [Part 2]
If you’re new here, welcome! I’m passionate about exploring leadership development books and distilling their key insights into actionable strategies for leaders and executives. Every month, I review a leadership development book that aligns closely with the principles and practices I discuss with my coaching clients, offering real-world applications to elevate your leadership journey.
Whether you’re focused on refining your habits, building resilience, embracing vulnerability, or overcoming limiting behaviors, my book review series will help you learn new concepts and implement practical tools without spending countless hours combing through pages yourself.
Ready to dive in? Here are five leadership books I regularly recommend to my clients! (Looking for more books? Check out Part 1 of this series!)
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
Brief Summary:
Success is often built on a set of specific habits, but the same habits that bring us to a leadership position can become roadblocks to further growth. In What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith identifies 20 workplace behaviors that often hold leaders back. These habits, such as needing to win too much, adding unnecessary value, or failing to listen, can damage relationships, undermine team morale, and ultimately hinder progress.
Putting it into Practice:
Self-awareness is the foundation of growth. Start by identifying which of Goldsmith’s habits resonate with you. Openly acknowledge these patterns and seek feedback from trusted colleagues to gain a clearer perspective. Use tools like 360-degree assessments to uncover blind spots, and commit to addressing these habits through small, incremental changes. Modeling this vulnerability and growth mindset will strengthen your leadership and inspire your team to do the same. When it comes to empowering your team, leaders can systematically identify and address habits on their teams through observation, one-on-one coaching conversations, and by modeling change. In time, this will lead to stronger, more collaborative teams, improve their effectiveness, and drive better results.
📚 Read my full review of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith here.
The Grit Factor by Shannon Polson
Brief Summary:
Drawing from her experience as one of the first women to pilot Apache helicopters in the U.S. Army, Shannon Polson’s The Grit Factor offers a practical framework for building resilience. Polson weaves powerful narratives of women in high-stakes fields and distills their experiences into actionable insights. Her framework—The Grit Triad (Commit, Learn, Launch)—guides leaders through adversity, helping them cultivate resilience, courage, and purpose.
Putting it into Practice:
The first step in applying Polson’s triad is to define your "why." Commit to a clear mission or purpose that drives you. Next, embrace a learner’s mindset: Reflect on challenges and use them as opportunities for growth. Finally, take bold action (Launch) by stepping out of your comfort zone. Polson’s practical chapter-ending exercises — such as creating a personal mission statement, establishing a support network, identifying key mentors, and embodying your authentic self — will help you and your team build resilience, foster collaboration, and maintain clarity during challenging times.
📚 Read my full review of The Grit Factor by Shannon Polson here.
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Brief Summary:
Brown's book Daring Greatly is a must-read for those looking to increase their self awareness, and dive deeper into the underlying concepts of Brown’s popular leadership book, Dare to Lead, which explores how embracing courage and uncertainty can strengthen trust, foster innovation, and deepen connections with teams.
Brown’s approach to explaining challenging, and often uncomfortable, topics is deeply human and highly actionable. Daring Greatly helps leaders explore their relationship with vulnerability and shame, and how it impacts their leadership style, communication, and decision-making.
If you choose to read this book, have a pencil handy because you’ll want to underline and take notes throughout.
Putting it into Practice:
With all things self-awareness, the first step is to pay attention. Start by identifying what situations cue your "vulnerability armor,” learned behaviors — such as foreboding joy, numbing, and perfectionism — that you instinctively use to protect yourself from feeling exposed or judged. Practice replacing this armor with behaviors and responses that better serve you, such as open communication, gratitude, a beginner's mindset, and trust. Journaling can help uncover patterns in how you respond to vulnerability. Use tools like gratitude practices to shift your mindset and focus on growth rather than fear. Additionally, by embracing and modeling vulnerability, you’ll create a culture where your team feels safe to take risks and innovate.
📚 Read my full review of Daring Greatly by Brené Brown here.
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
Brief Summary:
In today’s fast-paced world, hustle culture often equates busyness with productivity and success. Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity challenges this mindset by advocating for a more intentional, focused approach. Newport emphasizes that true productivity isn’t about how fast or how much you can get done, but about doing the right things at the right pace. His strategies help leaders take a more conscientious approach to leadership by prioritizing what truly matters, creating space for deep focus, and sustainable results.
Putting it into Practice:
Newport emphasizes that leaders achieve more by doing less, intentionally managing their energy and attention to create impactful results. Leaders can start by identifying their highest-value activities, typically the tasks that deliver the most meaningful impact. From there, use strategies like time blocking to protect your focus and energy for deep work. Create routines that signal to your brain that it’s time to concentrate, and establish boundaries to minimize distractions. Additionally, build in time for reflection to ensure your efforts align with long-term goals. Slow productivity is about working smarter, not harder—a shift that can revolutionize your leadership effectiveness.
📚 Read my full review of Slow Productivity by Cal Newport here.
How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
Brief Summary:
Often considered the ‘sister book’ to Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, How Women Rise addresses the 12 habits that hold women back from advancing their careers and provides clear strategies for overcoming them to unlock greater success. One of the primary messages throughout the book is that the behaviors that make someone successful as an individual contributor can prevent them from getting promoted to, and hinder them in, leadership roles. It’s a powerful realization and hits home for any leader who has felt stuck or seen team dynamics suffer.
Putting it into Practice:
If you identify with any of the habits outlined in the book, start by reframing them as adaptations you’ve outgrown rather than flaws. Focusing on actionable changes like maintaining a celebration journal, building and leveraging strategic networks, letting go of perfectionism, claiming your worth, and dedicating time to your career, can help you accelerate your leadership potential and inspire other women to rise alongside you.
📚 Read my full review of How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith here.
Final Thoughts
Leadership growth isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress, and finding new ways to have a meaningful impact on your team, organization, and community.
Each of these books provides insights to enhance your effectiveness and authenticity. Whether you’re tackling limiting behaviors, fostering resilience, or cultivating a mindful approach to productivity, the strategies shared here can serve as powerful catalysts for growth.
These books are just the beginning; the true transformation happens when you bring their principles into your daily interactions. Partnering with a coach is a great way to change your behaviors and authentically implement the key concepts highlighted above.
When you’re ready to take these lessons to the next level, I invite you to book a complimentary discovery session to explore partnering with me as a coach. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for actionable leadership insights or connect with me on LinkedIn and Instagram for daily tips and inspiration.
Note: Links (🔗) to recommended books on Amazon are affiliate links. Please consider supporting your local independent bookstore or borrowing books from your library.