By:
Maren Perry, MA, PCC
For those of you who’ve been a part of our
leadership development community for years, you will know our longstanding tradition of offering you the best of the year’s reading list, hoping it might inspire you or someone you’re gifting over the holidays a bit of inspiration for the year ahead!
How to Gift Leadership Books Thoughtfully
When giving a good book, as to etiquette, we suggest:
- Give from the heart, not from obligation.
- Give a GIFT, not a LESSON: don’t give a gift as a hint, as in “I think you need to be a better listener, so here’s a book on listening.” Instead, give them something they may be curious about based on your conversations with them.
- Give (overly) appropriate gifts, rather than risk offending someone.
- DON’T give a gift to curry favor. (see first bullet)
- The thoughtfulness of the item is more important than the item itself. Better to give a thoughtfully chosen token than an extravagant-but-generic item.
For these reasons, and because they’re generally wonderful and useful, we love giving BOOKS!
Though they may not be the most
original of items, chosen well they can express much thought and care, be incredibly valuable to the recipient far beyond the investment from the giver, form the basis of interesting conversations to come, and are easy to buy quickly and give whether you’re in person or virtual.
Our Favorite Work-Related Books This Year
Our recommendations reflect decades of experience working with executives, leadership teams, and organizations navigating growth, transition, and complexity:
Jon writes about discovering authenticity and purpose amidst an epilepsy diagnosis.
A vulnerable and heart-felt accounting of a life-changing process and the
resilience, connection and self-discovery it inspired.
A candid look at accountability, performance, and the realities of leadership advancement. Jonathan provides a brass-tacks guide for anyone considering their next management move and how to navigate the realities of the real world while positioning yourself for advancement.
Built for high performers under pressure, this book trains leaders to move quickly from problem obsession to solution execution. Executives gain tools to sharpen focus, manage stress, and maintain forward momentum even in high-stakes, high-visibility roles.
The Go-Giver by Bob Berg and John David Mann
A deceptively simple story that reframes success around value creation rather than chasing outcomes. For executives, it reinforces that trust, generosity, and long-term relationships are not soft skills. They are strategic advantages that drive sustainable influence and results.
Adding to his library of books, Covey makes the case that traditional command-and-control leadership is outdated. This book helps executives shift toward trust-based leadership that increases engagement, ownership, and
performance, especially critical in complex, fast-moving, and people-driven organizations.
This is a modern playbook for how leaders are actually evaluated in today’s workplace. Hewlett breaks down presence into gravitas, communication, and appearance, giving executives practical tools to
increase influence, credibility, and impact without pretending to be someone they are not.
A practical system that flips traditional finance thinking on its head, this book is particularly useful for founders and senior leaders, this book helps executives align financial discipline with strategy, ensuring profitability, clarity, and smarter decision-making without drowning in spreadsheets.
This is the case for doing the big thing, challenging leaders to stop incremental thinking and focus on transformative simplification. For executives, this book is a mindset shift that helps eliminate distractions, clarify priorities, and design strategies that create outsized impact with less complexity and burnout.
The latest in Lencioni’s library, a great way to understand a project cycle and how your team’s strengths and gaps contribute to how easily your projects flow.
We use the assessment for Working Genius with our
team development projects!
Remember, with any of these, the genuine personal note you provide along with the book will be the
true gift and go a long way toward establishing the connection between you, the recipient, and the book.
If you’ve read a book you’re gifting and enjoyed it, say why.
If you’ve not read it but heard it was good, tell them why you think they might enjoy it.
Give from the heart… and you can’t go wrong.
Please send us your recommendations! We’d love to add your recommendations to our bookshelf!
Maybe we’ll feature your suggestion in 2026!
