Todd’s Bookshelf: Forty-plus Favorite Authors/Book Recommendations to Help You Become a Better VisuaLeader9

Having read an average of more than one business book per week over the past twenty-plus years, I surpassed my one thousandth book sometime around last year. Of all those books related to management, leadership, innovation, communication, presentation, learning, and more, I came up with this list of forty of the top authors, and their books, that I tend to recommend to my clients, students, and friends…and that I would like to now share with you.

I’m not necessarily saying these are the top forty business books ever written (in case you are thinking of questioning my selections, or contacting me to say, “How could you have included that book on your list!” or, “How could you not have included this one!”). This is my own, totally biased and subjective, list of personal favorites that I tend to refer back to and/or recommend to others time and time again.

My criteria for inclusion are simply that these are some of the key books that opened my eyes to new ideas, new perspectives, and/or new tools, tips, or techniques. Additionally, rather than listing many of the bestsellers that everyone is already familiar with, I tried to include a number of selections that are less well-known, including a few hidden gems that were written by personal friends of mine. And, to make it onto this list, they had to be terrific and well worth reading.

With that, I hope you will enjoy and benefit from this collection of books as much as I did…and as much as I still do.

Adam Bryant: The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Live and Succeed; and Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation

Adam Grant: Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

Annette Simmons: The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling

Ayse Birsel: Design the Life You Love: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Meaningful Future

Barry Schwartz: Why We Work; and The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

Benedict Carey: How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens

Brad Szollose: Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia

Brene Brown: Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts

Bryan Mattimore: Idea Stormers: How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs; and 21 Days to a Big Idea: Creating Breakthrough Business Concepts

Charles Duhigg: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Chris Anderson: TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

Dan Roam: The Back of the Napkin; Unfolding the Napkin; and others

Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow

Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo: Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers

David Rock: Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long

David Sibbet: Visual Meetings, Visual Teams, Visual Consulting, Visual Leaders

Edgar H. Schein: Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling

James E. Zull: The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching By Exploring the Biology of Learning

Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson: Rework

Jerry Colonna: Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up

John Medina: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Julie Dirksen: Design for How People Learn

Ken Robinson: The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Lee Lefever: The Art of Explanation: Making Your Ideas, Products, and Services Easier to Understand

Marc Emmer: Momentum: How Companies Decide What to Do Next

Mark Sanborn: You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader

Mike Figliuolo: One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership

Peter Bregman: 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done; Leading With Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, And Inspire Action On Your Most Important Work

Nancy Ancowitz: Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead

Rick Wormeli: Metaphors & Analogies: Power Tools for Teaching Any Subject

Rob Salafia: Leading From Your Best Self: Develop Executive Poise, Presence, and Influence to Maximize Your Potential

Robert I. Sutton: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t

Roger von Oech: A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative

Ron Ashkenas: The Harvard Business Review Leader's Handbook: Make an Impact, Inspire Your Organization, and Get to the Next Level

Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Seth Merrin: The Power of Positive Destruction: How to Turn a Business Idea Into a Revolution

Sunni Brown: The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently

Susan Cain: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Susan Weinschenk: 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People; and How to Get People to Do Stuff

William L. Maw: The Work-Life Equation: Six Key Values That Drive Happiness and Success