When we decided to launch our Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast just over two years ago, one of my goals was to provide people with leadership resources and insights from peak performers. From athletes and coaches to business leaders, authors and entrepreneurs, our guests have run the gamut.
I love to ask our guests about their reading habits—what books they are currently reading, what books have changed their lives, and what books they would recommend to other leaders. We compiled the list here to inspire you to add to your reading list and maybe take you outside of your comfort zone. Below are the 76 books recommended by podcast guests, with a bonus list of the 61 books our guests have authored. Enjoy!
Leadership
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Above the Line by Urban Meyer
- How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge by Clay Scroggins
- Lead for God’s Sake by Todd Gongwer
- Management by Peter Drucker
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene & Joost Elffers
- The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
- The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
- The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard
- When by Daniel Pink *
Personal and Professional Development
- Ego Psychology by Gertrude Rubin Blanck
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown* **
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
- Happiness by Design: Change What You Do, Not How You Think by Paul Dolan
- How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims
- I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajay
- Insight: Why We’re Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life by Tasha Eurich
- Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want by Nicholas Epley
- Popular by Mitch Prinstein
- Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy by Donald Miller *
- Social Animal by David Brooks
- The Big Life by Ann Shoket
- The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Work Hard Be Nice by Jay Mathews
Sales & Marketing
- Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller *
- Building Social Business by Muhammad Yunus
- Ready, Fire Aim: From Zero to 100 Million by by Michael Masterson and Sean Pratt
Teams & Culture
- Built to Last by Jim Collins
- Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
- Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace by Jessica Bennett
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Great by Choice by Jim Collins
- Great At Work by Morten Hansen
- Hire Tough So You Can Manage Easy by Mel Kleiman
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
- Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler
- Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni * **
- The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni
Psychology and Spirituality
- Love and Will by Rollo May
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius **
- No Man Is An Island by Thomas Merton
- On The Shortness of Life by Seneca
- Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
- The Divided Self by D. Laing
- The Reinvention of Work by Matthew Fox
- The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker
- This Tremendous Lover by Eugene Boylan
Biographies, Memoirs & Non-Fiction
- A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story by Donald Miller *
- Beyond the Messy Truth by Van Jones
- Boys on the Boat by Daniel James Brown
- Buffettology by Mary Buffett
- John Adams by David McCullough
- Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis
- Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
- My Early Life: Winston Churchill by Winston Churchill
- Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham
- Open by Andre Agassi
- The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou, Maya Angelou
- The Complete Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant
- The Upstream Doctors by Rishi Manchanda
- White Rage by Carol Anderson
Fiction / Novels
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin
- Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
- Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
- How To Love A Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
- Swamplandia by Karen Russell
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
- When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger
* Author is also a guest on Game Changers with Molly Fletcher
** Multiple asterisks indicated book was recommended by multiple guests
BONUS! Game Changers Book Club– Books authored by guests who have joined me on my podcast:
- Chris Barez Brown: Wake Up!
- Ron Clark: The Essential 55; Move Your Bus
- Henry Cloud: The Power of the Other; Boundaries
- Daniel Coyle: The Culture Code; The Talent Code
- Rorke Denver: Damn Few: Making The Modern Seal Warrior
- Herm Edwards: You Play To Win The Game
- Emily Giffin: The One & Only; All We Ever Wanted; Something Borrowed
- Seth Godin: This Is Marketing; Permission Marketing; Tribes; Purple Cow
- Bob Goff: Love Does; Everybody, Always
- Jon Gordon: The Power of Positive Leadership; The Seed; The Energy Bus; The Carpenter; Training Camp
- Verne Harnish: Mastering the Rockefeller Habits; Scaling Up; The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time
- Celeste Headlee: We Need To Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter
- Chip Heath and Dan Heath: The Power of Moments; Made to Stick
- Ryan Holiday: The Obstacle Is The Way; Ego Is The Enemy; Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
- Leila Janah: Give Work: Reversing Poverty One Job At A Time
- Daymond John: Rise & Grind; The Power of Broke
- Inky Johnson: An Amazing Story of Faith and Perseverance
- Chipper Jones: Ballplayer
- Patrick Lencioni: The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team; The Ideal Team Player; Death By Meeting; Getting Naked
- Jim Loehr: The Power of Full Engagement
- Patty McCord: Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility
- Greg McKeown: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- Joshua Medcalf: Chop Wood Carry Water; Pound The Stone; Burn Your Goals; Hustle; Transformational Leadership
- Shannon Miles: The Third Option
- Donald Miller: Building a StoryBrand
- Daniel Pink: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
- Andy Stanley: Next Generation Leaders
- Amy Trask: You Negotiate Like A Girl
- Laura Vanderkam: Off The Clock: How To Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done; What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
- Sam Walker: The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams
- Suzy Welch: The Real-Life MBA; 10-10-10; Winning
- Jen Welter: Play Big
The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A keynote speaker and author, Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s Game Changer Negotiation Training workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast on iTunes.