8 Books for Conscious Leaders

Enhance Your Leadership Skills and Create Positive Change

Conscious leadership is an approach to leadership that values presence, self-awareness, and a growth mindset.

As a conscious leader your mission is to cultivate your growth, and the growth of the organization, by enhancing conscious awareness. Conscious leaders create an environment that is rich with evergreen learning. Rich with accountability. Instead of an ego-centric 'me' attitude, a conscious leader embodies all aspects of an inclusive 'we' approach. Conscious leadership is critical to unlocking peak performance.

I’ve built this book list based on my own leadership experiences over the last 15 years, coupled with the experiences of working with, and interviewing, other successful, high impact leaders and coaches.

For more book recommendations feel free to check out my full Book Repository. If this list resonates with you, please share with a friend or two. Enjoy!

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni

An easy weekend read that crystallizes key attributes of a low performing team, and how to rectify them. Equal parts enthralling and instructive. A great place to start your conscious leadership journey.

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership - Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, Kaley Klemp

If a business savant had a baby with a Buddhist / Stoic. Very comprehensive & actionable approach to improving oneself as a leader. This book effectively spells out why unconscious leadership is unsustainable and too costly for both individuals and organizations.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - Carol Dweck

There are two mindsets. Fixed mindsets and growth mindsets. People with a fixed mindset — those who believe that abilities are fixed — are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset — those who believe that abilities can be developed. Every aspect of life can be seen through one of these two lenses. Conscious leaders embrace a growth mindset.

The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change your Life and Achieve Real Happiness - Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga

An approachable, charming Socratic dialogue that guides the reader through Adlerian psychology - how we are all free to determine our own future free of the shackles of past experiences, doubts and the expectations of others. Empowers the reader with the courage to ignore limitations and to positively change. Highly recommended on audiobook.

The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance - W. Timothy Gallwey

Using tennis as a pragmatic framing, this book looks at how the analytical and intuitive minds work with one another and their impact on learning and one's ability to reach peak performance. The book helps with overcoming internal ruminations and self-doubt which often keep a leader from reaching top performance.

Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament - Michael Singer

A deep walkthrough on the practice of surrender - Equal parts transcendent and practical. Conscious leadership and surrender go hand in hand. Living Untethered helps the reader find a sense of wholeness and satisfaction internally, which when internalized allows a leader to weather any storm. Best on audiobook.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life - Marshall Rosenberg

A way of communicating and listening that allows for deep honesty, void of insults & criticism; allowing for a deeper sense of true empathy, and shared understanding. Nonviolent Communication provides the reader with practical skills and the tools to develop powerful consciousness. This book makes for a transformative experience when applied to personal relationships & professional environments alike.

The Second Mountain - David Brooks

A grounding and provocative read that promotes a shift from hyper-individualism (first mountain) to relationism (second mountain) through four key areas: vocation, marriage, faith, and community.