Best Books on Motivation & Self-Improvement in 2022
We are what we read. The books we read shape us. To improve your leadership skills, here is the list of must-read books on Motivation & Self-Improvement that you should definitely make time for.
26 Must-Read Books on Motivation & Self-Improvement
What we learn becomes a part of who we are. These hand-picked recommendations of books on Motivation & Self-Improvement should definitely be a part of your reading list in 2021 if you're looking to sharpen your leadership skills.
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The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change
- Adam Braun
If you feel restless and ready for transition, if you are seeking direction and purpose, this critically acclaimed bestseller is for you. The Promise of a Pencil chronicles Braun’s journey to find his calling, as each chapter explains one clear step that every person can take to turn their biggest ambitions into reality. Driven by inspiring stories and shareable insights, this is the book that will give you the tools to make your own life a story worth telling.
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
- Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people's minds and our own.Think Again reveals that we don't have to believe everything we think or internalize everything we feel. It's an invitation to let go of views that are no longer serving us well and prize mental flexibility over foolish consistency. If knowledge is power, knowing what we don't know is wisdom.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
- Angela Duckworth
This book is a must-read for anyone who has felt / has been feeling lost or inadequate.Drawing instances from her own enligtning story (being the daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius") and interviewing dozens of inspiring individuals, Angela Duckworth highlights that it's not our mind, but the right mind-set, that makes all the difference.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead
- Brené Brown
Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on 12 years of pioneering research, Dr. Brené Brown dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. It is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.
It's Your Ship: Management Techniques From the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
- Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Even though written by a soldier, this book is a great manual for everyone who wants to learn how to lead a team. How did Captain Abrashoff create a crew of confident and inspired problem-solvers eager to take the initiative and responsibility for their actions? He spills those beans in this book. Every manager can learn how to make a great team from Abrashoff’s book, no matter what area of business (s)he works in.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business
- Charles Duhigg
In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential.
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
- Daniel H Pink
Timing, it's often assumed, is an art but in When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Pink shows that timing is really a science.Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't know much about timing itself and our lives are a never-ending stream of "when" decisions. Drawing on a rich trove of research from psychology, biology, and economics, Pink reveals how best to live, work, and succeed.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
- Daniel Kahneman
Topping bestseller lists for almost ten years, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a contemporary classic, an essential book that has changed the lives of millions of readers.Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Daniel Kahneman offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives―and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- Doris Kearns Goodwin
If Abraham Lincoln can unite his cabinet and the country around abolishing slavery amidst war, you can probably reconcile conflicting personalities in your company. Bringing together employees of different ideologies into a team or group is an admirable leadership trait. Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.
Who Moved My Cheese?
- Dr. Spencer Johnson
This book has been around for a while, in-fact nearly 20 years and boasts of being ‘one of the most successful business books ever’! Most people are fearful of change, both personal and professional, because they don't have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, Dr. Spencer Johnson, uses a deceptively simple story to show that when it comes to living in a rapidly changing world, what matters most is your attitude.
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
- Gallup Press
Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its revolutionary study of more than 80,000 managers in First, Break All the Rules, revealing what the world’s greatest managers do differently. With vital performance and career lessons and ideas for how to apply them, it is a must-read for managers at every level.
The Customer Comes Second: Put Your People First and Watch 'em Kick Butts
- Hal Rosenbluth, Ms. Diane McFerrin Peters
This insightful and compelling book reveals new ideas for hiring, motivating and managing employees, and shows how best to integrate technological innovation and creative solutions into the everyday work experience to ensure that your employees,your company's greatest asset, win you the best customers and propel your business to the greatest heights of success.
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Everyday
- Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky
In a world where information and work refreshes endlessly, frazzled and distracted has become our default position. But what if the exhaustion of constant busyness wasn't mandatory? What if you could step off the hamster wheel and start taking control of your time and attention? That's what this book is about. Read it to get Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky's (creators of Google Ventures' renowned "design sprint,") perspective on how to solve important problems by changing how you work.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't
- Jim Collins
Can a good company become a great company and if so, how? In Good to Great, Jim Collins concludes that it is possible. Collins and his team sorted through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They settled on 11 and discovered common traits that challenge conventional notions of corporate success. At the heart of those truly great companies was their corporate culture.
The Seasons of Life
- Jim Rohn
This is a book of ideas and observations that attempt to place life, its events, purpose, opportunities and challenges into perspective and focusses on the fundamentals of human behavior and how they have an impact on optimal performance, personally and professionally. Read this book for powerful lessons in leadership and a primer on living well.
Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives
- John Boudreau, Wayne Cascio, Alexis Fink
This book is based on a comprehensive framework that clarifies and supports strategic linkages between investments in human capital and important outcomes that senior leaders most care about. You will master crucial foundational principles such as risk, return, and economies of scale and use them to evaluate investments objectively in everything from work/life programs to training and also acquire powerful logic and proven financial techniques for looking inside and analysing the HR 'black box'.
That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea
- Marc Randolph
Now with over 150 million subscribers, Netflix's triumph feels inevitable, but the twenty first century's most disruptive start up began with few believers and calamity at every turn. From having to pitch his own mother on being an early investor to server crashes on launch day, this book on Marc Randolph's transformational journey exemplifies how anyone with grit, gut instincts and determination can change the world-even with an idea that many think will never work.
Bold: How to Go Big, Make Bank and Better the World
- Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler
Bold is both a manifesto and a manual. It is today's exponential entrepreneur's go-to resource on the use of emerging technologies, thinking at scale, and the awesome impact of crowd-powered tools. You’ll learn to create extraordinary wealth while you make a meaningful difference on the world doing work that matter. Discover new and unconventional methods to leveraging the web’s infinite tools to raise money, make money, and manage money.
The Last Lecture
- Randy Pausch, Jefferey Zaslow
In 2008, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Randy Pausch,a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, delivered a final, stunning lecture to the university. This book spells out his beliefs on empowering your dreams and overcoming obstacles. As leaders and managers, we sometimes tend to forget what really matters in life, and this book is the best way to ground yourself when things get tough.
Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers
- Robert M. Sapolsky
When we worry or experience stress, our body turns on the same physiological responses that an animal's does, but we do not resolve conflict in the same way-through fighting or fleeing. Over time, this activation of a stress response makes us literally sick.Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers
The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
- Ryan Holiday
If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, The Obstacle is the Way can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience. Stoics focus on the things they can control, let go of everything else, and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, tougher.
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
- Simon Sinek
In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way-and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire.
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
- Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek's second book is the natural extension of Start with Why, expanding his ideas at the organizational level. Determining a company’s WHY is crucial, but only the beginning. The next step is how do you get people on board with your WHY? How do you inspire deep trust and commitment to the company and one another? Drawing on powerful and inspiring stories, Sinek shows how to sustain an organization’s WHY while continually adding people to the mix.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Stephen R. Covey
This beloved classic presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity—principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.
Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All
- Tom Kelley, David Kelley
We often assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the "creative types." But two of the leading experts in innovation,design,and creativity show us that each and every one of us is creative. In an incredibly entertaining and inspiring narrative, David and Tom Kelley identify the principles and strategies that allows readers to tap into their creative potential in their work and personal lives, and allows them to innovate in terms of how they approach and solve problems.
StrengthsFinder 2.0
- Tom Rath
Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in 2001 which helped millions to discover their top five talents. In StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new and improved version of its popular assessment. While you can read this book in one sitting, you'll use it as a reference for decades. Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this book will change the way you look at yourself - and the world around you - forever.