Book Recommendations

One of the foundational books on change management. Kotter explains why people resist change and how to lead transformation efforts with clarity, urgency, and momentum. A must-read for business leaders navigating growth or disruption.

A fable-style companion to Leading Change, this story about penguins learning to face a crisis makes complex change principles accessible. Read this after Leading Change to reinforce and internalize the lessons in a memorable way.

The definitive guide to Lean, Six Sigma, and Continuous Process Improvement from the company that perfected it. Deep, dense, and worth reading slowly—this book will change how you approach efficiency, quality, and systems thinking.

True leaders multiply leadership. This book shows you how to invest in others, delegate effectively, and create a sustainable team. A must-read for anyone building an organization.

Military-tested leadership lessons rooted in accountability, clarity, and complete ownership of success and failure. If your team fails, it's your fault. This mindset shift will transform how you lead.

A fascinating look at how Abraham Lincoln led with humility, reflection, and strategic silence. His practice of writing letters to vent—then never sending them—is one of many lessons on long-term thinking and relational leadership.

A leadership classic that outlines 21 proven principles to build influence and grow as a leader. Whether you're in business, the military, or a startup—this book can help you lead more effectively.

Leadership isn't just from the top down. This book explains how to lead from the middle—whether you're under a manager or not in charge—while still making meaningful impact.

A compilation that includes 'Attitude', 'Becoming a Person of Influence', and an early version of 'Developing the Leaders Around You'. A perfect set for anyone serious about growing as a leader.

Traditional advertising says you need money to make an impact. This book flips that idea by showing how time, energy, creativity, and information can be just as powerful. If you're a small business or side-hustler, this book is your blueprint for making noise on a budget.

This book contains short, simple lessons you can reflect on each day. Whether you're frustrated about traffic, waiting in line, or daily irritations—this book reminds you not to let the small stuff distract you from what really matters.

Another book by Dale Carnegie, this book is his reflections on worry. Did you know that 40,000,000 American Adults (19.1% of population) suffer from anxiety? Think about that. This isn’t just worry, this is crippling anxiety which impacts your ability to live. Chapter 30 of the book says that 70% of all worry is about money. The chapter goes on to give some reflections, that it's not about not having enough money, it's about not spending the money you do have properly. This is just one of the lessons and true stories found in this book. I’m not going to tell you that this book cured my anxiety, but it certainly made an amazing difference in how I felt about some of my worries, and some of them just melted away.

This is probably one of the most important books I’ve ever read in my life. Dealing with people is hard, especially when they have all the power, you have none and you need them to do something for you. Most people would rather die than be in a position where they are at the mercy of someone else, but sometimes that is exactly the position you want to be in. Knowing the other person has all the power, and appealing to that fact, is sometimes the very best way to get exactly what you need. It doesn’t sound like a good position, but Dale Carnegie breaks down situations like that and helps you to understand you, how to understand the other guy, and how to really influence people. For anyone worried that this is about manipulation let me tell you, yes of course it is. Don’t think of manipulation as a bad word. Malicious manipulation is, but in order to get people to do something you need, something you have to know how to appeal to them. This book is going to teach you that.

So one problem with How to Win Friends and Influence people is that it was written for a different era, a different time, when business was done differently. Things were done with physical mail, personal notes, and handshakes. Now we live in a digital world where a text is acceptable but the wrong emoji could spell disaster. Do the lessons of Dale Carnegie still hold true in the digital age? They certain do, and this book based on his original lessons updated for the digital age is a great read. I would however, recommend you read the original book first since this builds on that book.

This book helps you understand yourself first—then others. It's a powerful reminder that not everyone is motivated the same way, and what works for one person may be demotivating to another. It's a guide to building better relationships and leading more effectively.

A simple but effective technique for overcoming procrastination. Just count down 5-4-3-2-1 and take action. This book breaks down the science behind the method and gives you motivation to start doing instead of waiting.

I recommend this book not because it’s about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but because it challenges how we think about happiness. Too many people chase some distant version of “happy” and ignore what they already have. If you have food, shelter, and some peace at the end of the day, maybe you’re doing better than you think. This book breaks down the myths around emotions too—fear, guilt, and anger aren’t always bad. Sometimes, they’re exactly what we should be feeling.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck isn’t your typical self-help book. Mark Manson skips the sugarcoating and gets real about life. Bad things happen, we all mess up, and trying to be positive all the time just makes things worse. What matters is choosing what to care about and letting go of everything else. It’s funny, brutally honest, and somehow comforting. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by trying to "fix" yourself, this one is worth the read.