Management + Leadership

Leadership through self-help books

I’m a big fan of self-help books. I’m not talking about “Golf For Dummies” but just good old nonfiction reads. Whether it’s financial or marital advice (“5 Love Languages” anyone?), I really believe that you can find answers to most your problems in books. Is a book as effective as a financial adviser, maybe not; but it’s a lot less expensive.

So whether or not you’re currently attending ASDA’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago this weekend, you can still gain a lot of leadership insights just from picking up some reading material. Yes, you’ll have to put down the study guides and textbooks for a minute, but the break from dentistry might do you some good.

Here is a list of leadership reads that can set you on the path to success in dental school and beyond:

Drive” by Daniel Pink

After you watch Daniel Pink’s TED talk (above) you’ll want to read his book. He’s unlocked the key to what motivates you–very important in leadership.

Delivering Happiness” by Tony Hsieh

Tony Hsieh is the CEO of your favorite online shoe company, Zappos. Hsieh bucked the traditional corporate model and created a place where company culture and customers were at the forefront of everything they do. It worked and it could just work for your future dental practice.

Bonus: Read former ASDA Speaker of the House Dr. Ryan Dulde’s blog post about his visit to Zappos headquarters in Las Vegas.

Good to Great” by Jim Collins

This book is all about why some companies make the cut and others fail. Of course you want your future practice to be great, so this read may be worth picking up sooner than later.

Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell

In his third book, Malcolm Gladwell examines success in all its iterations. From ice hockey players to Bill Gates to The Beatles, Gladwell tries to determine what makes for success. Gladwell’s books are successful due to his interesting way of connecting ideas and a writing style that makes non fiction a fast read.

No time for a whole book?

Magazines can be a great way to dip your toe into the world of business management and leadership without taking away too much time from your studies. Here are two recommendations:

Fast Company: This is a great website but also a slick magazine if you choose to subscribe. You’ll get articles on everything from the latest trends in business to design and innovation. There’s also some great reads on leadership and management.

Forbes: This magazine is probably best known for business advice. Check the website or subscribe to stay up on the world of business.

For more leadership books, you can visit ASDA’s website. We also have tips on how to be a leader and how to get involved in local and national leadership. Are you ready to take on a leadership role now? ASDA is accepting applications for more than 40 national leadership positions. Click here to find out more!

What leadership books do you recommend? Have you read any of the books mentioned above?

~Kim Kelly, publications manager

You may also like ...

7 Comments

  1. Colleen Greene says:

    Great post! I LOVE Strengthsfinder 2.0 – it’s a short read with a long interactive quiz and so much applicable fascinating content. Try it!

    1. I loved that one too, Colleen! The next one I want to try in that series is Emotional Intelligence 2.0.

  2. Julia F. says:

    I am a huge believer in self help books too! I have read so many books that have inspired and motivated me! Thanks for sharing this list 🙂 I would like to recommend a book called “Mentor Me: GA=T+E: A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement” by author Ken Poirot. This is a motivational self help book that really spoke to me on a personal level. It is obvious that the author intended this to reach out to people individually instead of just being a general guideline and I really enjoy that style of writing over the alternative.The book teaches you how to use your time effectively when looking to make a change in your life. There are also valuable tips about conflict resolution, figuring out your personality type and how that relates to other people, and I find that the more interactive a book is the more I enjoy it. The author has a way of reaching through the page and making the tips and strategies apply to your own life, which I also found really great. You can read an excerpt from the book on his website: http://www.mentormegate.com. I hope you will check it out

    1. I haven’t heard of this one, Julia. Thanks for the tip!

  3. Lisa May says:

    Thank you very much for posting up these suggestions. I would recommend a recent book from Jason Treu called Social Wealth.
    If you only read 2 chapters of this book, you would likely learn a great deal and be better equipped for building prosperous relationships. Its well worth taking a moment to look into that book a little and check out some reviews because it’s simply priceless advice. http://beextraordinary.tv/

    1. Thanks Lisa 🙂 I appreciate the kind words. Email me at Jason @ BeExtraordinary.tv and I’ll send you the new audiobook and when available, my next book…mid-2015. Happy holidays.

  4. According to experts books are the real friend of human being; we can get many answer and solution of different things from books; therefore the addiction of reading books will be quite helpful for us. We have found different type of books available in the market through which we are able to sharp our personal skills as well as our leadership ability; here we have found some good collection and I hope while reading these we are able to develop our leadership skills and ability.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *