Article By – Manish Behl and Published by The Free Press Journal

Top 10 Books For Leaders.

Do You Want to Be a Great Leader? Here Are Top 10 Books Every Leader Must Read.

Top 10 Books For Leaders. If you ask me, every leader in today’s world needs a radically different kind of book on their nightstand and not just another business bestseller or management manual. As someone who’s spent years exploring what actually shapes effective leaders, I believe the most transformative reading isn’t always found in glossy boardroom biographies or case studies. Sometimes, the most powerful lessons come disguised as stories that tug at your blind spots and force you to examine your values.

Let me tell you a story: A private equity professional I know once told me that Franz Kafka’s Poseidon, a tale from a century ago should be required reading for every aspiring leader. Why? Because instead of ruling the waves, Kafka’s sea god is crushed under mountains of paperwork, unable to do his true work. This executive saw himself in Poseidon more than in any Harvard Business Review case study. And isn’t that how so many of us feel in today’s world confusing “busyness” for meaningful leadership?

Here’s the truth: overwhelming to do lists and constant firefighting aren’t a badge of honor. They’re often a sign that we’re out of sync with what leadership demands today. Unlike theory, fiction shows us our hidden patterns, our rationalizations, and the gap between what we intend and the impact we actually have.

Many leaders pride themselves on devouring books about innovation and strategy but shy away from fiction as if novels and stories are just “entertainment.” But research shows that those who regularly read fiction consistently score higher on cognitive measures, including general intelligence and, crucially, empathy. Fiction uniquely trains your brain to step into other people’s shoes, to understand motivations and the complex dance of team dynamics. In fact, building empathy may be the most overlooked tool in any leader’s arsenal.

Here are top 10 books that every leader should read this year:

• Observe: 101 Mindfulness Practices to Unleash Your Leadership by Manish Behl tactical, actionable, and immensely grounding.
  
  
• Trust by Hernan Diaz masterful storytelling about perception and truth.
  
  
• The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka a profound meditation on change and identity.
  
  
• Menagerie: A Child’s Fable by Charles Johnson an allegory about power and unintended consequences.
  
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee on courage, justice, and moral complexity.
  
  
• The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge a brilliant look at organizational learning (yes, one nonfiction).
  
  
• Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin on the power of diverse perspectives.
  
  
• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse for timeless insights on purpose.
  
  
• Beloved by Toni Morrison on history, suffering, and empathy.
  
  
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu for strategic wisdom that never ages.
  
  

What unites these books? They help you practice seeing through other people’s eyes, wrestling with ambiguity, and making sense of complex realities all of which are demanded of today’s leaders.

But don’t stop with books. To become the leader the future needs, you must invest in yourself. Programs like Mindfulness Foundation Trainer Program (MFTP), which I teach, are designed to help you integrate these powerful insights into daily action. If you’re serious about leading with empathy, insight, and clarity, it’s time to move beyond the well trodden management playbooks and open yourself to the kind of learning that changes how you see and who you become.

Are you ready to cultivate the confidence, narrative intelligence, and human connection that define truly exceptional leaders? Your journey starts with what you choose to read and how willing you are to grow.

Manish Behl

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