Authentic leadership is greatly needed today.  Each of us has the opportunity to impact others within our sphere of influence, at work, home, and in our communities.   Below are some great resources on leadership.  Many of them have a business industry emphasis but the concepts and principles are easily transferable to law enforcement.  We know each of you strive to embody duty, honor, courage, loyalty, and integrity in your daily role as police officers.

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Recommended Leadership Books

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey

This book has impacted readers for 25 years. It has transformed the lives of Presidents and CEOs, educators and parents— in short, millions of people of all ages and occupations.  More info here.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, John C. Maxwell

Internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author John C. Maxwell has taken this million-seller and made it even better: 

  • Every Law of Leadership has been sharpened and updated
  • Seventeen new leadership stories are included
  • Two new Laws of Leadership are introduced
  • New evaluation tool will reveal your leadership strengths―and weaknesses
  • New application exercises in every chapter will help you grow   More info here.

The Five Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential, John C. Maxwell

Author John C. Maxwell explains how true leadership works and makes it accessible to everyone. Leadership does not come from your title. In fact, being named to a position is only the first and lowest of the five levels every effective leader achieves. To become more than a boss people are required to follow, you must master the ability to inspire and build a team that produces not only results, but also future leaders.  More info here.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, Jim Collins

The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good?  Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't.  Their findings shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice.  More info here.

Jack Welch and the 4 E's of Leadership: How to Put GE's Leadership Formula to Work in Your Organization

Jack Welch and the 4 E's of Leadership reveals how the 4 E model helped GE's best and brightest eliminate bureaucracy, hire and promote energetic people, find new ways to increase the organization's customer-centricity, and more. Beyond the nuts and bolts of the 4e model, however, it outlines a step-by-step blueprint anyone can follow to stock an organization with performance-ready leaders and leaders-in-training.  More info here.

Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts-Becoming the Person You Want to Be, Marshall Goldsmith

Goldsmith details the six “engaging questions” that can help us take responsibility for our efforts to improve and help us recognize when we fall short. More info here.

The Millennial Manual:  The Complete How-To Guide to Manage, Develop, and Engage Millennials at Work, Ryan Jenkins

This book equips leaders to increase productivity, improve retention, and accelerate the development of their Millennial workforce.  Leaders have found themselves ill-equipped to successfully manage, develop, and engage this unprecedented generation. More info here.

Leading at a Higher Level, Revised and Expanded Edition: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, Ken Blanchard

Leading at a Higher Level, Updated Edition, Blanchard and his colleagues bring together everything they've learned about world-class leadership. You'll discover how to create targets and visions based on the "triple bottom line", and make sure people know who you are, where you're going, and the values that will guide your journey. More info here.

Leadership and the One Minute Manager Updated Ed: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership II, Ken Blanchard

From Leadership and the One Minute Manager® you’ll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; why knowing when to delegate, support, or direct is critical; and how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person.  By consistently using Situational Leadership® II’s proven model and powerful techniques, leaders can develop and retain competent, committed employees.  More info here.

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